Homemade Buttermilk Bread

As promised, here is one of the recipes I tried, yesterday. My daughter took one sniff of the baking bread and said it would make wonderful French toast for breakfast. The neighbors didn't seem to mind the loaf I gave them, either.

Homemade Buttermilk Bread

2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup softened butter (Margarine need not apply here!)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dry yeast
3 teaspoons salt
Approximately six cups all-purpose flour
Cool (not too warm or hot) water as needed

Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, butter, sugar and yeast. Let it start to bubble a bit, about three to five minutes. In a large mixing bowl, pour in your buttermilk mixture with the salt. Add flour and stir in water until you get a workable dough - not too soft but definitely not stiff and hard. You might need more water or flour but bread is very forgiveable! Turn the dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until double.

When your dough had doubled, punch it down and form into two loaves and place in greased bread pans. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise, again.

Bake in a preheated, 375 degree oven for about 45-60 minutes our until golden brown. When slightly cooled down, remove from pans to complete cooling.

Ideas . . .

You can make this dough into rolls, brush with beaten egg, and dust with poppy seeds.

You can take half the dough, roll it out, brush with melted butter, sprinkle heavily with cinnamon and sugar, roll up and fit into the bread pan.

You can take half the dough, roll it out, sprinkle with cheese, and roll it up and fit it back into the bread pan.