Rabbit's Garden: My Bread Recipe

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

My Bread Recipe

I decide to make bread today. It's been a while since I made any. I needed some breakfast first though. I decide to have me a French Toast bagel with peanut butter mixed with a little ground flax and topped with low sugar strawberry preserves. I also cut up some mango since it was getting too ripe and wouldn't last much longer.

After breakfast, my DH came in, bringing some great big mountain apples. He had been to a flea market in Lexington and knowing how I love apples, he decided to bring a few home. Since I was so full, having just had my bagel and fruit, I set them aside for later.

Now it was time to get down to making that bread. First I had to measure my flour. Normally I would use bread flour, but since it was a spur of the moment ideal and I didn't have any bread flour, I just used regular all purpose flour.

The next thing I needed was the yeast.

I measured out the yeast and put it in the mixing bowl, then I measured the sugar and put it in with the yeast.

After that I heated the water in the microwave to about 100 degrees. You only need it at about 80, but it was pretty cool in the kitchen and my metal mixing bowl cooled it down pretty quick, to just the right temp when I added it to the yeast & sugar.

I stirred the mixture until the yeast and sugar were dissolved and set the timer for 5 minutes until the yeast was activated.

When the timer when off and I saw that the yeast mixture had a good head of foam on top, I knew it was time to add the salt and oil and give 'em a stir.

Now, I break out the big guns.

My trusty dough hook

And my big old KitchenAid

If you don't have something like this, I suggest halving the recipe. You don't want to burn up your mixer motor.

Ok, now we can get to making the dough. I added the flour to the yeast mixture, put my mixing bowl on the mixer, and put on the dough hook. That was how I should have done it anyway. I actually added the flour last, making it more difficult.

After running the mixer on low or 2 on my mixer for a few minutes, I had dough.

I sprayed the bowl with cooking spray, coated the dough with oil and let 'er rise, but I didn't get pictures of that, so you'll have to use your imagination.

By this time I was ready for a little lunch. I decided to have some of the leftover macaroni salad and do you remember the apples? Well, I decided to have one of those with my macaroni salad.

It wasn't long before the dough was finished rising.

Now, it's time to spray our loaf pans, punch down the dough (stick your fist in the middle and push down), make our dough into loaves and plop them in the pans.

Now let these babies rise. Tick tock, tick tock.

That oughta be good.

Ok, now you can stick 'em in the oven and about 20 minutes later, well maybe 25, but anyway you'll have bread.

Now here's the recipe:

White Bread – Two loaves

6 cups all purpose or bread flour

2 ¼ cups warm water

3 Tbsp + 1 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp + 1 ½ tsp yeast

1 Tbsp salt

3 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp oil divided

Put yeast and sugar together into mixing bowl.
Pour warm(80-100°) water into yeast mixture.
Stir until yeast and sugar are dissolved.
Let water/yeast mixture stand in a warm place approx. 5-6 minutes. It should get foamy on top.
Add salt and oil to water/yeast mixture and stir.
Add flour to water/yeast mixture and place bowl under mixer with dough hook attachment.
Turn mixer on low speed and until a dough ball forms. Let mixer run 1 more minute afterward.
Remove dough from bowl.
Spray bowl lightly with cooking spray (Pam, etc.)
Pour 1 Tbsp of oil over dough and coat dough ball with oil.
Let rise for about 1 hour or until dough doubles in size.
Punch down dough and divide into 2 equal size balls.
Knead dough slightly to remove large air bubbles.
Form loaves and place into well greased loaf pans.
Brush dough with milk using a pastry brush. (optional) This gives the crust a little shine.
Let dough rise again 20-30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400° while loaves rise.
Before baking brush loaves with milk again.
Bake approx. 20-25 minutes depending on your oven. Loaves should be browned and sound hollow when tapped.
You can brush the loaves with milk once more after baking.
Cool completely before slicing.

Note: It is safe to slice an end off while it is still warm and spread with a little butter for taste testing, lol. It is easier to get more even slices using an electric knife. I didn't really have the directions written down, this is just the way I do it.