Old Time Bread Recipes

OLD TIME BREAD

Steps:

• Your best and principal bread is Manchet, which you shall bake in this manner.
• First your meal being ground upon the black stones, if be possible, which makes the whitest flower, and boulted through the finest boulting cloth, you shall put it into a clean Kimnel.
• Opening the flower hollow in the midst, put into it of the best ale-barm, the quantity of three pints to a bushell of meale and some salt to season it with.
• Then put in your liquor reasonable warme, and kneade it very well together, with both your hands, and through the brake, or for want thereof, fould it in a cloth, and with your feete treade it a good space together.
• Then letting it lie an houre or thereabouts to swel.
• Take it foorth and mould it into Manchets, round, and flat, scorcht them about the wast to give it leave to rise, and prick it with your knife in the top, and so put into the oven, and bake with gentle heat.

DAN'S OLD FASHIONED WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• Pour milk in a heatproof bowl, and gently warm in a microwave oven set on Low until milk is about 100 degrees F (38 degrees C), about 15 seconds. Mix in the sugar and honey, and stir to dissolve. Mix in the yeast, and let stand until the yeast activates and forms a creamy layer on the milk, about 15 minutes.
• Place 4 cups of bread flour and the salt into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer; pour in the yeast mixture, and mix on slow speed with a mixing paddle until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute; dough will be very wet. Add the butter, and mix in the remaining 2 cups of bread flour, or as needed, until the dough begins to gather itself into a ball. Change the fitting from the mixing paddle to a dough hook, and machine-knead the dough until smooth and springy, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer the dough onto a well-floured work surface, and knead until you see the surface of the dough begin to break during folding and kneading. Roll dough into a ball, and place into a lightly floured large bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, and set into a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Spray 2 9x5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
• Punch down the dough, remove to the floured surface, and knead for 2 more minutes; cut the dough in half with a sharp knife. Form the dough into logs, adding more flour if necessary, and place the loaves into the sprayed pans. Cover the pans with a kitchen towel, and place into a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 more hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place the bread loaves into the preheated oven, and turn the heat down to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake until the tops are golden brown and the loaves make a hollow sound when thumped, about 25 minutes. Cool the pans on baking racks for about 5 minutes before turning the bread loaves out to finish cooling on racks. Cover the loaves with a kitchen towel as they cool.

OLD FASHIONED YEAST BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in water, add honey and let stand until it bubbles, approx 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add salt and oil to yeast mixture, then add flour a little at time until you have a stiff dough.
• Turn dough out on a floured surface and mold into a ball shape. Place in pan and cover; let rise for about an hour.
• Punch down the ball of dough and mold it into a loaf shape to fit you bread pan. Cover with a towel and let raise again until it doubled in size.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 45 minutes. Bread is done when it is golden brown and sounds hollow when thumped.