90 Minute Bread

90 Minute Bread

I learned this recipe at Enrichment Night. It's great for those who are not very patient.

4 cups warm water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup yeast (yes, one fourth of a cup)

4 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil
10-12 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. Let it sit until the yeast bubbles: 2 or 3 minutes.

Stir in the salt, oil, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Pour onto floured surface and divide into 3 portions. Let it rest for 10 minutes. (I usually just make the dough in a large plastic "popcorn" bowl and keep it in one piece -- for less mess.)

Knead each piece for 5 minutes or throw/slam each piece onto the floured surface 7 or 8 times. Shape into loaves, and place each piece in a well-oiled loaf pan. Let raise about 20 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and let cool on rack.

Tip: do not let this sit too long or the yeast will exhaust itself and your bread will be flat.

Variations:
#1: 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour can be substituted for some of the white flour.
#2: use 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup wheat germ, and 1 cup quick oats instead of 4 cups of white flour.
#3: to make dough for cinnamon rolls, use half the recipe but still use 1/2 cup sugar and add two eggs.
#4: use 4 cups corn meal instead of some of the white flour for a non-crumbly corn bread.
#5: I let the kids make pretzel shapes and cooked them for 15 minutes.
#6: when forming the loaves, roll the dough out flat and cover with lunchmeat (or pepperoni) & cheese and then roll it up and fold the ends down to form a loaf and let rise in a loaf pan. Just cheese works well too. Let cool completely before attempting to cut.