Sun bread
It's another day for another loaf of delicious bread. Today, I want to share a vintage family recipe with you guys. It's a really fun recipe to make during the summer. The bread dough is made, then taken outside and left to rest in the sun. It will need to rise two times before it's baked. The traditional method for cooking the sun bread is over a fire, either on a stone and fire grate or in a greased cast-iron skillet or greased cast-iron Dutch oven with a lid. However, today I will be using a loaf pan and baking mine inside. See my endnotes for further instructions if you prefer cooking your sun bread the traditional way outside.
Ingredients:
3 cups of all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons
1 package of dry active yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons of fine granulated sugar; I substitute this with Splenda.
1 tablespoon of bacon grease or vegetable shortening, melted, for preparing the dough. Plus 1 tablespoon of bacon grease or vegetable shortening, melted, to grease the dough bowl, dough, and bread pan or pans.
1 cup of warm water, plus a little extra if your dough is too dry. Don't add too much because this isn't supposed to be wet dough.
1 small pinch of salt; here I like to use seasoning salt to add flavor.
To make two loaves of bread, you'll need the following ingredients:
6 cups of all-purpose flour, plus 4 tablespoons
2 packages of dry active yeast
3 tablespoons of fine granulated sugar; I substitute this with Splenda.
2 tablespoons of bacon grease or vegetable shortening, melted, for preparing the dough. Plus 2 tablespoons of bacon grease or vegetable shortening, melted, to grease the dough bowl, dough, and bread pan or pans.
2 cups of warm water, plus a little extra if your dough is too dry. Don't add too much because this isn't supposed to be wet dough.
1 small pinch of salt; here I like to use seasoning salt to add flavor.
Instructions for one loaf of bread:
Note:
To double the dough, follow the same instructions below; just make sure you follow the amounts listed above for two loaves. For example, when it says to add 1 package of yeast, you'll need to add 2 packages of yeast, etc.
In a large bowl, combine 1 package of yeast with 2 cups of all-purpose flour.
Melt 1 tablespoon of bacon grease or vegetable shortening over the stovetop in a small pan. You can use a microwave for convenience. If you want to melt both tablespoons now, you can. Just make sure that you measure out 1 tablespoon for the dough.
Now, add 1 cup of warm water, 1 tablespoon of melted vegetable shortening, Splenda (or regular granulated sugar), and salt or seasoning salt to the flour mixture. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well incorporated.
Next, add the remaining all-purpose flour and knead the dough in the bowl until it becomes soft and smooth.
Grease the bowl with melted bacon grease or vegetable shortening, and roll the dough around in the oil just to cover the outside of the dough. Do not knead the dough anymore.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise outside in the sun. Preferably in a warm place where it won't be disturbed. I am using a 1-gallon bowl with a lid today.
Allow the dough to rest for at least one hour or until it's doubled in size. It's best if you can let it rise for 6 hours outside and directly under the sun.
After the dough has risen, divide it according to the size of the bread pan or pans that you prefer to use.
Next, grease the pan or pans and transfer the dough. Then let the dough rest for another hour inside the pan or pans outside in the sun, if possible. Today I am making the recipe for one loaf of bread, and I will be baking my bread in a loaf pan in the oven. The exact size of my pan is 8.27 inches in length, 4.53 inches wide, and 4.33 inches deep.
So, I will grease my pan, then transfer my bread dough into the prepared pan and allow the dough to rise again outside in the sun for at least one more hour.
As stated earlier, I will be baking my loaf of bread inside today. To do this, you'll need to bake the bread in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the bread has browned to your preference. Once the bread is done, it will sound hollow when you tap the top of it with your fingers.
Note:
The traditional method for cooking the sun bread is over a fire, either on a stone and grate or in a greased cast-iron skillet or greased cast-iron Dutch oven.
If you prefer using a cast-iron Dutch oven with the fire method, make sure that you also place hot coals over the top of the lid while you're cooking the bread. Use long cooking tongs to do this. This will ensure that the bread cooks evenly and browns well on top.
The time will vary when the bread is cooked outside over a fire. If you're using a cast-iron skillet, the bread will need to be flipped to brown the top.