Makes 3 / 6 loaves

Ingredients

4 / 8 cups warm water

1/8 / 1/4 cup active dry yeast

Dash of white granulated sugar

 

1 Tbsp / 2 Tbsp salt

1/3 / 2/3 cup olive oil

1/3 / 2/3 cup honey or sugar

7-9 / 14-17 cups all-purpose flour (for gluten free, I have used King Arthur Gluten Free Bread Flour with great success—see instructions below)

Instructions

  1. Mix first 3 ingredients in mixer bowl and let foam for 10 minutes covered.
  2. After 10 minutes, add salt, oil, honey/sugar and 4 cups of flour. Mix well. Add remaining flour (ONE CUP AT A TIME) until dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. For gluten free, rest for 20 minutes, then proceed.
  3. Knead in mixer for 3-5 minutes. For gluten free, skip to Step 5. For regular bread, place dough in a large greased bowl and spray dough with cooking spray. Then cover with a dish towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size, 30-45 minutes.
  4. After the first rise, punch down the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead it briefly (in mixer or by hand) to remove the air bubbles.
  5. Generously grease 3/4-6 loaf pans and set aside.
  6. Divide dough into 3/4-6 equal portions, knead each section a few times, and then shape into a loaf. Place the dough into prepared loaf pans. Let rise 30-45 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the loaves for 30 minutes. Immediately remove loaves from pans and cool on a wire rack. Rub the top with butter while still hot! You can freeze this bread in a freezer bag for up to 2 months!