by Nancy Sleeth

Y’all heard me rave about Almost Amish Nancy’s homemade bread on our fifth stop. Tickled to report she’s giving us one of her bread recipes along with her two cents’ worth to help us take the plunge. Enjoy:

I started making bread nearly two decades ago, when my husband left his medical practice for full-time ministry. If you think homemade bread is difficult, try this recipe—it’s simple and forgiving, attributes I seek in the kitchen as well as friendship!
Once you have baked a few successful loafs, feel free to experiment: try substituting one cup of whole wheat for the unbleached flour, or knead in after the first rising half a cup each of dried cranberries and chopped walnuts instead of the flax seed. You will quickly find that the look, taste, and smell of this bread is always yummilicious!!!

Twelve to twenty-four hours before you plan to serve the bread, mix in the mix master (or by hand):

Ingredients:
5 cups unbleached flour
¾ teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flax seed

Directions:

  • Add 2 cups of water until a soft dough forms. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and form into a loose ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise for 8-22 hours.

  • About 3-4 hours before serving, spread a thick coat of flour on a cutting board. Remove plastic wrap from bowl. Using a plastic spatula, scrape the dough onto the cutting board. If the dough is too moist to hold its shape, knead in up to ½ cup more flour. Tucking the sides under, shape the dough into a poufy circle, about 8 inches in diameter. Make sure there is still plenty of flour under the dough on the cutting board, then cover the dough with a towel and allow dough to rise 2-3 hours. (If your schedule won’t allow for this second rising, no problem—the final loaf may not be quite as pretty but will still taste and smell wonderful!)

  • About 70 minutes before serving, preheat a large, covered enameled pot (like a Le Creusset, a dutch oven) in the oven until it reaches 400 degrees. Use potholders to remove the pot from the oven; take off the top, and coat the bottom interior of the pot with nonstick spray. Dust your hands with flour. Using a flat spatula, lift the dough and drop it into the preheated pot. (It’s okay if the dough doesn’t look pretty when you plop it into the pot—it will rise some more while cooking.)

Bake for 30 minutes with top on. Remove top and then cook for 15 minutes more with the top off. Remove bread from oven and cool for 15 minutes before slicing. Break bread with family and friends; spread with soft BUTTER and plenty of love!