Bread!

Remember way back when I got the KitchenAid and I made French Bread and I was so excited? That bread is dead to me. There is a new bread in my life. (The KitchenAid is as valuable now as ever.)

This recipe comes as the result of making ricotta, which leaves you with a good amount of whey, and not knowing what to do with it or how to use it, I called up my old friend Google. Google was very helpful, and introduced me to Small Potatoes, who in turn showed me how to use some of that ricotta whey. Thanks Google!

So here it is...

Italian White Bread

5 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons sugar

4 1/2 teaspoons yeast

3/4 cup hot whey

1 cup warm water

5 tablespoons butter

Add dry ingredients to mixing bowl and stir. Combine liquid ingredients. Stir until butter is melted. Add liquid to dry and mix until combined. Knead for another 5 minutes. Here's where I slightly diverged from the recipe. I let this dough rise for an hour. (The note on Small Potatoes' recipe states that whey bread doesn't need a 2nd rise, but I neglected to read that when I used the recipe. I'll try it w/ 1 rise next time.) Punch down, divide into 2 portions, flatten into rectangles and roll up, pinching the edges. Let loaves rise, covered, for an hour. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. I melted about a tablespoon of butter over the crusts when I pulled them out of the oven to contribute to having a softer crust.