90-Minute Bread

Yes, you read that correctly; 90-minute bread! My entire childhood has been a lie!!! I have been raised on the belief that good bread must take 2 days to make. My Baba used to spend all day prepping and making dough for amazing homemade bread and buns. She would boil her potatoes (yes, potatoes), save the water, mash the potatoes and save a few cups of that to add to her buns. She would have huge rubber tubs full of dough, waiting for them to rise, she would pinch and pat and punch them back down; her entire “recipe” based on memory and feel. The final rise would take place overnight and we’d wake up to huge pillowing tubs of dough; ready to be shaped, slashed, egg-washed and baked!

I have forever wanted to perfect my Baba’s bread/bun recipe but it is no easy task. After much research (types of yeast, flour, etc…), trial and error, and disappointment I have found a recipe for bread/buns that is incredibly cheap and delicious! I cannot get enough of it!

The recipe is a french bread recipe that I found but later adapted to my own liking and to require less hands-on work. This recipe can create 5-6 loaves of french bread or 20 LARGE buns. Chad and I don’t find much satisfaction in small sized buns, we like the large ones.

Homemade French Bread/Buns

5 cups cups warm water

4 tbsp yeast

6 tbsp white sugar

4 tbsp white vinegar

Combine the above ingredients (I whisk them together so there are little to no clumps of yeast). Let sit, covered with a towel, for 3-5 minutes until it is bubbly

(sometimes you have to let it sit longer).

Then add 2 tbsp of salt

2/3 cup canola oil

12-15 cups of flour.

I start off by adding 4 cups and whisking it in so there are no clumps. Then I continue to add flour by 1-2 cups at a time,

when you get to about 8 cups the dough will start to stick to your whisk and that’s when I switch to using a wooden spoon.

Once the dough starts to heavily stick and pull on the spoon I switch to using my hands.

This way, I can also feel when the dough is getting closer to being ready to shape and let rise.

I always mix and knead the down from the outside down into the middle, this shapes the dough into and round ball. When the center is too dry I flip the ball over and start doing it the other way.

When the dough starts to naturally have smooth and round sides (in the ball shape) and it is not sticking to your hands anymore,

you know you have added enough flour.

Place a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a full boil. Put the towel covered dough in the oven with the pot of boiling water and keep an eye on it while it rises.

When the dough reaches the top of the bowl, punch it back down (every 3-6 minutes). BE PATIENT, it could take longer. Do this 4-5 times.

Place dough on greased counter and shape into 5-6 loaves or buns.

If you are making bread then cut 3-4 slashes on top, cover with egg wash (buns get egg wash as well).
If you are making buns then push the dough out flat until you can feel it is approximately 1 inch thick.

Cut the dough into 3 inch strips, I used approx 5 inches of the end to make a loaf of bread,

saving the rest for buns.

When forming a bun you should cut a square and bring all the edges and corners in together.

Then flatten the ball out by kneading it down (punch it 3-4 times gently).

Once again, bring all the edges in and twist it together really nice and tight!

Turn it over and you will have a nice looking bun.

Place on greased sheet.

Let them sit on the counter (or in the oven at 170 Fahrenheit)

and rise for 20-30 mins or until they reach desire size (I let my buns rise for 35-45 minutes).

During that time, preheat your oven to 375 Fahrenheit.

When your dough has become the size you want, place it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

THE FINAL PRODUCT!!!!

Let cool or eat fresh with butter!

Let me know how this recipe worked for you, please!

ENJOY!!!!