There are literally thousands of bread recipes to choose from, so if you want to bake at home you will be spoilt for choice. The following sweet bread Amish-style is certainly worth considering. You only need six ingredients including water and it’s simple to prepare this delicious bread.
Want to save this recipe? Enter your email below and we’ll send the recipe straight to your inbox!
NOTE: By saving this recipe, you agree to join our weekly recipes newsletter.
Have you tried Amish sweet bread rolls before? They are light, tasty and offer a wonderful sweetness like Hawaiian bread does. The Amish certainly have a lot of tasty baked recipes and this one is a classic.
What You Need to Make Amish Sweet Bread
You need all-purpose flour to make this, which you probably have in the cupboard already. White sugar gives the bread its sweetness while yeast makes it rise. A little salt, some water and oil are the other ingredients in this.
The Amish don’t overly complicate recipes so you won’t need any fancy gadgets for this. You don’t need bread machines, electric mixers or an Instant Pot for this old-fashioned sweet bread recipe.
You just need the ingredients, a mixing bowl and spoon and some good old-fashioned elbow grease. This recipe not only produces wonderful bread but also treats you to a great arm workout!
Amish Sweet Bread Preparation
After making a sugar water preparation you will add the yeast and let it activate. After that go ahead and add the oil and salt.
Next add the flour until you get an elastic dough. Now is the time for that arm workout I told you about. Knead the dough, punching it down with one fist while rotating it between kneads with the other hand. It can be very therapeutic!
Leave it alone for a while to rise and then knead it some more. Divide the dough between a pair of loaf pans and then let it rise some more. The final step is to make this Amish sweet bread recipe and I bet you can already imagine how incredible the kitchen will smell.
How Long Will Amish Bread Keep?
This is an old-fashioned, very natural bread recipe. It doesn’t have all those chemicals and preservatives found in sliced bread from the store. However it does go hard and dry up after just one day either (I’m talking about you, baguette bread!)
Let the bread cool completely when it’s finished baking and then store it on the countertop for up to 4 days. Don’t refrigerate it because then it will get stale faster. If you don’t expect to eat of it within a few days, you can also freeze the bread in slices in a Ziploc bag then simply thaw overnight or on the countertop.
What do you need to make Sweet Bread Amish Style Recipe
2 cups water
5½ to 6 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1½ tablespoons active dry years
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
How to make Sweet Bread Amish Style Recipe
FIRST STEP:
Heat the water in a pot over a moderate heat on the stove.
Once it reaches a boil, you can stir in the sugar and let it dissolve.
SECOND STEP
Next take the pot off the heat and mix in the yeast.
Let it sit for 10 minutes so the yeast can activate.
THIRD STEP
Now stir in the oil and salt.
Add a cup of flour at a time, beating well between each addition.
FOURTH STEP
Keep adding the flour until the dough will clump into a ball but is still sticky.
You might not need to use all the flour.
FIFTH STEP
Flour a work surface and turn the dough on to it.
Knead for 5 minutes.
SIXTH STEP
Each time it gets too sticky sprinkle some flour on it.
Coat the inside of a bowl with cooking spray and put the ball of dough in there.
SEVENTH STEP
Cover with a clean cloth and leave somewhere warm so it can rise.
After an hour, punch down the dough and divide it into 2 halves.
EIGHTH STEP
Put each half into a greased loaf tin.
Cover again and let it sit for half an hour so it can rise some more.
NINTH STEP
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
Enjoy!
How Do You Know When It’s Proofed Enough?
Whether you’re new to making bread or perfecting your bakery techniques, this is a great question. It’s important to let the dough proof (rise) in order to get that light, airy consistency in the finished loaves.
However, there is such a thing as over-proofing it and that’s something to avoid. When proofing, the bread should double in size more or less. When that happens, it’s ready to bake.
If you do leave it sitting too long, the air bubbles will become too large for the gluten strands to hold on to and then the air pockets will deflate and your bread won’t come out well.
Press down about an inch on the risen dough with your finger. If the dough has proofed enough, the dough should rise back up slowly but still leave a slight fingerprint indentation. When it does this, it’s ready to bake.
Amish sweet bread dough does have a wetter consistency that some other kinds of bread but that’s fine. It will still come out of the oven looking, smelling and tasting like the best bread you ever made.
How to Serve Amish Sweet Bread
The sky is the limit really, if you want to know how to serve sweet bread Amish-style. Try it with salted butter or toast it and enjoy it with honey or fruit preserves. This sweet bread pairs just as well with a hot beef stew as it does with a cup of coffee and some Nutella for breakfast. It’s a versatile loaf and you will find many different ways to serve it.
More Reasons to Make Amish Sweet Bread
This is a really soft loaf, so if you prefer this texture you’ll love it. Amish sweet bread is quick and easy to make and you don’t need any special gadgets or equipment.
The best bread recipes are those that have been around for many years and this one certainly fits that criteria!
With just a few basic ingredients you can make soft Amish bread like a pro. The whole family will love the flavor of this easy homemade Amish bread.
Sweet Bread Amish Style Recipe
Yield: 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
With just a few basic ingredients you can make soft Amish bread like a pro. The whole family will love the flavor of this easy homemade Amish bread.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 5½ to 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1½ tablespoons active dry years
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Heat the water in a pot over a moderate heat on the stove.
- Once it reaches a boil, you can stir in the sugar and let it dissolve.
- Next take the pot off the heat and mix in the yeast.
- Let it sit for 10 minutes so the yeast can activate.
- Now stir in the oil and salt.
- Add a cup of flour at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Keep adding the flour until the dough will clump into a ball but is still sticky.
- You might not need to use all the flour.
- Flour a work surface and turn the dough on to it.
- Knead for 5 minutes.
- Each time it gets too sticky sprinkle some flour on it.
- Coat the inside of a bowl with cooking spray and put the ball of dough in there.
- Cover with a clean cloth and leave somewhere warm so it can rise.
- After an hour, punch down the dough and divide it into 2 halves.
- Put each half into a greased loaf tin.
- Cover again and let it sit for half an hour so it can rise some more.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 2002Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 409mgCarbohydrates: 410gFiber: 14gSugar: 18gProtein: 53g
