Friday, May 20, 2011

One Way to Make the World a Better Place

♥♥♥

I'm thinking kind thoughts about all my neighbors, all my friends, and everyone who bakes homemade bread. I found this loaf, wrapped in white paper, sitting on my doorstep, left by who knows who?

Want to make the world a better place? Do a good deed anonymously. It makes everybody look good! (And somebody feels special.)


Marty's Buttermilk Bread

This is my favorite bread recipe, although I never make it anymore. Now I rely on the kindness of strangers.

1 cup water
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar + 1 tsp. to dissolve yeast
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
6 cups white flour

In small saucepan, heat 1 cup water and 3 tbsp butter over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool until warm.

In small bowl, add 1/2 cup warm water and the dry yeast. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar and let dissolve for a couple of minutes. Stir. Set bowl aside and continue with the next step.

In large bowl, mix buttermilk, honey, sugar, salt, and vinegar. When the butter water is warmish, pour into large bowl. Add yeast mixture.

Begin adding flour one cup at a time. When the dough is too stiff to mix with the wooden spoon, about 5 cups, turn out onto a floured board.

Knead in the remaining flour until the dough is firm and smooth. Put dough in a buttered bowl and flip dough so that the top of it is lightly buttered. Cover and let rise until double in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Punch down dough and turn out onto floured board. Knead bubbles out of dough. Divide dough into equal halves.

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Form dough into two loaves. Place in greased bread pans. Cover and let rise until double in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes, until the loaves are hollow sounding and pulled away from the sides of the pans. Remove from pans, and run a square of butter over each hot loaf. Let cool on a rack or dishtowel.

♥ Give away one loaf—anonymously! ♥




5 comments:

Diane said...

What a treat to receive! Thanks for the recipe - it looks great.

Kay Dennison said...

Yum!!!! Thanks!

Christie said...

Awesome. I want your neighbors.

And that bread recipe sounds divine.

Heather Scott Partington said...

Yum! What a great surprise!

Susan Adcox said...

I used to bake bread, too. Now I rely on a good grocery store with a bakery.