Easy-Peasy Bread

My dear friend Leanne came over last week to show me how to make her “easy peasy” bread. We made 5 loaves then and it was so easy I have 5 more loaves going right now! I had so many requests for the recipe that I just had to share it.

I am looking forward to playing with different sweeteners, flours and add-ins after I get a little more practice… Leanne also told me this dough works great for pizza, cinnamon rolls and anything else you can dream up!

2 1/2 cups hot water (I just use the hot faucet water; let it get really hot!)
1 TBSP plus 1/2 tsp yeast
2 C flour (white, whole wheat or combination of both)

Place the water in a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top of the water. Add the two cups of flour and gently stir until the flour is wet. Don't stir it to death!

Let this sit for 20 minutes. It will foam up and bubble. While it sits, grease two loaf pans and get the next ingredients ready......

1/3 C sugar, brown sugar, honey or molasses
1/3 C oil
2 tsp salt
3-5 C flour

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Add the sugar or honey, oil and salt to the bubbly flour mixture. Gradually add the flour, one cup at a time and stir gently. Keep adding the flour and stirring until the dough looks a bit dry and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

On the surface where you will knead the flour, generously sprinkle extra flour. I knead my bread on a large cutting board surface. Any surface will work, as long as you have a cup of flour next to you that you can sprinkle on your surface as you knead. Dump the dough out on your floured surface. Sprinkle more flour onto the dough. Knead dough for about 6-10 minutes, until the dough is soft and smooth, making sure to sprinkle flour onto your surface so that the dough does not stick.

Cut dough in half. Shape into two loaves. Place dough into your greased loaf pans. Place in preheated oven.

Let rise for about 15 minutes, or until dough is about an inch above the top of your pans. Turn oven up to 350 degrees. Bake loaves for 25 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter while still hot.