Amish White Bread

Why another bread recipe? Well, I got this from a friend in my book club. (I've since found it all over the internet...seems it's a popular recipe!) She made it one night for us, and it was fabulous. While it won't replace my standard bread recipe, I absolutely love it for when I want a loaf to actually slice for sandwiches. This doesn't produce a crunchy crust, but instead a soft one...much like good ole American sandwich bread. And the slices hold together really well for sandwiches. Making BLTs with tonight!

2 cups warm water
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast (translate: 1 block of fresh yeast from the dairy section)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or olive oil)
6 cups flour


In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam. (That's what the recipe says, but I don't proof it; the blocks of yeast here do just fine without doing this.) Mix salt and oil into the yeast mixture. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

**I bought my bread pan here and it's at least half longer than the standard U.S. bread pan so I only get one really long, tall loaf from this recipe.