Bread Making 101

I made my very first loaf of bread at the first of the year and I've been making bread ever since.  If you haven't tried it, you really should!  It's not nearly as complicated as it seems.  You don't need any fancy gadgets.  Just an oven and your hands.  It takes a little time, but you haven't lived until you've eaten real bread, fresh out of the oven!  I find kneading the dough therapeutic.  It's my ten minutes to drift deep into thought.  I use one simple recipe and turn it into bread, rolls, buns, bread sticks, cinnamon rolls & chocolate dessert bread.

Basic Bread Recipe
3 cups all purpose flour (I use organic)
1 tsp salt

2 tbsp unsalted butter (softened)

2 1/2 tbsp honey (I use local, raw honey)

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm tap water

Bread Loaf

Mix flour & salt in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, combine yeast, honey, butter & warm water.  Mix until dissolved & let sit a few minutes.  Add to dry ingredients and mix well.  Knead on floured surface about 10 minutes.  (Add a pinch of flour when it gets sticky)  Place dough in greased loaf pan, cover with a towel & let rise in a warm place for about an hour.  Right before baking, use a knife to make a shallow slit in the top of the loaf.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.  Remove from pan immediately and let cool on a cooling rack before slicing.  When cooled completely, slice on cutting board with a sharp knife.  Store in sealed container.  After a few days, I put it in the refrigerator to preserve it's freshness.  But it usually doesn't last that long around here!



Now I don't know about you, but I've never seen store bought bread that looked like that!

Buns or Rolls
Same instructions.  After kneading, pinch off small amount and roll into balls. Small balls for rolls, big balls for buns. Let rise on greased cookie sheet, covered with a towel, for about 30 to 45 minutes.  Then bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.  Here's a picture of the hamburger buns.

Bread sticks
Same instructions.  After kneading, pinch off small amount and form into bread stick shape or twist two together.  Let rise on greased cookie sheet about 30 minutes, then bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.  Brush with melted butter seasoned with garlic and Italian seasoning.

Cinnamon Rolls
Same instructions.  After kneading, let rise in greased casserole dish, covered with a towel.  After an hour, roll out onto floured surface.  Create a large rectangle out of dough.  Lay down small pats of butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. 

Roll up, starting at wide end of rectangle. Once you have a log shape, sprinkle with flour to prevent sticking, and slice with serrated knife. 

Place cinnamon rolls in greased casserole dish.  Depending on your mood, you can add a little more butter, cinnamon and sugar to the top of each roll. (I usually do).

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.  You can also top them with an icing made from butter, powdered sugar and a dash of milk. 

Chocolate Bread
Same mixing instructions, but add chocolate chunks in with the mixture.  Knead 10 minutes, then let rise on greased cookie sheet, covered with a towel.  It will be in a big oval shape.  Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes.  You could make this into any shape you wanted.  You'll never want a cheap processed dessert treat again!  I promise!

Once you get the hang of bread making, it becomes an easy and fast process.