Bread is a staple in the pantry. I do buy store bought bread often because it is so convenient. But nothing beats homemade, fresh out of the oven.
Whether you have a stand mixer or not, you can make beautiful
bread. And beautiful bread starts with
well made dough. Dough is so versatile
too, it’s a good skill to have in your cooking toolbox.
I think of dough as a method, rather than a recipe. Using the same method, by varying a few
ingredients, you can make so many things.
Bread, buns, pizza crust, bagels, pretzels, cinnamon buns, pita bread, naan,
brioche …. Etc
You can buy different kinds of yeast, you can enrich the dough with eggs and milk, you can choose different grades of flour or mix the flour with other grains.
The basics are:
Warm water, yeast, sugar (or some form of sugar to feed the yeast), oil or butter, salt and flour.
Warm water, yeast, sugar (or some form of sugar to feed the yeast), oil or butter, salt and flour.
I have been making bread since I was about 16 (when bread makers
had 10 fingers and were at the end of your arms), nearly 25 years now and have
learned many shortcuts. I have even, in
a pinch, done without salt or oil. Just
water, sugar, yeast & flour will make bread. My pantry is never without those items.
My “recipe” yields one loaf of bread, or 8 large buns, or
one large pizza crust:
1.5 cups warm water
1 tbsp honey or sugar
1 tbsp yeast
4 tbsp oil
1 tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 tsp salt
3-3.5 cups flour
1 tbsp honey or sugar
1 tbsp yeast
4 tbsp oil
1 tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 tsp salt
3-3.5 cups flour
Watch my video for the “how-to” on making this recipe. My video uses a stand mixer with a dough hook, but I learned how to do this using a bowl, a wooden spoon and my hands. Don't let the lack of fancy tools stop you from trying. :)
Making bread is very tactile. You really just need to do it over and over
until you are able to read your dough to tell when it is done. This should not be a discouragement from
starting.
https://youtu.be/QThvr7d22sM
https://youtu.be/QThvr7d22sM
Fondly,
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