Country Loaf Bread

I finally found a homemade bread recipe that my family will eat! I have been having the worst luck with bread. I almost gave up. But yesterday I made Country Loaf Bread from "Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House Cookbook" which I got from the library.

My husband (who is my pickiest eater) usually turns his nose up at any homemade bread. This one he said was ok but that he would really like it if it were toasted. I asked him if I toasted the bread if he would like it for sandwiches and he said yes. And that, my dears, makes this recipe a keeper.

I made a few small changes to the recipe. I only made half because I only wanted one loaf. If no one liked it, I didn't want 2 full loaves hanging around. And my husband is really funny about his bread. He doesn't want it if it's ever been frozen, so making ahead and freezing it isn't good. I didn't go through the whole dough making/kneading process. I just dumped it all in my bread machine and put it on the dough cycle. Then I did the rest from there like normal. I think next time I will add just a smidge more salt and maybe a touch more sugar. But overall, the results were good.

Let me share. Here it is.
Country Loaf Bread
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2 packages active dry yeast
2 C. warm water
1/2 C. sugar, divided
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
6 C. all purpose flour

In a small bowl dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add 1 tbls. of sugar and stir. Set aside for 5 minutes. In a large bowl whisk together the remaining sugar, eggs, oil, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and half of the flour, mixing well. Gradually stir in the remaining flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 8-10 min. or until smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball. Place in a well greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and set aside to rise in a warm draft free area until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When dough is properly risen, an imprint will remain when you press lightly with your fingers.

Grease 2 9x5x3 loaf pans. Punch dough down and divide it in half. Place the dough on a floured surface. Roll each half into a rectangular shape. Beginning t the narrow edge, roll up the dough, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets. Place the loaves seam side down into the prepared pans. Brush the tops lightly with oil. Cover the loaves and set them aside to rise again until almost double in size. Bake at 350 on the lower rack of the over for 30-35 min. or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove at once from the pans. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

Yield: 2 loaves