Easy Vintage Bread Recipe (for Baking Every Day)

Thank you for sharing us with your friends!

One of the ways that I save money on food is to bake my own bread. The ingredients for bread are much cheaper than the bread you buy at the store. In fact, this easy vintage bread recipe, with all its variations, can replace almost every fancier bread you might buy, as well.

Get Our Mid-Century Mom Daily Routine FREE!

Yes, I Want It!

Vintage Bread Recipes and Cookbooks

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive, at no additional cost to you, a small commission. Find out more on my Disclosures page, and thank you so much for your support!

My #1 vintage cookbook is the Encyclopedia of Cooking by Ruth Berolzheimer. Another one that I refer to a lot is the older editions of the Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer.

This particular bread recipe and ratio does not really vary from vintage cookbook to vintage cookbook. Interestingly, I even find it relatively unchanged in my English references! But if you are looking for some other good vintage cookbooks, you can try these:

• Sunset Cook Book of Breads, by Sunset Magazine, published in 1963
• Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book, published in 1943
• The Modern Family Cookbook, by Meta Givens, published in 1951

Vintage Standard Method For Basic White Bread

Proof the Yeast

Add yeast to lukewarm water and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes.

I proof all of my yeast. When you proof your yeast, you won’t run the risk of wasting the ingredients because the yeast was stale. I can even use this method with expired yeast to check if it will still give a rise.

Prepare the Hot Liquid

Add salt, shortening and remaining sugar to hot scalded milk and cool to lukewarm.

You can also mix boiling water with whole milk instead of scalding the milk. Or you can add the lard and the salt with the flour. Bread is surprisingly forgiving.

Knead the Dough

Add softened yeast and 3 cups of flour. Beat well. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Place the last of the flour on a countertop or kneading board, turn out dough on floured board and knead until smooth and elastic.

Or add all the flour, fat, and salt to liquid in the bowl of a stand mixer and knead it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I have kneaded 2-3 batches of bread a day in my KitchenAid for almost 3 years now, and haven’t needed to replace anything.

Set the Dough to Rise

Place the lump of dough in a greased bowl, and turn it over or roll it around, so that all the surface of the dough is greased and a greased side is on top.

Cover with bowl with a cloth and let rise until doubled in bulk. It helps to put it somewhere warm, but if you need to leave it for a long time, it will rise in the refrigerator. This is often an overnight rise, and is usually used for sourdoughs.

Once it has doubled (more or less) in size, punch the dough down and let rise a second time if desired.

Shape the Dough

Cut dough into halves, round into balls, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Shape the two balls into loaves and place in greased bread pans.

Grease tops, cover with a cloth and let rise until doubled in bulk. Meanwhile, preheat the oven.

Bake the Bread

Bake in a hot oven (400°F.) for 10 minutes, reduce temperature to 350°F. and bake 30 to 35 minutes longer. Or bake for 40 minutes at 350°F. Or, bake at 425°F. for 35 minutes, especially for French-style baguettes and Italian flat breads.

This recipe makes 2 loaves of toasting or sandwich bread, a batch of 15 large sandwich rolls, 2 batches of dinner rolls, 4 thin French-style baguettes, 2 batches of cinnamon rolls, 2 pizzas, or really any number of things. I make 2-3 batches of this recipe every day, since I have 8 children to feed. Often, I make the variations below.

White Bread Variations

Egg Braid. 

In Step 1, break 2 eggs into a 2-cup measure; beat in milk to make 2 cups, and use this mixture in place of all milk. In Step 8, divide the dough for each loaf into 3 parts, roll each into a strand. Braid each trio of strands together. pinching ends to seal. In Step 9, let rise on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with slightly beaten egg before baking. Bake at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes or until nicely browned..

Tomato Caraway Snack Loaf. 

In Step 1. use 2 cups of warm tomato juice in place of milk; add 1 tablespoon caraway seed. In Steps 7 through 9, divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each into a long, thin loaf, about 14 inches long; let rise on lightly greased baking sheets. Brush with slightly beaten egg, and sprinkle each loaf with about 1 teaspoon caraway seed before baking. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Onion Bread. 

In Step 1, use 1 can (10-1/2 oz.) onion soup and enough warm water to make 2 cups liquid in place of all milk; omit sugar, use only 1 teaspoon salt, and add 1 tablespoon instant minced onion. In Steps 8 and 9, shape each loaf into a ball and place in a greased 1-quart round casserole: bake same as basic loaves.

French Bread. 

In Step 1. use water in place of milk; omit shortening. In Steps through 10, shape into two oblong leaves; let rise on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with water and make diagonal slashes on top with a sharp knife before baking. Place in a 400 oven with a shallow pan of hot water in the oven bottom-until crusty and brown, about 45 minutes. This dough also makes excellent pizza crust.

Diet Bread. 

In Step 1, use all water, or ½ cup powdered skim milk stirred into 1-7/8 cups (2 tablespoons less than 2 cups) water, in place of milk. Omit the shortening, salt, and sugar.

Poppy Seed Bubble Loaf. 

In Steps 7 through 10, pinch off pieces of dough (after it’s punched down) to make tiny balls about 1 inch in diameter. Melt 4 tablespoons butter, Measure 1/4 cup poppy seed. Dip top of each ball first into butter, then into poppy seed, and pile all the balls in one lightly greased (10 inch) tube pan, seed side up; let rise. Bake at 375 for about 55 minutes.

Cinnamon Swirl Loaf. 

In Steps 8 and 9 roll out dough for each loaf into a rectangle about 6 by 16 inches. Mix 4 tablespoons sugar with 4 tablespoons cinnamon; sprinkle half evenly over top of each rectangle. Beginning with a narrow side, roll each tightly into a loaf, seal ends and bottom by pinching together to make seam. Let rise in 2 baking pans (5-1/4 by 9-1/4 inch size).

Orange-Raisin-Nut Bread.

In Step 1, use 2 cups of warm orange juice instead of milk; add 1 tablespoon grated orange peel, 1 cup seedless raisins, and ½ cup chopped walnuts.

Herb Breads. 

If you want to make two kinds, in Step 4 divide dough into two parts, knead each part separately, kneading a different herb into each. Select from these herbs, using the following amounts for each half of the dough: 1 tablespoon dill weed; I tablespoon savory; 1½ teaspoons basil: 1½ teaspoons oregano, 1½ teaspoons thyme; or 24 teaspoons marjoram.

Dark Bread Variations

When you substitute other flours, follow this order for mixing with the liquid ingredients: The first, second, and sixth for the last) cups of flour should be all-purpose white or whole wheat. The other flours can be the third, fourth, and fifth cups you add.

Because the finished loaves of bread are smaller and more compact than white bread, you’ll have more attractively shaped loaves if you use medium-sized bread pans (4½ by 8½ inches or 3-3/4 by 7-1/2 inches) instead of the standard 5-1/4 by 9-1/4-inch pans.

Medium Rye. 

Use 2 cups rye flour and 4 cups all-purpose.

Swedish Orange Rye. 

Use 2 cups rye flour and 4 cups all-purpose In Step 1.) add 2 tablespoons grated orange peel and I tablespoon caraway, anise, or fennel seed.

Dark Rye. 

Use 3 cups rye and 3 cups all-purpose flour. In Step 1, omit sugar;” instead of all milk, use ½ cup light or dark molasses with 1½ cups milk.

Light Rye. 

Use 1 cup rye flour and 5 cups all-purpose. This has greater volume than the darker breads, and is best baked in the standard 5-1/4 by 9-inch bread pans.

100% Whole Wheat. 

Use all whole wheat flour. In Step 1, omit sugar; use ½ cup honey, molasses, or maple syrup with 1½ cups milk instead of all milk

50% Whole Wheat, Graham, or Cracked Wheat. 

Use 3 cups of any of these flours, with 3 cups all-purpose. Use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, if you prefer.

Fruit-Nut Graham. 

Make 50% Graham Bread. In Step 7, knead in 1 cup chopped mixed glacéed fruit or chopped pitted dates and 1 cup chopped nuts. After loaves are baked, glaze while still warm with 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Dark Mixed Grain. 

For flour use ½ cup wheat germ, 1½ cup buckwheat flour, I cup rye, and 4 cups whole wheat Omit sugar; use ½ cup dark molasses with 1 cup milk instead of all milk.

Pumpernickel. 

For flour use 1 cup whole bran cereal, 2 cups rye flour, and 3 cups. whole wheat. In Step 1, add 1 tablespoon caraway seed.

Oatmeal. 

Use 4 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 cups of oat flour (found in health food stores, or make it by whirling rolled oats in an electric blender until fine).

Soy-Graham. 

Use 1 cup soy flour, 2 cups graham, and 3 cups all-purpose.

References

The Sunset Cook Book of Breads, published in 1963 (this link is to the 1966 edition, which is similar)

Get Our Mid-Century Mom Daily Routine FREE!

Yes, I Want It!

Thank you for sharing us with your friends!