Here's what I don't get.

[anomilygrace]

Why is bread sold in such big loaves?  I like bread.  I like toast and I like sandwiches.  But I never, ever eat more than half a loaf of bread before it gets moldy.

Can't the nice bread makers just sell me half a loaf?  Or...I don't know.  There should be some way around this that I'm not seeing.  Anyone?

Comments

[bodhifox]

This big:

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=105321

This is my great great grandmother's bread recipe. Makes great toast and sandwich bread. I've substituted olive oil and butter for lard and bacon drippings (which are about the same thing, aren't they?)

Anyway, this is simple and will do the four pans I showed you.

6 cups flour (I use King Arthur bread flour, high gluten makes for good toast.)
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 packet Highly active dry yeast
1 pint potato water (boil a small potato until it will mash right up. Take it out of the water and mash it seperate. The starch in the water helps with the texture as it binds the flour. I mash the potato very fine out of the water and throw it in too, after things start mixing together for taste.)

Put the yeast in half of the water after it cools and let it do its thing. A sprinkle of the sugar and the potato starch in the water fire it right up.

Mix 3 cups of flour, the salt, sugar, and all of the water together after the yeast is going. Stir. Add the oil. Add the rest of the flour.

Knead until springy. cover and let it rise and double in size in a bowl coated with olive oil.

Punch it down, divide in four, let the loaves rise in each pan. (You could let it rise again before you divide it into loaves. I'll do that for baguettes, but not for sandwich bread) Bake at 375 for 1/2 hour to 40 minutes.

Rub the loaves lightly with butter. Let them cool all the way, then wrap in wax paper or saran, then in foil, and freeze three of them. You have to cut one right away the first time you do it and eat the heel. It's tradition. When you bring each one out you can just let them thaw to room temp and refresh no more than 5 minutes in the oven before eating.

I've baked in three bakeries, two European style, and this is still my favorite everyday bread. Easy peasy.

[bodhifox]

Oh yeah, make sure you spray the pans with a non stick cooking spray. Gran used lard. Feh.

[anomilygrace]

Ooooh, I shall try this as soon as possible! Thank you! Were I going to use regular loaf pans, would the ratio be right to just stick it in two of them?

[bodhifox]

Were I going to use regular loaf pans, would the ratio be right to just stick it in two of them?

Exactly right.