Anyone who knows me decently well knows about my love affair with all things bread. Bread loaves, bread bowls, homemade rolls…I love them all. Seriously y’all, I went through 150 lbs. of flour in one year. ONE YEAR!
For years I was obsessed with my bread machine. And then I got a Kitchenaid. Lord have mercy, I fell in love with bread all over again! There is something so comforting to me about the entire bread baking process, from beginning to end.
This is the most versatile dough I’ve ever worked with. I’ve made loaves, bread bowls and rolls with it and they were all equally scrumptious.
I suggest you scurry to your kitchen and get started on some homemade bread. Trust me, you won’t regret it!
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
loaves
|
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups warm water around 105°
- 5 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 4 tbs white sugar
- 4 tbs lard melted
- 7 cups flour
- 1 tbs salt
- cornmeal for dusting
Ingredients
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Instructions
- In the bowl of your Kitchenaid combine the water, yeast and 1 tsp of sugar. Mix this well to combine. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes to bloom (until foamy).
- Add the melted lard and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl add the flour, 4 tbs white sugar and salt. Whisk to combine these well.
- With your dough hook on your Kitchenaid, turn it on to low speed. Gradually add your flour mixture about 1 cup at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides as needed. Once all the flour mixture is added, bump the speed up one notch. Continue to knead the dough with your mixer until the dough is smooth, elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl (I grease the bowl with lard as well). Turn the dough in the bowl to coat the entire outside with lard. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set it in a warm place to rise until it is doubled in size (1-2 hours).
- For loaves: Gently punch down dough and turn it out on a very lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into three even pieces. Working with one piece at a time, gently pat it into a 9x12-inch rectangle. Roll up the rectangle, starting on the short end, into a very tight cylinder. Pinch to seal the seams and the ends, tuck the ends of the roll until the bread, and place into greased 9-inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves loosely and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°. Bake the loaves for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden brown. I also use a food thermometer and insert it in the center. It should read 195°. Remove the loaves from the oven and let them set for 10 minutes. Remove them from the pans and place them on a cooling rack.
- For bread bowls: Gently punch down dough and turn it out on a very lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 6 even pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place your hand over the dough ball and pull it towards you, the tension will create a perfect circular ball. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle cornmeal over it. Lay each dough ball on the parchment several inches apart. Using a bread lame mark the top of each ball with an x. Preheat oven to 425°. Cover again with a kitchen towel and rise for 30-45 minutes until doubled in size. Whisk one egg with 1 tsp water. Brush the top of each ball with egg wash. Place bread bowls in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. They are done when they sound hollow when tapped.
- For rolls: Gently punch down dough and turn it out on a very lightly floured surface. To divide the dough, pinch off pieces and weigh on a kitchen scale. Each dough ball should weigh 2 ounces each. You can also eyeball it, pinching off pieces approximately golf ball size. To shape them place your hand over the dough ball and pull it towards you, the tension will create a perfect circular ball. Place the dough balls in a greased baking dish. Cover again with a kitchen towel and rise for 30-45 minutes until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake for 20-25 minutes on the lower rack of your oven until they are golden brown. Once done, remove them from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter.
Recipe Notes
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You got me at the picture of the bread – now all I want to do is cut a big thick slice and spread LOTS of butter on it. I’ll definitely be making some of this xx Will let you know how I get on. Xx
Yes girl, slater that slice with butter and enjoy! Let me know how amazing it is.