I've been making all our bread for a couple of months now, with a great deal of success (if you go by how fast the loaves disappear). But Tim had mentioned a couple of times that the bread was missing something--maybe salt? I had noticed, too, and already upped the amount of salt in the recipe, so this time I tried other things, and the bread came out tasting just like...Donuts. Go figure.
Here is the recipe:
1/3 c sugar
2 tsp salt
3/8 c oil
1 tbsp yeast
1 tsp vanilla
2 c hot water (around 120 degrees, or as hot as a baby's bathwater)
3/4 c freshly-ground wheat flour
3 seriously heaping plus 3/4 measured c white flour
2 eggs
Put ingredients in mixer bowl in the order listed, pausing after you add the water to be sure the yeast gets a chance to foam. Mix using the dough hook until the dough forms a ball around the dough hook, adding flour if necessary to make a dough that is tender and soft but not sticky. DO NOT MIX 'TO LET THE GLUTEN DEVELOP'--that is completely unnecessary and actually ruins the dough. Play with the dough a little to even it out and then put it in a greased bowl and microwave 10 seconds. Turn the dough over and microwave 10 more seconds. Cover with plastic wrap and raise in a warm place (I heat the oven to 115 and then turn it off and raise it there so no kids will get into it) 3 times for 30 minutes each, punching the dough down after each. shape into loaves and raise once more in bread pans. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Turn out of pans and cover with a damp paper towel to cool. Tastes more like donuts hot than cold, but good both ways.
