Mrs. le Roux's (my Mom) Bread Recipe
I grew up on a farm on the north western border of South Africa in a remote area just outside a small 'town' called Slurry together with Mom, Dad and six brothers and sisters. The nearest big town to us was Mafeking, the capital of the then homeland called Bophutatstwana, about an hour away. (It is now called "Mafikeng of the North West Province"). A trip to Mafeking was a monthly affair only, for which we donned our sunday best. It was generally a momentous occasion for our family and we used this opportunity to stock up on food stuffs, visit the doctor, the dentist and get our monthly treat...a candy floss or popcorn, much like "Little House on the Prairie"! So we were far from everything and we had to be self sufficient. We made everything ourselves including, bread, butter, yoghurt and canned fruits and vegetables. My Mom taught my sisters and I the art of making a perfect bread and I have passed the same recipe on to many sailors! I am yet to make a bad bread!
This is the basic recipe and can be used as the base for all forms of bread including pizza, focaccia etc. There is nothing quite like a fresh bread...
Makes 2 Loaves of Basic White Bread
1 package dry yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons sugar
5 1/2 cups flour
Pour the water into a bowl, sprinkle yeast over the water and stir to dissolve. Let stand about 5 mins for yeast to proof.
