Best Homemade Bread

This is another one of those oh-so-fabulous recipes given to me by Melissa Coombs (modified a little by me). I use this for everything from rolls to loaves to Sunday morning cinnamon rolls. I will list the recipe here in 2 quantities: the full recipe which makes the equivalent of 3 loaves of bread, and 1/3 recipe that is good for when you've got to make just one thing and don't want to have to bake the leftover dough. I'm sure you could adapt it to a bread maker, but I've just never gotten technology-savvy enough with one of those to make it work right. What I like best about this recipe is that it requires very little kneading. Instead, you use a mixer early on in the recipe for about 4-5 minutes.

Best Homemade Bread (full recipe)

3 c. warm water
1/3 c. honey
1 Tbsp yeast (to decrease rising time, increase to 2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp salt
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. applesauce
8-9 c. whole wheat flour, white flour, or combination (I usually use about 6 c. wheat flour and 2-3 c. white)

In a large bowl, combine warm water, honey, and yeast. Stir slightly to dissolve honey and yeast, then let sit for 5-10 minutes while yeast "foams". Add salt, oil, applesauce, and 4 cups flour. With an electric mixer, beat 4-5 minutes. Add 2 more cups flour and mix well with a spoon. Add 2 more cups of flour (if adding white flour, this is when I do it) and mix well. On a lightly floured surface, knead in another 1/2 to 1 cup of flour (or less) until dough no longer sticks to your hands. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat both sides. Cover and let rise until double. Punch down and divide into thirds. Shape into loaves or rolls, and let rise until double in the pans. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees for loaves, or 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees for rolls.


Best Homemade Bread (1/3 recipe)

1 c. warm water
2 Tbsp honey
1-2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
4 tsp oil
3 Tbsp applesauce
2-3 c. flour

Follow same directions as above.