OK, I confess. I found this bread recipe online this winter and it is so good! And super easy compared to many homemade bread recipes. It's almost cake-like in texture on the inside and crusty on the outside. But I do have to give credit where credit is due: this is verbatim from the ModernHoney website run by Melissa Stadler. You can also download the PDF below that I pulled from her site. She has some other great baking recipes, too!
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Yeast
1/2 cup Warm Water
2 cups Hot Water
3 Tablespoons Sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1/3 cup Oil
6 1/2 cups Flour
1 Egg for brushing on bread
Instructions
In a small bowl, dissolve your yeast in ½ cup warm water. Make sure that your water is warm (not too cold, not too hot). Let proof for 10 minutes.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine hot water, sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups of the flour and mix together. Add the yeast mixture to a bowl.
Add the remaining 3 1/2 cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Watch for it to start pulling away from the bowl to know it's ready. Once all of the flour is added, let sit for 10 minutes.
Separate your dough into 3 pieces. On a floured surface roll each piece into a 9x12 rectangle. Roll it up like a jelly roll. Shape into a french bread loaf and smooth out edges.
Place the dough on a greased baking pan or a Silpat, seam side down. Using a knife, make 3-4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch thick in bread. Brush with your beaten egg.
Let dough rise uncovered for 30-40 minutes in a warm place.
Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
