Friday, July 23, 2021

Bernadine's Bread . . .

 

Do you have a recipe that you know by heart?  I do, and this is it!  This recipe came from an old cookbook that our church put out 45 years ago.  The cookbook has many wonderful bread recipes in it, but because I knew this lady really well, and know what a really great cook she was, I use this recipe.  Her name was, Bernadine Quinton.  Her husband was the manager of one of the best bakeries in town and he was also a really good cook!  Their daughter was one of my best friends and we used to go to the bakery and make donuts...they were soooo good fresh out of the fryer and dipped in sugar or icing!  At the bakery, they turned the donuts with drum sticks, not the kind on a chicken, but the kind you play drums with!   It's a super simple recipe and perfect for my kitchen aid!

Bernadine's Bread

2 1/2 cup warm water

3 Tbls. sugar or honey

scant Tbls. salt

2 1/4 tsp. yeast

2 Tbls. olive oil or oil of your choice

7 cups of all purpose flour - approximately

Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl, stir together and let sit a few minutes until it starts to get frothy. Add the salt along with half of the flour, and mix well.  Start mixing in the rest of the flour until a soft dough that doesn't stick to the side of the bowl forms.  It should be a little sticky, but not enough to leave dough on your hands when you handle it.  Continue to mix by hand about 10 minutes or with a mixer for about 6 minutes.  

Put the dough in an oiled bowl and let it sit in a warm place until doubled in size.  Gently punch down and form it into loaves.  When they have risen, bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and cook until done, maybe another 10-15 minutes depending on your oven.  

This really is one of the best bread recipes and it's so versatile.  If I want a richer dough, I will use a little more sugar and oil, and instead of 2 1/2 cups of water, I add an egg and enough warm water or milk in the measuring cup to equal 2 1/2 cups. This recipe will make two large loafs of bread or one small loaf of bread, 6 rolls and 6 small cinnamon rolls.  This is my go-to recipe for bread and it's a good one.

 Be safe . . . XOXO

Hugs and Love,

Barb

 


6 comments:

Marsha said...

Looks great! This looks like a recipe that I need to try.

Great-Granny Grandma said...

That looks delicious. I too will give it a try. Have copied the recipe.

Homemaker'sThoughts.blogspot.com said...

Oh my goodness. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe Barb! To say I love bread, buns, cinnamon rolls, etc. is an understatement!!! I will give this a try. : ) And what wonderful memories you have surrounding this. That's what I love about old recipes.

Have a wonderful day!
Mary

Vee said...

Oh my! Sounds delicious and I enjoyed the descriptions you shared of the bakery.

Christine said...

Hello again Barb,

This recipe (and picture!) looks delicious! It's definitely one I would love to try when it cools off here a bit ;-)
I must admit that I love recipes with a story behind them, so thank you so much for sharing this. I am going to copy it now and when I make it, I will let you know how it goes.

Have a blessed week,

Christine

LeAnn said...

Oh, my dear friend, thanks for sharing this recipe. I think I need to start making bread again. Yesterday, I bought two loafs at the store and it was around $10.00. That is really concerning.
You are such a good cook and I love your recipes.
Blessings and hugs for you!

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