The Art of Bread Making

I've recently discovered that it's really easy to bake bread from scratch. And super cheap. And way more delicious that store bought bread. Baking bread is also therapeutic for me. It takes time and patience and a little bit of planning. You get to knead the dough and shape the loaves and then smell the delicious aroma as they bake. Then you get to take them out of the oven, force yourself to wait 10 minutes, and cut a thick slice of hot bread and spread some real butter (or nutella!) on it. Mmm. So good. 

I baked some yesterday. Here's the process and recipe. 

The first step in bread making is letting a packet of yeast and 1 T of sugar sit in 2 1/4 C of warm water for 45 minutes. Like I said, baking bread requires a little bit of pre-thought to make sure you have enough time that day. 

Next, add 3 C flour and 1 T salt to the bowl and beat until smooth. I've only used regular white flour so far but plan to experiment with bread flour and whole wheat soon.

Add up to  2 1/2 more cups of flour to mixture until the dough becomes easy to handle. (I always use the full 5 1/2 cups when all's said and done.)

Then knead the dough until it is soft and pliable, about 5 minutes. (This is my favorite part!)

 

Next put the ball of dough into a greased bowl and cover. Let it rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. The warmer the room, the better. If I happen to be doing laundry while I'm making bread, I put the bowl on top of the dryer while it's running. 

You know the dough is ready when you press on it and the indentation remains.

Separate the dough into three 5-in in diameter loaves (you can also do long baguettes if you prefer. I never do.) Mix 1 egg with a few T of milk and whisk. Brush the mixture over the eggs (this is where you get your crispy crust! yum!) and then cut 4-5 diagonal slashes across the top of each loaf. I invested in a bread knife after my second batch of bread - SO worth it!

Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. It's important to preheat the oven. Take the loaves out when the crust is golden brown. Your house will smell delicious at this point.

 Ta-da! Bread!

I got this recipe from http://www.landolakes.com/recipe/2371/crusty-french-bread by googling crusty french bread. It's the only recipe I've tried so far. If you have bread recipes you love, send them my way! All in all, the bread takes about 4 hours, but with only about 30-45min of active participation.

1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast

2 1/4 cups warm water (105 to 115°F)

1 tablespoon sugar

5 to 5 1/2 cups bread flour 
or all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 tablespoon milk

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl; stir in sugar. Let stand 45 minutes. Stir in 3 cups flour and salt; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. 

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). Place into greased bowl; turn greased-side up. Cover; let rise in warm place until double in size (about 1 1/2 hours). (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)

Punch down dough; divide into thirds. Shape each third into 15-inch loaf (baguette) or 5-inch round on greased baking sheets. Cover; let rise until double in size (about 30 minutes).

Heat oven to 400°F. Stir together egg and milk in small bowl; brush over top and sides of loaves. Make 5 diagonal slashes across top of each loaf with serrated knife. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheets; cool on wire racks.