Can making homemade bread really be easy? The answer is yes. Mom’s Easy Homemade Bread is that recipe. We are making this bread recipe with our granddaughter today. That means this recipe has now been handed down in our family for four generations. With so many memories and stories attached, this recipe is sure to become a favorite with your family too. Who knows, it could even become a tradition handed down for generations to come.
The Story Behind the Recipe
So, where did our family get the recipe? In the early 1940s, my mother, at the age of fourteen, left her home near Vowinkle, Pennsylvania. She moved in with a family who had just immigrated to the United States from Italy. She worked as their live-in nanny and helped with the cooking. It was here that she learned how to make the dough for their pizza crusts. But, they did not only use the dough for making amazing authentic pizza crusts. They used the dough to make their bread and even desserts, including cinnamon rolls. Watch for our upcoming blogs on how to make authentic homemade pizzas and cinnamon rolls from scratch.
Motto: “Homemade, Everything From Scratch”
When my mother passed down this recipe, she also passed down her cooking motto “Homemade, everything from scratch.” My childhood is filled with memories of homemade bread made fresh every week. We did not buy it at the store. School lunches always included a sandwich made on homemade bread. These sandwiches were very popular with my friends. Often I would be asked to trade half of my sandwich made on homemade bread for a bag of chips or even Twinkies or Ding Dongs.
But my favorite memory of all is the aroma. Each time we make this recipe, it fills our home with the warm, sweet, yeasty smell that only bread baking in the oven can do.
Traditional Ingredients Change Over Time
As with most handed-down recipes, some ingredients change over time. That is true with the use of lard, shortening, and butter. In the 1940s, when my mom first made this recipe, they used homegrown lard or home-churned butter. In 1960, Crisco, a vegetable shortening, was introduced and replaced the use of animal lard in cooking and baking. Having grown up in the 1960s, the recipe seen below using shortening instead of lard is the one passed down to me. However, you can still substitute lard or butter for the shortening.
I believe what surprises people the most, though, is how easy it is to make. When we think of baking bread, we think of a baker slaving away all day. We picture them sweating in a sweltering bakery completely covered head to toe in flour. No, with this easy recipe, you can make one loaf, three loaves, or even six.
Who Knew Making Bread Could be So Easy?
My mother’s original recipe called for a five-pound bag of flour and six packets of yeast. With this recipe, she would make bread, pizza crusts, and cinnamon rolls all on the same day. As you will see below, I cut this in half to only make three loaves of bread. The beauty in this recipe is that you can easily divide it down to make less, or you can double it or even triple it to make more.
Again, we hope you try this recipe and enjoy just how simple making Mom’s Easy Homemade Bread can be.
Recipe: Mom’s Easy Homemade Bread
Ingredients:
- 9-1/4 c flour (2.5 lbs)
- 3 pkts. dry yeast
- 3 c lukewarm water (108 degrees F)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/2 c shortening (substitute lard or butter)
Instructions for Mom’s Easy Homemade Bread:
To start, in a bowl or measuring cup, stir yeast into lukewarm water.
Next, place the flour, salt, sugar, and shortening in a large bowl. Use a glass, crockery, or metal bowl. Do not use plastic, as it does not retain heat.
Then, pour in the water and yeast.
Now, knead the dough into a good consistency without being sticky.
Then, when the dough is kneaded into a ball, continue to knead for five minutes.
The Importance of Kneading the Dough
The extra kneading warms and stretches the gluten strands needed to create a perfect, springy, and elastic bread dough. Knead by pulling the outside edges up, rolling over, and pushing down in the middle. Turn the bowl slightly and repeat.
Now, place the dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover with a towel and place in a warm location, and let rise for one hour.
Next, punch the dough down and knead it into a ball.
Again, cover and let the dough rise for one hour. Grease three bread pans.
Once again, punch the dough down and knead it into a ball. Divide the dough into three equal portions. Knead each portion into a loaf shape. Simply roll the edges of the dough under and tuck them into the bottom until the surface is pulled smooth.
As before, cover the pans with a towel. Place in a warm spot and let rise again for about 45 minutes or until the dough doubles in size. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
Bake Mom’s Easy Homemade Bread at 350 F
Finally, bake at 350 F degrees for 45 to 55 minutes. To check the bread, simply pull out a loaf and knock or tap on the top of the loaf. It should sound hollow. If it sounds hollow inside, it is cooked all the way through and is done.
Furthermore, there really is nothing like a slice of freshly baked bread still steaming from the oven. Add some butter and maybe some homemade jam. Who needs dessert? Just writing this blog, I almost smell and taste it. Can you?
Once again, can making homemade bread really be this easy? The answer is yes. Mom’s Easy Homemade Bread is sure to become a favorite in your home. And who knows, it may even become a family tradition. Enjoy!
Look for more of our “Justforthe.fun” family favorite recipes by clicking on the three lines at the top right side of this page and then click the “Food” section of our blog. Try the desserts like our Stir Crazy Chocolate Cake, Good Sugar Cookies or our Cake Scrap Trifle. We know you’ll enjoy the Roasted Parmesan Vegetables, Chicken Salad Wraps or our Chile Verde Quinoa Casserole. Oh, don’t forget about breakfast with our Easy Chocolatey Peanut Butter Oatmeal or even our Bacon and Sausage Breakfast Casserole. Also, you may want to try our Picnic recipes like Honey Roasted Turkey Pinwheels and our Summer Pea Salad. Enjoy!
We would love to hear your comments below. We hope you enjoy making, cooking and baking these family favorite recipes. But most of all, we hope you enjoy every bite as much as we do and always remember it’s “Justforthe.fun.”