We normally feel like having our comfort foods when the rain is howling or
the snow is falling. We want to nurture our families and keep them from
the elements. We do our slow cooking, make puddings, pop popcorn and
snuggle up.
Bread …”Manna” is one of these foods. Sadly baking bread on these
stormy weather days has poor results.
If you find yourself having a bright sunny day, be it warm or when the winter
winds blow, you have the ideal time for baking bread. High Pressure Systems
were given to us just for this event. Today was one of those days.
Here is a step by step instruction for baking bread. And if you think you can’t
do it, please read through and you’ll find it’s not an exact science. Whatever
you make is perfect and it belongs to you.
Basic White Bread
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2 envelopes Active Dry Yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons butter (3/4 a stick)
1/3 cup warm tepid water
6 cups flour (2 lbs)
1 1/3 cups cold water
Proof the yeast
to the 1/2 cup warm water add the two envelopes of yeast,
add the sugar, and a pinch of flour. Use a large measuring cup
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Let sit for 5 mins and it will turn to this:
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You see how it’s turned bubbly and thick. The yeast has
been activated by the sugar and the pinch of flour. It’s ready
for bread making.
*I recommend always proofing the yeast. Don’t just add it
to the flour, even if the recipe doesn’t tell you. Do it for
yourself. If the recipe hasn’t asked you to proof and there
is sugar in the ingredients, take a couple of teaspoons
from whatever is recommended.
*Adding more sugar
than the instructions say will prevent your dough from
having a high rise. Some prefer it sweeter, and have
no problem with the smaller loaf.
Into the food processor, add salt, 2 cups flour, and
all the butter. Whip it unmercifully.
If you’re doing this by hand or with a mixer, melt the
butter then add to the flour/salt mix. Mix on high
speed.
To the yeast add 1 cup of cold water.
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pour into the butter/flour/salt mix. Take the other 1/3 cup water and swirl it around the measure
cup to pick up any residue and add to the dough. Blend on high speed. This is important. Activating
the yeast with the flour starts here.
And this is the fun part. The rest is entirely your creation. You’re in charge.
The dough will start off soupy, and you’ll be adding a cup, of flour, at a time. Blending well after each
cup. If you’re using a food processor pulse, each addition till eventually it’s one ball. You may not
be using up all the 6 cups. Today I only needed 4 1/2. Then another 1/2 for kneading.
If working by hand it will become very thick and you’ll find that a lot of the mixing will be with your
hands. Electric mixers now have dough hooks and those are good to get it to the lumpy ball stage.
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When it can’t take on anymore flour, turn out onto a floured – board, counter, or table. Let it rest a
few mins.
When kneading I use vinyl gloves. I just LOVE these, for handling food. Especially dough. Anyone
with eczema, or cuts on their hands will enjoy them too. They’re soft on your skin and are much
easier to use than the latex. . When you’re done with this step they’ll slide right off till the next step.
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Knead your dough for a few mins. If you mixed the dough by hand the recommended time is 7 mins.
If it’s a nice sunny day, you won’t have to do it that long. . When you work the dough it will become stretchy
and gooey. This is the gluten in the flour. It’s a good thing. Sometimes you’ll have to add more flour, but
do is sparingly. The less flour added at this point the better the bread. You’ll know it’s ready for a rise
when you make it into a ball, it seems to pull back and the sheen is gone. Kneading doesn’t hurt bread
so don’t worry about giving it too much of a work out.
I let my dough rise right on the board. Many put it in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, and put in a warm
place. Whatever you do, please don’t put it on a warm stove, heating pad or force it. Often it will take the full 2 – 2 1/2 hours to rise. It’s okay. You want that yeast to work through releasing gas lifting in it’s own time.
What’s important to know that it’s not heat that makes the dough rise, it’s all that hard work, proofing, mixing, beating and kneading. The only heat it needed was that luke warm water you used to proof.
I’ve often worked up to this stage at night. Put the dough in a buttered bowl, covered with a buttered
Saran Wrap cover and put in the refrigerator. The next morning the blow would be over flowing with
risen dough. Then bring to room temp. to work the next steps. Then we’d have fresh bread for lunch.
However this is my dough today. I put it to rise on the board when The Young and The Restless started
at 12:30
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Y&R ended at 1:30 …Victor returned from the dead and fired his wayward son Adam (hooray).
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A one hour rise and It’s lovely, I can smell the scent of yeast. I poke it with two fingers,
if the holes start to fill in, it means it’s not through rising. I would have left it another hour
and tried again. However it’s done and onto the next step.
Punch it down, roll it up, give it another knead, slap it silly. I roll it into a long log,
and cut in fourths.
Meanwhile I Crisco two bread pans. Now many people use Spam, or Vegetable oil.
I never had any luck with those. I’m not saying they don’t work, cookbooks recommend
it. I guess my pans don’t work well with oils. Crisco has always been sufficient. And
the loaves jump out when done.
I make four little balls, and put in the loaf pans.
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You can make two individual loaves instead. I happen to like bread like this.
Like I said you’re in charge of your creation. What’s nice is when this is
through baking, and cooled. That center is like a feather. The little ones
beg to have the middle slices.
Put your dough to rise again. I didn’t need to cover them today because of
the good weather. However a little butter on Saran Wrap to cover works well.
I did this and went to watch The Bold and the Beautiful. Eric Forester woke
from his coma, and Bridget found out her husband was unfaithful with her sister.
It only took a half hour and here we are (the second rise never takes longer than
the first)
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The oven is set for 375 convention. I don’t use the convection oven for bread. It won’t bake properly
and the crust always looks weird.
35-40 mins in the oven and here we are.
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I live by my thermometer. Bread should reach 200 degrees to be done.
People think if you tap it and it sounds hollow it’s done. WRONG. You
can tap it after 15 mins. in the oven and it will sound hollow. If you don’t
have a thermometer. Go with the recommended time and if the pans
feel light when removing it’s a good sign it’s done.
Here is the middle I spoke of,
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I didn’t slice it, it fell open. It’s feather soft, full of flavor, fit for a King.
And this is why we bake bread.
