While I enjoy cooking and baking, I do not prepare yeast breads very often; instead, I like to bake quick-breads like banana, pumpkin, and zucchini. A few weeks ago, I was making baked beef stew (which has become a family-favorite in our home; thanks again, Sarah, for bringing this dish into my world!) for a family at our church and thought, "You know, a loaf of bread would go nicely with this..." So, I dug through my recipe box and was reminded of this easy, yet oh-so-tasty recipe and gave it a whirl. I think I will add this bread to my weekly to-do, because it not only is great with dishes like the beef stew, but makes really good garlic bread, grilled cheese sandwiches, and is awesome when topped with Nutella and strawberries among other uses :)
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Ingredients: (Yield: 2 loaves)
- 2 packets of yeast (4 1/2 tsp total)
- ~1/2 c sugar
- 2 eggs
- 6 c flour (I like to use 5 c A/P flour and 1 c whole wheat flour)
- 2 c warm water
- 1 TBSP salt
- 1/4 c canola oil
- ~1/3 c oats (as a topping, if desired)
Directions:
Combine the yeast and sugar in a large bowl; stir in the warm water, dissolving the yeast and sugar. Next, add the eggs, salt, and oil; mix well. Add ~3 c of the flour, mix, and then add the rest of the flour, mixing until all ingredients are incorporated. Knead the dough until it is smooth, then place in an oiled bowl; cover the dough and let rise for about 1 hour. Punch the dough down and divide into two greased loaf pans. Let the dough rise for another hour. Top with oats if desired and bake for ~28-30 minutes at 375F. Enjoy!