Basic Sandwich Bread

Ingredients:

1 Cup warm waster

2 teaspoons quick rising yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup oil

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

Pour warm water in a bowl, add sugar and yeast and let sit for 10 minutes. Slowly stir in flour and salt until dough pulls from the sides of bowl. Lightly flour counter and knead dough for 5-7 minutes. Clean and grease your bowl.

Form the dough into a ball and put into the greased bowl, turning to grease all sides of the dough. Cover with a damp clean dishtowel and let rise until it doubles its size, about 1 to 2 hours.

Punch down the dough with fist and knead for a minute or so to work out the air. Pat dough into a square and roll into a log, place into a bread pan and let rise in a warm oven for 30-40 minutes.

Bake in preheated oven (350) for 35 minutes.

If you want a soft crust; brush loaf with melted butter half way through cooking time and again when bread is done.

If you want a honey wheat loaf you can substitute half of the white flour for wheat and replace the sugar with honey. You can also replace the oil with butter. You can play with the ingredients to make a custom loaf. If you have a bread machine follow these instructions:

Proof the yeast by adding the warm water, sugar and yeast in your bread machine pan for 10 minutes then add all the remaining ingredients. Set on dough setting. When machine is done take out dough and pat into a square and roll into a log, place into a bread pan and let rise in a warm oven for 30-40 minutes.

Bake in preheated oven (350) for 35 minutes. If you want a soft crust; brush loaf with melted butter half way through cooking time and again when bread is done.

Note: You could just follow the first part of the directions and cook bread in your bread machine but I don't think the bread is as light and soft as in could be if you cooked it in the oven :)