Shelter in Place Bacon White Bread

Bored at home while “self isolating” ? Cook something!

Here is a delicious bacon flavored bread that you can make while sheltering in place, especially if you cannot find bread in the grocery store. (I couldn’t) But I did find bread flour, yeast and bacon! Everything I needed! (Except toilet paper) This bread makes an excellent B.L.T. !

Note: you can make regular white bread by eliminating the bacon and replacing the bacon fat with shortening, but why would you? You could also use a few extra bacon strips for a more intense bacon flavor.

Cook/Prep Time: 3-3 1/2 hours

Makes two large loaves

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 strips bacon
• 1/4 cup bacon fat
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 pkg active dry yeast
• 6 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup warm water

Fry the 4 strips of bacon. Reserve and cool the bacon fat. Set the bacon aside to cool.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it set until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.

Warm the milk and add the salt, bacon fat and shortening . Place in a mixing bowl with a dough hook. Add 5 cups of the bread flour, the yeast mixture and the 2 eggs. Mix it on low speed for a few minutes until it all comes together. Place the bacon strips in a food processor to form a paste. Add the paste to the mixing bowl. Slowly add the rest of the flour as needed and mix on medium speed until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.

A little bowl of pure goodness!

If you still have some of the reserved bacon fat, grease a bowl for the dough. Place the dough on the counter and knead it for a few minutes, then place it in the greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put it in a warm draft free place and let it set for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Grease two 9×5 loaf pans. (I only had one pan, so I used a baking stone for the 2nd loaf)

Punch the dough down, removing the air bubbles, and place back in the covered bowl again and let it rest until doubled in size again, 30-45 minutes.

Place the dough on the counter and divide the dough into two dough balls. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough balls into a 9×12 rectangle. Roll them up and pinch the ends to seal.

Place the loaves in the pans, sealed sides down. Cover and let rise until doubled again, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees or 350 degrees in a convection oven.

Using a bread lame, razor, or sharp knife, make a small slice across the top of the loaves. When the bread is ready, place in the oven and bake 30-40 minutes until well browned and they sound hollow when tapping them. Remove them from the oven, brush with bacon fat and cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Suggested songs to listen to while self isolating and baking the bread….

“Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police from their third album “Zeno-atta Mondatta” released in 1980.

“From a Distance” by Bette Midler from her 1990 album “Some People’s Lives”

“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor from her album “Love Tracks” released in 1978.

Browse my blog for more recipes to fix at home while social distancing…..