4-Loaf Bread
Simple bread recipe for even the beginning baker!
Servings Prep Time
4loaves 1Hour
Cook Time Passive Time
35Minutes 1.5 to 2 Hours
Servings Prep Time
4loaves 1Hour
Cook Time Passive Time
35Minutes 1.5 to 2 Hours
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Pour 4 Cups warm water into your biggest mixing bowl. I simply turn the kitchen faucet to warmish water till it feels like the temperature you’d use for your baby’s bath.
  2. Sprinkle the 2 packets of instant yeast on top of the water. Add ½ Cup honey and lightly stir just to combine.
  3. Let mixture sit for 3 to 5 minutes. After that time, the top of the mixture in the bowl should go from being wet and dull looking to being a brighter, bubbly substance. ***If you don’t have a few bubbles forming at this point, you either used water that was too hot (killed the yeast), used water that was too cold (not warm enough to activate the yeast), or your yeast packets might just be too old (did you buy it this year, or the year you got married lol).
  4. Add in ½ Cup oil. (I have used vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, and even olive oil before. All seem to do just fine.) Add in 1 ½ (ish) Tbsp salt. Add in 1 Cup of the Pineapple juice.
  5. Stir to combine. Let mixture sit for two minutes.
  6. 9. Add in 5 Cups whole wheat flour. (Again, if you only have all-purpose, this recipe can be used with just one type of flour. I just personally go half and half.) Stir mixture for 3 minutes.
  7. Add in the rest of your flour (for me, it’s usually unbleached all-purpose) 1 Cup at a time, stirring after each addition, till you’ve added 6 more Cups. (In total, you will have now added 11 Cups of flour to your mixture).
  8. Spread some extra flour out on a clean counter top to prep for kneading. Put the dough out on to that surface and knead for a good 8 minutes. ***You might find that you need to add more flour to the dough as you are kneading. The dough shouldn’t be sticky. It should feel kind of velvety-soft by the time you are done, and easily form into a ball.
  9. Stick the big velvety-soft ball of dough back into your big mixing bowl. Cover with Press ‘n Seal wrap or a heavy (clean) kitchen towel. Leave it alone (and in a place that the kids can’t get to it) for 30 minutes. Place should be warm but not hot. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
  10. After rising for 30 minutes, your dough should have (at least) doubled in size. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. I find that a big kitchen knife works well for this. Gently form the 4 parts into 4 loaves and stick in bread pans (I don’t have 4 bread pans, so I’ve used small casserole dishes in the past. The bread doesn’t turn out as pretty, but it’s just a tasty).
  11. Cover them again with the Press ‘n Seal or towel and let them rise again for 10 minutes. Then take off the coverings and let them continue to rise till they are about an inch above the pan.
  12. Brush tops of loaves with a little butter (optional), and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
  13. Pull them out, brush tops with butter again (optional). Cut a slice while it’s nice and warm and enjoy!!
Recipe Notes

This recipe makes 4 loaves. I suggest wrapping up 3 of the loaves (once cooled) in the Press ‘n Seal wrap or other air tight container and storing them in your freezer, while leaving 1 loaf out to use immediately.

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