Post by Jenny on Mar 3, 2006 17:22:01 GMT -5
Do any of you bake bread using molasses? Last week I had just started a batch of bread and realized I was completely out of sugar and honey in the house. Plenty in the cache, but it was cold and I didn’t want to go get it right then. So, I tried using molasses instead. I’d never used it before because I was afraid it would impart a strong, molasses flavor to the bread, making it less versatile. Wouldn’t think I’d like it for an egg sandwich. 
I was wrong. 
The bread turned out wonderful! ;D You would never even know it was made with molasses. Rather than a strong flavor, it sort of enhanced the flavor of the wheat. Made the bread have a very thin crust. The first day it was crisp, but not hard. By the next day it was soft ---- perfect for sandwiches. Here’s my new favorite everyday yeast bread recipe:
2 ¼ cups water
½ cup molasses
4 ½ tsp. yeast
2 tsp. salt
¾ cup oil, melted butter or melted lard
¼ cup egg powder
about 7 – 8 cups flour
note: if you don’t have egg powder, you can decrease the water to 2 cups, and use 3 whole eggs. For an even softer crust, and a bit sweeter bread, you could substitute milk for some or all of the water.
Heat water and molasses in large stainless steel mixing bowl. When warm, add yeast and let stand about 5 minutes, until bubbly. Stir in salt and oil. In another bowl, sift the egg powder with about 3 cups of the flour. (If using fresh eggs, stir them into the molasses mixture.) Stir the egg and flour mixture into the molasses mixture. When smooth, stir in more flour until too stiff. Then knead, adding more flour as needed until dough is smooth, and no longer sticky, just as you would for any other bread ---- about 10 or 15 minutes. With so much fat in this recipe, it tend not to be as sticky as some bread dough, so be sure you’re adding enough flour, at least 7 cups total.
When you’ve finished kneading, shape into a ball and give it a light coating of oil or melted butter or lard. Cover loosely with a sheet of plastic wrap, then a moist dish towel. Let rise about an hour until double. Punch down a few times, divide dough in half, knead each a few times, cover and let rest about 5 minutes. This resting time keeps the dough from being so springy when you try to shape it. Then shape as desired and place in buttered pans. Cover as before. Let rise again until almost double. Bake in a preheated oven at about 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until golden. If I’m in a hurry, I’ve found that it’s no use trying to speed the risings. Well, sometimes I’ll put the bowl on the warming shelf of the wood stove to speed the first rising, but then I knead it a little more before shaping to get out the big bubbles. If I’m running late, then I shape into rolls so they rise faster, instead of making into loaves.
Also, this dough freezes very well, if you want to make it ahead of time, then bake it another day. After the dough rises the first time, and you’ve punched it down, separated it and let it rest a few minutes, you can cover it loosely with plastic wrap, then place in a zip lock bag and freeze. When ready to bake, just bring it in the house to thaw gradually. When it’s soft enough to handle, but not yet rising, shape as usual or place in buttered bread pans. When almost doubled, bake as usual. Just as good as if you’d baked them the same day.
The method I use here is the same way I make most all my breads. The details are a little different from most recipes, but these are tips I’ve learned over the years (and still learning). They work well for me. Hope you like it
Jenny
I was wrong. 
The bread turned out wonderful! ;D You would never even know it was made with molasses. Rather than a strong flavor, it sort of enhanced the flavor of the wheat. Made the bread have a very thin crust. The first day it was crisp, but not hard. By the next day it was soft ---- perfect for sandwiches. Here’s my new favorite everyday yeast bread recipe:2 ¼ cups water
½ cup molasses
4 ½ tsp. yeast
2 tsp. salt
¾ cup oil, melted butter or melted lard
¼ cup egg powder
about 7 – 8 cups flour
note: if you don’t have egg powder, you can decrease the water to 2 cups, and use 3 whole eggs. For an even softer crust, and a bit sweeter bread, you could substitute milk for some or all of the water.
Heat water and molasses in large stainless steel mixing bowl. When warm, add yeast and let stand about 5 minutes, until bubbly. Stir in salt and oil. In another bowl, sift the egg powder with about 3 cups of the flour. (If using fresh eggs, stir them into the molasses mixture.) Stir the egg and flour mixture into the molasses mixture. When smooth, stir in more flour until too stiff. Then knead, adding more flour as needed until dough is smooth, and no longer sticky, just as you would for any other bread ---- about 10 or 15 minutes. With so much fat in this recipe, it tend not to be as sticky as some bread dough, so be sure you’re adding enough flour, at least 7 cups total.
When you’ve finished kneading, shape into a ball and give it a light coating of oil or melted butter or lard. Cover loosely with a sheet of plastic wrap, then a moist dish towel. Let rise about an hour until double. Punch down a few times, divide dough in half, knead each a few times, cover and let rest about 5 minutes. This resting time keeps the dough from being so springy when you try to shape it. Then shape as desired and place in buttered pans. Cover as before. Let rise again until almost double. Bake in a preheated oven at about 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until golden. If I’m in a hurry, I’ve found that it’s no use trying to speed the risings. Well, sometimes I’ll put the bowl on the warming shelf of the wood stove to speed the first rising, but then I knead it a little more before shaping to get out the big bubbles. If I’m running late, then I shape into rolls so they rise faster, instead of making into loaves.
Also, this dough freezes very well, if you want to make it ahead of time, then bake it another day. After the dough rises the first time, and you’ve punched it down, separated it and let it rest a few minutes, you can cover it loosely with plastic wrap, then place in a zip lock bag and freeze. When ready to bake, just bring it in the house to thaw gradually. When it’s soft enough to handle, but not yet rising, shape as usual or place in buttered bread pans. When almost doubled, bake as usual. Just as good as if you’d baked them the same day.
The method I use here is the same way I make most all my breads. The details are a little different from most recipes, but these are tips I’ve learned over the years (and still learning). They work well for me. Hope you like it
Jenny
Chuck and I were dating, and I made it for him. He tasted it and said it was good. But, when I tasted it . . . . . 
Well, I thought it tasted about like dry dog food smells. Thankfully all my experimenting taught me a thing or two. I blame my grandmother for that, though. When I was a teenager, I asked my grandmother to teach me how to cook. She said, "Why? You have me!". I said that I may get married someday and should probably start learning how to cook a little. She just laughed and said, "Oh no, Jenny. He can move in with us." 
I doubled the recipe. As we were getting ready to try the first slice, our "old homesteader" neighbor, Bud, dropped in. He enjoyed it so much I gave him the extra loaf. I'll make more tomorrow. 
