For many years in an effort to stay at home with my kids I baked bread and sold it from my home. Friends and neighbors were very kind in helping to spread the word and it helped bring in enough extra income that I didn't have to leave the home for a part time job.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of hard work and I was juggling 5 young kids and a bed-ridden mother, but staying at home with them was my goal, so I made it work. I had 1 oven but getting up at 4 and working till sometimes 10pm I could churn out a whole lot of baked goods. My all time high number was 92 loaves of bread that was exhausting! I also baked cookies and cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls. Thanksgiving and Christmas the orders came pouring in and the late hours added up, but still worth it to me!
One blessing that came out of these years is that I went from a pretty good baker to a darn good, I have serious experience baker! I worked my behind off and was willing to share all that I had learned but was still more than happy to learn from other, after all, who really knows it all?
So I’m going to share with you my all time easiest and favorite bread recipe. It’s an old one and it’s origins come from an old food storage cookbook my mom had. I think because it uses powdered milk it was considered food storage worthy. All I know is that its easy and almost fool proof, YAY!
I bought a Bosch mixer several years ago and I LOVE that thing!!! For all those years it mixed more bread and rolls than I can possibly count, millions maybe, and it’s still going strong. I wore out 2 bowls and I broke 2 dough hooks from the sheer wear and tear but that motor has never blinked. I honestly don’t know what I would have to do to wear it out, it’s about 18 years old now and it’s probably had the wear and tear of one that’s 50 years old at least! So this recipe I make in the Bosch and it’s perfect every time. You could mix it by hand and I have, it just takes longer, however it builds great muscles.
So now for the recipe:
- 6 cups of warm water
- 3 Tbs yeast
- 9 Tbs sugar
Add the secret ingredient! 1 Tbs of vitamin C. (I buy the giant bottles of Vitamin C at Costco and pour about ¼ of the bottle into my Bosch blender and let it run till its powdered)
Let set a few minutes to bloom the yeast
Add:
- 2 Tbs salt
- 2/3 Cups powdered milk
- 6 Cups flour
Mix a minute or two
Then if using a Bosch add enough flour till the sides of the bowl are clean. If mixing by hand add about 10-12 cups flour till dough is barely sticky.
Leave in the Bosch and cover with a tea towel and let rise till double, about 30 minutes.
Turn out of bowl, cut into 6 equal loaves, and form into loaves. Spray 6 bread pans with Pam or any other non-stick spray and place bread dough in them. Let rise till the dough is about 1 –2 inches above the rim of the pans then bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.
When the bread is done is will sound hollow when thumped with your finger and be nicely browned. Turn it out onto a tea towel and let cool completely.
This will keep on the counter for a few days but if you don’t plan on using it within that time it freezes well for several weeks.
The vitamin c helps the bread to rise more easily. It’s somewhat similar to adding a dough enhancer but no chemicals and who couldn't use a little more vitamin c?
When I form my bread loaves here is the secret I learned from my grandmother: take the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin into a long strip in front of you. Then starting at the narrow end roll it up like you would cinnamon rolls. Then roll that roll of dough back and forth in front of you with a little pressure so as to seal it well. Then tuck your ends under and place into the pans.
The purpose of all that is to get out all the air bubbles so you don’t have air pockets in your bread and your loaf is smooth and pretty when its baked. It takes a little practice but once you get the hang of it it’s really easy and fast.
I have used this recipe to make money, to help with fundraisers, to comfort a sick friend, to say thank you, to bribe my kids and everything in between. It also makes a great neighborhood Christmas gift and if you’re ambitious you can make jelly to go with it.
I have used part of the dough to make fried bread and quick cinnamon rolls and bread sticks. The ideas are endless. The smell of fresh baked bread is the most homey, heavenly smell I know and my family always thinks of home when they smell it no matter where they are. It was such a part of their lives growing up they just can’t get rid of it!