This begins my 5 day series on yeast breads. Today we’ll cover Light Bread. Why is it called that? I guess because it’s light in color……or light in texture. Who knows? All I know is that my mama calls it Light Bread, so I call it that. It’s delicious, so who cares what it’s called. You can call it Dirt Bread for all I care as long as I get to eat it with butter.
This recipe doesn’t take complicated ingredients. You’ll need bread flour, salt, yeast, warm water, sugar, and shortening. Yes, bread flour. Don’t substitute this time.
Pour your warm water in a bowl and add the yeast. Stir it a little bit and add the salt, sugar, and shortening. As you can see, the water isn’t hot enough to melt the shortening completely. It just gets it nice and soft. We don’t want hot enough water to melt the shortening or it would shock the snot out of the yeast. It likes a warm bath, not a “turn me red” bath. Don’t let it freak you out that there is still shortening floating around in there. The flour will take care of it.
To this yeasty mixture you want to add flour until you get a stiff dough – stiff enough to knead. It should form a ball when you stir it and not stick to the sides of the bowl. It will vary each time as to how much flour you add. I’ve got 6 cups written on my recipe, but it didn’t take me 6 cups this time – only about 5 1/2. Anything and everything can affect the conditions of how much flour you need to add – heat, humidity, nosey neighbors, holidays. Just wing it.
Now you will knead the bread. I love to knead bread! It’s a great workout for your arms. When your husband comes home and asked what you did today, tell him you worked out. If you don’t know how to knead, go watch this video. Let me just say I LOVE YouTube! You can see everything on there……..everything. Some things you don’t want to see – like nakedness. Ewwwwwwww. Nakedness and bread don’t mix. I kneaded this about 6 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when it is smooth and round. When you poke it, it should be springy and pop back out. Also, I added about ½ cup of flour when kneading so it did end up being about 6 cups flour total.
Grease a large bowl and plop your dough in there. Flip the dough over to make sure it gets covered all over. Now cover the bowl and let the dough raise until it’s doubled in size. It’s alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is a trick of mine. I find that the temperature of my house can vary so much that sometimes my bread will take all day to raise. I’m not patient enough to deal with that. So, after I cover my bowl I put it in the oven with the light on. It gets really toasty in there! It’ll help it raise quickly. If you have a hot house, you won’t need this step. Oh, and please don’t forget it’s in there and turn the oven on. Plastic melts. I know.
If you look at your dough and think “Hmmm, I’m not sure that’s doubled,” then you can just poke it again. Can you tell I like to poke things? Barry doesn’t like it when I poke him in the armpit. Side note: I do not poke Barry in the armpit while I’m baking bread – gross. Anyway, if it leaves an indention when you poke the dough, it’s ready! If the hole fills back up, it’s not ready. Go watch Days of Our Lives a little longer and eat some bonbons.
Raise in the oven
For this dough, I used two 9 inch loaf pans. You can get great deals on these at Ross! Not that I shop at Ross regularly or anything. Divide your ready dough in half and form it into loaves. They don’t have to be perfect – the pan will shape them. Grease your two loaf pans, plop the dough in upside down and turn it over so that it gets coated with oil. Now you want it to raise again. It could take 30 minutes or it could take 2 hours. Who knows with bread? It has a mind of its own. Bread is female.
See! It’s ready to go! Nice and raised. Slide it into a 350 degree oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. A good test is to tap it on the top when you think it’s done. If it sounds hollow, it’s done!
Let it sit for 10 minutes in the pan and then turn it out to cool completely on a wire rack. COMPLETELY I said! Don’t cut it now. It’ll get all torn and ugly if you try to cut it hot. Man, I love bread. Whew! Now I need to go eat a piece.
Here’s a bit of information for ya. Between the second raise and baking the bread, I managed to break my last two toes on the left foot. Yep. Shows you how much I love bread – I finished baking it. Bread should not be wasted.
Homemade Light Bread
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 package yeast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ cup shortening
- ½ cup sugar
- 6+ cups bread flour
- Dissolve yeast in warm water.
- Add shortening, sugar, and salt. Add enough bread flour to make stiff dough.
- Knead 6-8 minutes or until springy and smooth.
- Put into large greased bowl and turn so that entire surface is greased. Cover. Let rise until doubled.
- Divide dough in half and shape into loaves. Put upside down into two greased 9 inch loaf pans. Turn dough over so entire surface is greased.
- Cover and let rise until doubled.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely.
So, Stacy! I’ve just found your blog and I’m reading and reading and reading… 🙂 Do you still use this recipe by substituting something for sugar? Still use shortening? Or do you sub in coconut oil or butter? Or do you have another simple bread recipe that you like even better and can point me to? Hoping I can save myself some experimenting time if you’ve already done it! 🙂 Thanks!
Yes, I still make this one – you can use any sugar you like. I use white wheat for the flour – and coconut oil or butter for the shortening. Palm shortening would also work.
You might try this one too – it’s our favorite: http://www.stacymakescents.com/honey-oat-bread
Sorry last reply should have said “Thank you for getting ME back in to making foods from scratch.” oops
You’re welcome. 🙂
I was wondering when you say to grease the bowl and loaf pans we are talking shortening correct??
Thank you for getting back in to making foods from scratch at home. Feels good!
You can use shortening…or oil…or butter. 🙂 Just use an adequate amount so that no sticking occurs.
Am totally enJOYing your blog, m’am! Do you have any suggestions for modifying your Light Bread recipe…sans veggie shortening? Not an easy order (i know, i know). I have medical dietary restrictions & ‘fats’ (even vegetable-based ones) that solidify at room temp are a big no-no. Makes for creative baking, indeed. Would love any insight/help you may have.
Thanks so much!
Warmly from the west coast~
Tanya
I’ve had to modify this a bit to fit our new eating habits as well. 🙂 You can use softened butter, coconut oil, or palm shortening – I know all of those are semi-solid at room temperature, except when it’s hot outside. So, I would just substitute olive oil. While I don’t normally do that because of its strong flavor, the 1/4 cup shouldn’t leave a taste at all. I hope that helps! 🙂
Making bread really scares me, lol. I’m afraid I won’t get it right, or it will explode. You make it look so easy here and I always love how you include the pictures 🙂
It’s really fun! Try it once and you’ll LOVE it!
I have always loved making homemade bread not another scent in the world like something good baking in the kitchen.
I made the light bread today and It wasn’t hard at all! I can’t wait to make the rolls too!
Thank you Stacy! Keep posting!
Great Tina! 🙂 I hope you enjoy the rolls too!
Yay! Nothing like homemade pizza! Thanks for the recipe.
Bread is wonderful! Can’t wait to try it!!
The only bread I have ever tried to make is the kind you put in a bread maker. Your’s is very pretty and doesn’t have that hole in it that the bread maker leaves. You inspire me to try it your way! :0)
I love homemade bread! I wish I hadn’t let my sourdough starter die, though. I miss making my sourdough bread every week. Do you have a good starter recipe?
I’m very protective of my sourdough bread recipe. 🙂 It’s the one recipe that I’ll never give out because I use it to make money on the side. 🙂 Just experiment with a few that you find in church cookbooks until you find the one that works best for you!
Oh man I was hoping for a sourdough recipe from u 🙁
I’ll cover a few different types, but not that one. 🙂
Ok so where do I buy yeast? Ladies don’t laugh at me please?
It’s in the same aisle as the flour and sugar. It’s usually near baking powder and on the top shelf. 🙂
Ouch! That hurts to look at it!! What in the world did you do? I made homemade yeastbreads a lot when Daniel and I were first married, but haven’t done much in the bread department since we’ve had kids. Maybe I should start trying it again.
Ouch! Maybe you could do your toenails to match. I let our bread rise on our enclosed back porch in summer–high speed!
GREAT JOB STACY!! I LOVE MAKING Breads & Rolls!! My niece even asked me for a batch of rolls for her bday!!
S<
I love homemade bread -topped with butter and jam it is the best. You are one trooper for working through breaking your toes!
I LOVE homemade yeast breads, but I’m not good at making them. I’m looking forward to your tips this week. I even have a mixer with a dough hook – what are your thoughts about this?
I’ll be posting a Kitchen Aid Bread that requires no kneading. 🙂 Just up your alley!
When I was a pre-teen oh so many years ago, I had this Cooking for Kids cookbook that showed how to make homemade wheat bread. I loved making it. I loved eating it even more. When I became a teen I got into boys and didn’t make time to make bread anymore, and college wiped all knowledge of the craft from my head. I really wish I could find that Cooking for Kids book again. I’d like to taste and smell that bread again. I think the only thing keeping me from making homemade bread again is a tiny kitchen and fear that I’d fall in love with it and just eat it all day long.
You inspired me to make homemade bread, Stace. Even though mine never looks as pretty as yours, at least it tastes just as good! My favorite is the sourdough bread! I LOVE making it!!