Honey White Bread or Rolls

The first time I ever made bread was a few years ago.  A friend had given me a bread maker and I needed to at least try it .  Much to my surprise, I really loved it! However, I found myself frustrated that the loaves were small and I could only make one loaf at a time.

I decided to try making it on my own.  It was around the time of our wedding anniversary, so my husband insisted we treat ourselves to a Kitchenaid Mixer.  We wanted one for years, but never felt comfortable spending the extra money when we had several children at home.  My husband, David, has worked in the food industry for the past 30 years so it was as much of a gift to him as it was to me.  Many women would love to have a hubby who gets excited about mixers, blenders, food processors, etc.! His biggest downfall is that he doesn't possess the word 'small' in his vocabulary.  I would have settled for the 4 qt. mixer, but we ended up with the 6 qt. Professional Series. Go big or go home!! Word of advice, this one is actually too big!!!  We love it regardless. I can make up to 4 loaves at one time with this size.

Today, I am making my honey white bread.  It's very easy and will yield two nice loaves.

                                                               Ingredients:
                                                             1/2 tsp. Salt
                                                           2 packets of Yeast
                                                          1 1/2 tbsp. Honey
                                                             1 tbsp. Sugar
                                                          3/4 Stick of Butter
                                                        1/2  c. WARM Water
                                                      1 1/2 c. WARM Milk
                                                               3 Egg Yolks
                                                               6 c. Flour

The first thing you will want to do is warm your mixing bowl with warm water while you measure out all the ingredients.

Dump out the water and add 1/2c. WARM Water to the bowl, followed by the yeast and sugar. Whisk it together until it is frothy.  This activates your yeast mixture.  It should look like this below.  Let it set for 5 minutes.

                                 Now add the butter, egg yolks, salt, WARM milk , and honey

                   Turning the mixer on slow, add three cups of the flour and mix on med for 5 minutes.

Add the remaining flour and mix for an additional 8 minutes.  The dough will start forming and taking shape.  Be patient and make sure you use every second of the 8 minutes..

                      Remove the dough from the dough hook and place onto a well-floured surface.

Hand knead the dough for 5 minutes shaping it into a well rounded ball.  Spray a bowl with canola oil and      place the dough inside. Cover it with a damp cloth and let  it rise for 1 hr.

If you do not have an electric mixer, you can hand knead the dough as well. It takes more effort, but that's how our grandmothers did it back in the day!! This is one of my favorite parts of bread making, watching it rise!!!  After an hour, when you remove the dishcloth, you should find this..

Wow!!!! It should at least double in size!!  Now, we need to hand knead it one more time!  Roll and shape into a nice square and cut down the middle.  Then, place each loaf into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Cover and let rise for another hour.  If you wanted to make rolls, divide the dough four ways, roll into strips and cut them into 1 1/2" pieces. Roll in hands to form a ball.

One note about yeast. If you decide you want to make bread on a regular basis, buy yeast in bulk!!  Individual packets are fine for someone who only bakes once in a blue moon, but you will save $$ if you buy a large package.  Store it in a tightly closed container and it will last a long time.

                                         Now they are ready to bake @ 350 degrees for 40 minutes

 

       Brush them with an egg wash consisting of one egg white mixed with a teaspoon of sugar as the last
         step before putting them in the oven!

Considering the average cost of a decent loaf of bread is around $3.50-$4.00, you can make your own for
under 75 cents. That's amazing.  While it may seem like it's time consuming, I try to make it on the day I clean my house. The total prep time is under 30 minutes, the rest is just waiting for it to rise.

I add Italian seasoning and garlic for an awesome garlic bread.  You can throw shredded cheddar cheese on the top if you really want to get fancy.

I've also used sundried tomatoes with this recipe.  Instead of using loaf pans, I formed them into round breads.

I love the smell of fresh bread baking.  I wish I would have learned this years ago when my children were young.  It's never to late to learn something new and very happy I did!! Try it and let me know what you think!!!