Automated Amish Bread
The holidays are well and truly over. After weeks of richly spiced mince pies and plum puddings it is time to get back to baking and eating more simply. These days a slice of warm, home made Amish bread tastes like a real treat.
The truth is, Amish bread isn't as spartan a loaf as you might think. In true Amish fashion, this bread is a little bit richer than your regular white loaf. It has a bit more sugar and a touch more oil to enrich the dough. After all, it was the Amish who gave us Whoopee Pies so you know their bread is going to be tasty.
The Amish are famous for their traditional horse and buggies, large black hats, and lack of modern machinery so using a KitchenAid to make this bread may seem a little incongruous but it works a treat. Of course, you can make this bread the old fashioned way with a wooden spoon and a bit of muscle but a mixer with a dough hook makes just as good a loaf. Here's how to do it:
Ingredients
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water.
Attach the dough hook to your electric mixer. Place the salt and two cups of the bread flour into the mixing bowl.
Pour in the yeast mixture and turn the mixer to speed 1 to combine the ingredients.
After a minute or two, scrape down the bowl and add the vegetable oil. Mix for a minute to incorporate the oil.
Now turn the mixer up to 2 and add the final cup of flour. Continue to mix at speed 2 until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl and climbs up the dough hook.
When the dough is smooth and elastic, remove it from the mixing bowl and form it into a ball. Coat the dough ball with a drop or two of vegetable oil and return it to the mixing bowl. Cover the mixing bowl with cling film and place it in a warm place so the dough will rise. This should take about an hour.
When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and form it into a loaf shape. Place the dough into a greased 9x5 loaf tin and allow the dough to rise a second time.
In the meantime, heat the oven to 350F/170C. When the dough has risen one inch above the tin it is ready to bake. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Click HERE to learn more about the Amish way of life. Their history and culture are fascinating. I am off for a slice of bread and butter.
The truth is, Amish bread isn't as spartan a loaf as you might think. In true Amish fashion, this bread is a little bit richer than your regular white loaf. It has a bit more sugar and a touch more oil to enrich the dough. After all, it was the Amish who gave us Whoopee Pies so you know their bread is going to be tasty.
The Amish are famous for their traditional horse and buggies, large black hats, and lack of modern machinery so using a KitchenAid to make this bread may seem a little incongruous but it works a treat. Of course, you can make this bread the old fashioned way with a wooden spoon and a bit of muscle but a mixer with a dough hook makes just as good a loaf. Here's how to do it:
Ingredients
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water.
Attach the dough hook to your electric mixer. Place the salt and two cups of the bread flour into the mixing bowl.
Pour in the yeast mixture and turn the mixer to speed 1 to combine the ingredients.
After a minute or two, scrape down the bowl and add the vegetable oil. Mix for a minute to incorporate the oil.
Now turn the mixer up to 2 and add the final cup of flour. Continue to mix at speed 2 until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl and climbs up the dough hook.
When the dough is smooth and elastic, remove it from the mixing bowl and form it into a ball. Coat the dough ball with a drop or two of vegetable oil and return it to the mixing bowl. Cover the mixing bowl with cling film and place it in a warm place so the dough will rise. This should take about an hour.
When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and form it into a loaf shape. Place the dough into a greased 9x5 loaf tin and allow the dough to rise a second time.
In the meantime, heat the oven to 350F/170C. When the dough has risen one inch above the tin it is ready to bake. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Click HERE to learn more about the Amish way of life. Their history and culture are fascinating. I am off for a slice of bread and butter.
I'm always fascinated by the lifestyle of the Amish in this modern times.
ReplyDeleteThe Amish way of life has fascinated many people in the United States. Touring the Amish counties and enjoying their excellent food has become very popular in the past few decades.
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