Amish Sweet Bread #recipe @vmburns

VMBURNS:  I mentioned my fear of yeast in a previous article when I FINALLY made a quick bread. Well, I am tackling my fears again. This time, I made an Amish Sweet Bread. It was delicious, and I can't believe it's taken me so long to try this. First, the ingredients are things that pretty much everyone has on hand (except the yeast). Flour, sugar, salt, and vegetable oil or butter. are staples in most of our pantries. Secondly, it's really easy to do. Thirdly, you control the ingredients. Need to watch the blood pressure? Skip the salt. Super easy.

• 
  
  
  

  AMISH SWEET BREAD

  
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup warm water
• 1/3 Cups sugar
• 1 Packet Active Dry Yeast
• 1/2 Teaspoons salt
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 Cups flour
• 1-2 Tablespoons butter, melted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Stir in the yeast and let the mixture sit until it foams and bubbles, approx. 10 minutes.
   
   
   
   
2. Add salt and oil. Then, gradually mix in the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. 
   
   
   
3. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough with the heel of your hand until it is smooth and elastic. Then fold it back onto itself. Turn the dough a quarter of a turn, and repeat. Do this for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
   
   
   
4. Lightly grease a large bowl, and place the dough into it. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size (approx. an hour).
   
   
   
   
   
5. Punch the dough. This will expel the gas that has built up. Shape the dough into a loaf and put in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
   
   
   Cover and let the dough rise until it doubles in size again (approx. 30-45 minutes).
   
   
   
   
6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake the loaf for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden grown.
7. Remove the bread and place on a wire rack to cool.
8. Melt the butter in the microwave, and brush onto the warm bread.

• 
• 
  
READERS: Have you made bread? If so, what kind? Let me know in the comments below. 

MURDER AT FIRST SLICE 

As Maddy’s wedding day approaches, friends and family descend on the little town of New Bison, Michigan, to celebrate—so much so that Maddy wonders if there might be another happily-ever-after in store for her widowed father and innkeeper Mrs. Law. Unfortunately, she also has to deal with an unhappy couple: feuding cousins Hannah and Dorothy, who haven’t spoken in decades. Maddy can only hope the spectacular wedding cake crafted by her head baker doesn’t wind up as ammunition in a food fight.

But she doesn’t have to wait long for a wedding disaster to strike. When the imperious Dorothy crashes the rehearsal dinner—with several uninvited guests in tow—and starts battering everyone with constant complaints, the drama reaches reality-show levels. And the next day, Dorothy is dead . . . with Hannah standing over the body, bloody rolling pin in hand.

Nobody in town believes Miss Hannah could commit murder. But a detective newly