Enjoy hearty homemade bread fresh from the oven: whole wheat, white, and every variety in between.
Aah . . . the goodness of fresh bread! This bread-making recipe was passed on to me from my grandmother, Dorothy, and has come to be known as Grandma Dot’s Bread.
Grandma Dot's Hearty Homemade Bread
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. yeast dissolved in
- 1 cup of warm water with
- 2 tsp. of white sugar
(Let rise until foamy, about 10 minutes.)
Into a large bowl:
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of fat
- 2 tsp. salt
Then add:
- 3 cups of hot water to dissolve the fat
- 3 cups of cold water to achieve the right temperature before you add the yeast. Water should be warm but not hot enough to kill the yeast.
- Stir in yeast mixture
Because this is an old time bread-making recipe, exact amounts of flour aren't given.
Directions:
Start adding in flour, using either a soup bowl or a flour scoop. Stir your wet mixture with a wooden spoon, so that ingredients are well blended. Keep adding flour until your dough gets stiff, and then start kneading the bread dough with your hands. Knead dough thoroughly, adding flour each time dough starts to feel sticky. Keep folding bread dough toward the middle with the heel of your hand and work in a circle.
- Dough will develop an elastic feel. Once you have a large ball, smooth on oil and cover with a tea towel. Set your bread batch in a warm place to rise, until doubled in size.
- Punch down and let rise again. Test by poking two fingers into the dough. If a depression remains, your dough is ready.
Method:
Punch down and cut bread dough into 7-8 portions. Place these on a floured counter and shape into oblongs, tucking dough under the sides. Place in greased pans, cover, and set to rise. Preheat oven and bake bread at 325 for approximately one hour.
Variations:
You can substitute all or part of the white flour with whole-wheat flour for brown bread, graham flour for graham bread, rye flour for rye bread, or use any flour of your choice.
Additions:
- toasted sunflower seeds
- flax seeds
- chopped nuts
- poppy seeds
- sesame seeds
- raisins
- cinnamon
For a rich whole wheat bread, add equal amounts of white and whole-wheat flour. Include sunflower seeds and flax seeds.
Bread Toppers:
- Place bread dough in pans, make a lengthwise slit in the top of the bread and press in sesame seeds and poppy seeds for crunchy goodness and eye-appeal.
- Dust with sifted white flour
- Top with cornmeal
Decorative Touches:
Braided Bread
- Roll bread dough into 3 pan-length strips. Press together on one end and braid dough for a decorative loaf.
- Shape braided dough in a circle and place in pan.
Buns
Buns can also be made from this bread recipe, using all or half the dough. Choose to either make all bread loves, all bread buns, or a combination of both.
Bun Making Method:
- Cut palm-sized balls and place on counter. Bring together thumb and middle finger, and start rolling in a counter clockwise motion. Perfectly formed balls will form. Place balls in greased pans.
- Cook buns for a shorter period, 15-20 minutes at 325, until golden brown.
This recipe for hearty homemade bread will become an old family favorite. The next time you have a hankering for down home goodness, make up a batch of Grandma Dot's bread.
