Bread - The Food of Life

When I was trying to think up ideas for some of these first blog posts, I kept coming back to bread. From flatbreads like naan and tortillas to fluffy white breads and rustic farmhouse sourdoughs, almost everyone in the world can and does eat some variation of it.

Here, I’ll share my favorite yeast recipe. This is the easiest and cheapest recipe, with low upfront risk and high payoff. It’s a versatile yeast bread recipe that uses only the most basic ingredients. You can adjust it, add to it, and alter it in almost every conceivable way. In the end you’ll have something delicious to put peanut butter and jelly on, or dip into a soup.

Choosing ingredients:

There are a few things to keep in mind when preparing to make bread. The ingredients you choose will either make or break the outcome. You don’t need anything fancy or expensive, however you will want to know a few things here.

Water-Chlorinated tap water inhibits the growth of yeast so it’s best to use any non-chlorinated water or filtered, bottled, or distilled. You can leave chlorinated water out at room temperature without a lid for 24 hours and most of the chlorine will evaporate off. No need to buy anything fancy here.

Flour-I recommend using Organic Unbleached flour for the same reasons as the non-chlorinated water. Chemicals destroy good bacteria and yeast. I often use Bobs Red Mill, sometimes King Arthur.

Sugar-Organic sugar, real honey, organic molasses, maple syrup etc. Yeast feeds on sugar and produces carbon dioxide which is what makes this type of bread rise. So, just remember, the more processed it is, the more chemicals it probably has in it, and chemicals=bad bread.

Salt-Celtic sea salt, and Redmond's Real Salt both are great options. Many table salts have, you guessed it, bacteria inhibiting additives. You’ll notice the salt isn’t added right away in this recipe and that’s because salt itself inhibits the growth of certain bacteria and can interfere with the rise and texture of your dough. Long story short, salt added later=good bread.

Yeast-Any yeast designed for bread making and rising dough. I use Red Star Active Dry Yeast purely because it was an inexpensive option at the time. I store a working quantity in the refrigerator and I freeze the rest to maintain freshness and peak activity.

Oil-any type of oil or fat will make great bread, however I prefer to stay away from highly refined oils like seed oils. My favorite is extra virgin olive oil for a more complex flavor or avocado oil for a lighter flavor or when making a sweet dessert type bread. In a pinch you can even use tallow or bacon grease just be sure to soften it beforehand.

Basic Bread

Makes 2 loaves.

2 1/2c. Warm water

1 tbsp fresh dry yeast

3 tbsp molasses

3 tbsp oil

1 tsp salt

5-7 c. Flour

Using a fork and large mixing bowl, mix together water, yeast, molasses and oil. Let sit 5 minutes or until bubbly. Add 5 cups of flour and mix until combined, let mixture rest 10 minutes. Add salt and mix again. Add the rest of the flour half a cup at a time until too difficult to handle with the fork. With clean hands, begin to work the flour in by hand. You can do this in the bowl or turn out onto a clean floured surface.

Basics of kneading

Step 1: Grab the farthest edge of dough and bring it towards you (folding in half). Using the palm of your hand firmly push the two edges together forming a seam.

Step 2: Turn entire dough 90 degrees. It can be helpful to use a bench scraper or metal spatula to keep from making a sticky mess.

Repeat step one and two for about 10 minutes until dough forms a nice smooth ball. You may need to add more flour a little at a time to keep from being too sticky. A good way to do this is by using a bench scraper to scrape up all the dough, and then sprinkle a good handful of flour on your workspace and return the dough on top. Note: kneading can also be done in a stand mixer if you have one. Using the bread hook attachment mix on low until dough no longer sticks to the bowl and instead forms a stretchy ball in the middle.

When a smooth elastic dough has formed, roll into a tight ball by flatting and folding all the edges to the center. Pinch the edges together to form a seam, and place the seam side down. You can either leave the dough on the counter with the mixing bowl upside down on top of it, or if it’s a cold day place the dough back into the clean mixing bowl with a dinner plate on top and set in a warm area like a sunny window or your oven with its light on.

Let rise about an hour or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and again place on a clean floured surface. Divide in two using a bench scraper or knife. Flatten each dough ball and roll up like a log. Then fold the two ends towards the middle and flip so the log is seam side down. This will make a sandwich loaf when baked in a bread pan. For a tall loaf bake in a 4 x 8 pan.

Let rest while oven preheats to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a sharp knife or a pair of scissors, cut a slit lengthwise down the loaf, about half inch deep. This will help the bread rise without cracking and splitting.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown and bread sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped. To do this, I remove the pan from the oven, tip onto its side and wait about five minutes. The bread should pull away from the pan. Flip to the other side and use a butter knife if necessary to loosen the rest of the sides. Using two oven mitts pull bread from pan. Tap the bottom of the loaf, it should have a deep flat sound like a hollow wooden box. Let the loaf rest until completely cool, otherwise the hot bread may obtain a gummy texture when cutting.

Variations:

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Add 1 c sugar or to taste, 2 tbsp of cinnamon, and about 3/4 c of raisins. You may need to add more flour to balance out the stickiness of the dough, but don't add too much or you'll end up with a very dry bread. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Hamburger Buns

Instead of separating dough into two loaves, cut into 16 even sections. Shape each piece into a ball using the same technique mentioned above. Place each bun seam side down on a metal baking sheet about 2" apart. Just before baking, gently flatten each bun with the palm of your hand and brush with water or beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle with toppings of choice; black and white sesame seeds look nice, poppy seeds or "everything but the bagel" topping is great option as well. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Was this recipe easy to follow? Let us know how you used and adapted this super easy bread recipe!

Enjoy!

-Mariah