Fool-proof Homemade White Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups luke-warm water

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast

1/3 cup oil

1 Tbsp. salt

6 - 7 cups unbleached ground white wheat flour (You can use regular all-purpose flour with success as well. You will need more flour closer to 8 cups, and it will make softer, less-coarse bread.)

*opt. 1 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten (if using whole white wheat flour)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and sugar. Let sit 10 minutes. Add the oil. Add the dry ingredients starting with 6 cups of flour. Mix all together. Knead the dough thoroughly until all ingredients are incorporated, and dough is smooth, elastic, very slightly sticky, and pulls away from the bowl (6-10 minutes). As you knead the dough, you may add more flour as needed, and repeat the process until dough reaches the desired consistency.

Cover the bowl of dough with a dish towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled (half an hour or more depending on how warm your kitchen is.) You may speed up this process by placing the covered bowl inside the oven with the oven light on, and another bowl of warm water sitting on the lower rack.

Punch the dough down, divide and form into 2 loaves. Place the dough in 2 greased bread pans. (I use 9" pans.) Sometimes I get three loaves of bread depending on how much it decided to rise. Cover and let rise till the top of the dough is an inch or two above the bread pans.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-35 minutes, or remove the bread from the pan hold upside down and check the temperature. Temperature should be 190* F. Remove the baked loaves from their pans immediately, and place on a cooling rack. Slice, and serve warm with butter and honey.

Store in an air-tight bag. Baked loaves AND bread dough freeze well.

Note:

Sometimes I get three or four loaves depending on how much the dough decided to rise. I also generally have to let it rise for about a half hour and it has doubled in size. It also takes anywhere from 20-35 minutes to cook depending on elevation and the stoves mood. (use a thermometer to test it and once it has reached 190 degrees it is usually done.)