My Amish Bread is one of my all time favorites- and my family will agree. With five children and a busy job, I learned how to cook with the emphasis on simple and tasty. But there are certain dishes that are worth the time and effort and one of those is my Amish Bread. I have family from Pennsylvania and many of them are still in the Lancaster County area. I get a lot of my recipes and favorite dishes from that part of the country. Amish Bread is a staple there. It is a simple white bread, but is sweeter and the texture is denser, making it delicious and satisfying. It is perfect for toasting, in French toast, or slathered in honey butter. It really isn’t that difficult to make, but simply time consuming. There is a lot of waiting… but patience is a quality that will pay off in big rewards here.
Belle’s Amish Bread
2 cups warm water
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4-5 cups flour
In a large mixing bowl (I use my stand up mixer) dissolve the sugar in the warm water, and then sprinkle the yeast evenly over the top. Let it sit until yeast resembles a creamy foam. Mix the salt and oil into the yeast. Then mix in the flour one cup at a time until you can touch it without the dough being wet. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until smooth. Shape it into a ball and put it into a greased bowl. Turn the dough to coat all sides. Cover with a dish towel and let it rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two greased 9 by 5 inch loaf pans. Cover with the dish towel and allow to rise again for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Check the bread after 20 minutes and cover lightly with foil if it is getting too brown. Serve with honey butter, jam or plain.
