On cold days I love to make bread and wassail. But I’m kinda lazy/forgetful and have other shit to do.
So I have two very easy recipes for other Homies out there like me…
Bread
• 1 pouch(2 ¼ tsp) of active dry yeast
• 3 tsp sugar, divided
• 2 tsp salt
• 2¼ cups warm water
• 5-6 cups flour
• Teeny bit oil
- Mix yeast, 1 tsp sugar, and ¼ cup warm water in bowl. Let sit for 5-6 minutes to proof.
- Add remaining sugar and water. Add salt.
- Start mixing in flour a cup at a time until a dough forms that lifts from sides of mixing bowl.
- Knead bread on floured surface until smooth and elastic.
- Place in oiled bowl, turning once to coat the top.
- Cover and proof for an hour or doubled in size.
- Punch down dough and divide in half.
- Place in lightly greased loaf pans.
- Proof for another hour or doubled in size.
- Place in oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or golden brown.
- Allow to cool in pans for 5 minutes and then remove to rack to finish.
My family loves this bread, but it does need to be stored air tight in the refrigerator. Try it with my spaghetti sauce recipe, it’s DA BOMBDIGGITY!
Wassail
• Apple Juice
• Orange Juice
• 1-2 Cinnamon Sticks
• Whole Cloves
• Whole Nutmeg
• One Orange
- Stud the orange with cloves.
- Put in crockpot.
- Grate nutmeg into crockpot.
- Add everything else to crockpot.
- Turn to low and enjoy once hot.
The cloves and nutmeg can get very overwhelming so be careful. Juices need to be equal amounts. My family prefers Simply Apple (tastes like an apple orchard jizzed in your mouth for those who haven’t had it) and Tropicana Orange No Pulp, but find what works for you.
After the kids are in bed, a nice spiced rum or a whiskey goes really well with this.
Thanks for the wassail recipe! It sounds fantastic.
Do you think the bread recipe would work in a bread maker? We picked one up at a thrift store a couple years ago for $10 and it has been totally worth the investment. Dump a bunch of ingredients in, and bam! two hours later you have warm delicious bread. I’m always looking for new bread recipes that don’t involve any actual work on my part.
I’ve never had a bread machine, so I do not know. But I think a special type of yeast is needed.
The breadmakers I’ve used have not required special yeast and I haven’t heard of any that do. It is possible that some do and I have not heard of them though.
“Bread machine yeast” is typically the same thing as instant yeast. If you wanted to make this recipe in a bread machine, you could either substitute instant yeast 1:1 for the active dry and skip the proofing step, or you could proof active dry yeast as directed and then add that mixture with the rest of the ingredients to the bread machine.
I’d imagine this recipe would work quite well in the machine, only thing to keep in mind is that a recipe calling for 5-6 cups of flour will produce two smaller loaves or one two-pound loaf. Bread machines typically offer 2-3 loaf sizes – almost all will have a 1 pound and 1.5 pound setting, larger machines will also have a 2 pound setting. If your machine doesn’t have a 2 pound setting, you’d want to scale the recipe down to about 4 cups of flour which would be around a 1.5-pound loaf. If your bread machine doesn’t have any loaf size settings at all, it is probably assuming an average loaf size of 1.5 pounds.
Hope this helps!
Mmm wassail sounds like an elaborate version of one of my favorite wintery drink: hot apple juice with cinnamon.
Kinda is. My mom used to make wassail every winter to help warm our bodies and give us a vitamin c boost.
“tastes like an apple orchard jizzed in your mouth for those who haven’t had it”
Me: *snort* BWAHAHAHA!
I love the juxtaposition of this phrase in a homey, comfortable post about homemade bread and wassail. Thanks for the recipes and the laugh!
That was some A+ Offbeat Home shit right there. 😉
I couldn’t help it. It is the ink way I could describe it. But it is soooo good!
I make a similar bread to this, but it doesnt require as much sugar and also doesnt require kneading! I would call it Megan-simple for sure!
Its pretty much 5 cups flour (i use half white half wholemeal)
2 1/2 cups warm water
Pack yeast
1/4tsp sugar
1st salt
OPTIONAL: 3/4 cup mixed seeds
Mix a a cup of water with the yeast and sugar and let it foam up (about 5 mins)
Mix salt and flour ( i dont sift, who can be bothered with that!)
Mix yeast mixture and another cup of water into flour with hands. Slop the mixture against the sides of the bowl with your hands until it forms a wet dough. (you may need a little more water if theres still pockets of dry flour.
Split dough into half, put one half in your oiled bread tin, the other half on an oiled pizza tray
spray oil onto top of bread and cover with loose plastic wrap. Lay a folded teatowel over the top and put in a warm place for 30 mins or so until bread has risen to the top of the tin.
Preheat oven for 15 mins or so on 230 deg celsius (450f)
Once bread has risen put both trays into very hot oven for 15 minutes. Remember to take the tea towel and plastic wrap off first!
After 15 mins turn oven down to 180c (350f) , turn the trays around and put back into oven for 30 more mins.
Take bread out and knock the bottom with your fist. If it sounds hollow its all done! If it doesnt sound hollow put back into oven for 10 mins or so.
I love this bread, the thinner you cut the slices the better it toasts up! one loaf usually lasts a week. We keep it in a paper bag on the bench, and sacrifice one slice to put back against the cut section to minimize drying out.
Good luck!
I made this tonight; both my roommates love it, but I think I might experiment with adding more salt and/or an egg glaze next time. Also, I used just 5 cups flour and wouldn’t want it any denser.
Update: I added an egg yolk/milk glaze and sprinkled sea salt on top (because I can’t let well enough alone in the kitchen.) Improved cosmetics, imho, and I liked the taste.