Amish White Bread

“Men can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread.” — Richard Wright

This was my very first bread that I made in the US way before I took my Bread Camp class, and it’s a moment that welcomed me to the magical world of bread. Yes, it was a pretty special moment when flour became a delicious bread that not only able to satisfy your hunger but also satisfy our taste buds. To be able to enjoy a flavorful bread is one of the advantages of being alive.

Bread is a very serious topic, but the enjoyment of baking it, makes it an easy thing to do. Ok, smile, that’s the first thing to do before baking any bread, trust me. The bread, or more accurately the yeast, will start talking to you and guide you to successfully bake a loaf (or 2 loaves) of Amish Bread.

Let’s start with blooming the yeast. Mix lukewarm water (110⁰ F.) with sugar and yeast, stir, then put it inside warm oven and wait for 10 minutes to bloom.

While waiting for the yeast to bloom, gather the rest of the ingredients: flour, salt, and olive oil. The picture below was taken on June 2020 in Evanston, on a Thursday evening. It’s almost Summer, and my kitchen temperature was the perfect environment for blooming the yeast. As you can see my yeast was over bloom (overflowing), which means they are so happy; they’re all dancing happily to the world of rising Amish breads.

Once the 10 minutes up, mix all the ingredients together with your hands until the dough is smooth (don’t forget to wear gloves).

Next shape it like a round ball and cover the bowl with a plastic wrap. Put damp towel on top, then rest it inside warm oven for one hour.

Take the bowl out after one hour, as you can see the dough had doubled in size. I punched it in the middle to divide it into 2 round dough balls.

And shape it like a mini football and put it each inside greased 9×5 inch loaf pans.

I covered the loaf pans with plastic wrap and put damp towel on top of the plastic wrap. Then let it rest for 45 minutes or until the dough has risen 1 inch above the loaf pans. The timing depends on your kitchen temperature, humidity, and air pressure from the weather outside.

In this picture you can see that the dough had risen above the pans, so it’s time to bake. Bake it at 350⁰ F. for 30 minutes or your oven’s time preference. As a baker, you know how long it takes for your oven to bake by having “the baker to oven conversation”, every time you bake. 🙂

After all the mixing, kneading, proofing, rising, and baking, finally here is your achievement: beautifully baked Amish White breads. It’s an accomplishment just by smiling and being patient. Enjoy!