Have you ever wanted to make your own bread but you’ve felt intimidated by the yeast process? I have. I have conquered that fear and I want you to also! Or maybe you are already an expert and just want a good homemade Amish Sweet Bread recipe, that’s fine too. I am here to please!
First, let me give a special shout out to my dear friend Kim for coming to my house and walking me through this scary process. She was brave enough to conquer this on her own and offered to hold my hand through the process. Isn’t easier when you have a friend by your side? Sure it is. Thanks Kim! Love ya girl!
There is a printable version of this recipe at the very bottom of this post.
Homemade Amish Sweet Bread Recipe Step by Step Instructions
Heat 2 cups of water to 110℉. If you don’t have a thermometer try this tip. It works every time. Heat up 1/2 cup of water in a microwave safe bowl for one minute. This will boil the water. Then add tap water from the faucet until you reach 2 cups of water.
Add the sugar to the water you just heated and stir it.
Add the active dry yeast to the sugar water and let it set for exactly 10 minutes. It will become frothy. See before and after photos below.
How long can you keep yeast in the freezer you ask?
Once your package or jar is opened the yeast must be refrigerated or frozen in an airtight container. Under these conditions, we recommend using the Dry Yeast within 4 months after opening if refrigerated, or within 6 monthsafter opening if frozen. The yeast will go dormant in the freezer. Just allow it to set out for about 10 minutes before you use it.
Slowly add one cup of flour at a time to this yeast mixture. You might not use all of the flour. It depends on how wet the dough is towards the end. You want to get to a good non-sticky dough consistency and it will form a ball.
Once the dough forms a ball, you will need to knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the surface with flour before you begin. When you feel the dough get sticky, sprinkle more flour over the top of the dough as you are kneading it. When this process is over you should be able to lift a small piece of the dough without it tearing. (see the photo)
Spray a large bowl with non stick cooking oil and place the dough into the bowl. Cover this bowl with a damp towel.
Let this dough rise for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
After the dough has risen, punch the middle part of the dough and pull the dough from the sides of the bowl.
Use a dough cutter and split the dough into two equal parts and place them in a greased loaf pan. Shape them into the size of your pan.
Let these loaves sit uncovered for another 3o minutes to rise again.
Now place them in a preheated oven at 350℉ for about 30 minutes or until they are cooked thoroughly. If you are using a cast iron bread pan you will need to bake these loaves after 5 minutes or so. The crust comes out amazing with cast iron but it does take a little longer to bake. I love cast iron because it cooks so evenly.
Feel free to Pin It on Pinterest for later. I promise, you will NEVER want to lose this recipe.
Homemade Amish Sweet Bread Recipe with Step by Step Instructions
Heat 2 cups of water to 110℉. If you don't have a thermometer try this tip. It works every time. Heat up 1/2 cup of water in a microwave safe bowl for one minute. This will boil the water. Then add tap water from the faucet until you reach 2 cups of water.
Add the sugar to the water you just heated and stir it.
Add the yeast to the sugar water and let it set for exactly 10 minutes. It will become frothy. See before and after photos below.
Mix in the oil and salt into the yeast liquid.
Slowly add one cup of flour at a time to this yeast mixture. You might not use all of the flour. It depends on how wet the dough is towards the end. You want to get to a good non-sticky dough consistency and it will form a ball.
Once the dough forms a ball, you will need to knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the surface with flour before you begin. When you feel the dough get sticky, sprinkle more flour over the top of the dough as you are kneading it. When this process is over you should be able to lift a small piece of the dough without it tearing. (see the photo)
Spray a large bowl with non stick cooking oil and place the dough into the bowl. Cover this bowl with a damp towel.
Let this dough rise for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
After the dough has risen, punch the middle part of the dough and pull the dough from the sides of the bowl.
Use a dough cutter and split the dough into two equal parts and place them in a greased loaf pan
Let these loaves sit uncovered for another 3o minutes to rise again.
Now place them in a preheated oven at 350℉ for about 30 minutes or until they are cooked thoroughly.
If the room is too cold or dry, the yeast may not activate properly and the dough may not rise enough. You can try placing the bread maker in a warmer spot, or covering it with a damp cloth to create some moisture. The kneading process is also important for developing the gluten structure and elasticity of the dough.
If you make a bread dough with all-purpose flour, the gluten network won't be as strong because of the lower protein content; this means the dough won't be able to stretch as much to accommodate those bubbles, resulting in smaller bubbles and bread with a tighter crumb.
Too much heat or humidity might lead to a too-quick rise and a crevice near the center of your bread. Conditions that are too cold might delay proofing or rising, resulting in a super-dense loaf. The bread machine works on a timer and hums along at its regular pace.
Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.
You can also add herbs and seasonings such as garlic, rosemary, dill, chopped onion, jalapeño, shredded cheese, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, etc. My no yeast bread is the quick bread alternative here—you can add flavors to that loaf, too! Baker's Tip: Avoid adding too much flour to the dough as you work with it.
Yeast is too cold If the other ingredients are too cold, it could cause some of the yeast to die. Was the dough kneaded properly? Dough may not have been kneaded enough. Kneading 'exercises' the gluten in the bread and gives it the elasticity to hold in the air bubbles produced by the yeast.
But almost as good as a proofing box is taking a Mason jar filled halfway up with water, microwaving it for two minutes, then putting your bowl of dough into the microwave with the jar to rise. The other thing you can do is place your lidded container or bowl of dough into a second, larger bowl of warm water.
What you get—instead of those chemical bleaching agents—is flour from superior grains grown by farmers we trust. Our flour is carefully milled according to the strictest specifications that we've developed over generations to give you the best, most consistent results at home.
While bread flour is the best option, it can sometimes be used if you don't have bread flour. “Check the protein content,” advises Chef Jürgen, since it can vary from brand to brand, and an all-purpose flour that contains protein on the higher end of the range, 12 to 13 percent, will produce a better outcome.
Yes! All-purpose flour has a 9% to 12% gluten content, while bread flour's gluten content falls in the 10% to 13% range. Even if your all-purpose flour lacks gluten, you can still use it in the bread machine. Again, the worst that will happen is that your bread will not rise as much as it would with bread flour.
Too much flour can make your dough stiff and dry. And we all know what happens if there's not enough liquid for the yeast to use: It doesn't work how it should. So, be mindful of your measurements and how much flour your dough picks up in the kneading process.
Overproofed is when the dough has rested too long and the yeast has continued making carbon dioxide while the strength of the dough (gluten bonds) have begun to wear out. The dough will look very puffy, but when you touch it or move it you may notice it deflate or sag.
Cause: typical of too much flour (or other dry ingredients) or not enough liquid; less often a result of too little yeast, too little sugar, too much salt, or old ingredients. Here's what you can try doing to improve your loaf: Reduce your flour* or increasing your liquids.
To determine whether bread is of good quality, there are several factors and characteristics you can identify. For example the crust must be crisp and of a darker tone than the inside, a strong flavour and taste due to the flour, as well as a pleasant smell. What's also important is that the conservation is longer.
If you're looking to ramp up the taste of your favorite bread recipe, we recommend adding a bit of fat. A fat like butter, olive oil or coconut oil in small quantities will help your bread achieve a higher rise and it will also boost its flavor by tenfold.
Instrumental springiness was positively associated with sponge and dough mixing time (P = 0.02). Sponge and dough mixing and baking times were the two most significant process parameters affecting the bread physical quality and hence should be optimised.
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