|
|
| Ingredients: |
2 Cups warm water (somewhere between 95-115 degrees F)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast (1 packet)
6 Cups all-purpose flour (or you may go 50/50 with wheat flour/white flour)
1 Tablespoon salt
*Optional--add 1 Tablespoon of dried Rosemary leaves or other herb added with flour (chives, parsley, basil, tarragon, etc.) Fresh herbs use 2-3 tablespoons.
*Optional--add 1 or 2 tablespoons of poppy, caraway, dill, fennel etc. seeds to your bread dough
*Optional--add 1 to 3 tablespoons cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, curry, mace, black pepper or a combination for a spicy breads
*Optional--add up to 3 cups grated cheese such as cheddar, parmesan, etc. |
|
| Cooking
Instructions: |
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F
Pour water into bowl; add sugar and stir until it dissolves; stir in yeast. Let sit 5 or 6 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup of the flour and then add the salt; stir in 4 1/2 cups more flour [I don't put it all in at once, but about a cup or so at a time so I can tell when enough is enough; I seldom use all that is called for]. When the dough begins to hold together and pull away from the sides of the bowl, it is ready to knead. Turn your dough out onto your kneading surface sprinkled lightly with the remaining 1/2 cup of flour; flour your hands well, too. After you've kneaded for 3-4 minutes let the dough take a little rest while you clean out and grease the bowl. Continue kneading another 3-4 minutes or a little longer. When the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky, place in greased bowl, turning it over so the top has a thin film of grease on it as well. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or piece of plastic sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray and put the bowl somewhere cozy and warm to rise until double (1 to 2 hours).
Punch down and do a few more punches to knock the gas out. Turn the dough out onto your lightly floured kneading surface and knead out any stray bubbles. Let dough rest for several minutes after you've kneaded all the bubbles out. Cut and shape the dough and set to rise a second time (traditional loaves, french loaves, etc.). Cover once again and let them rise until they are double. Don't let dough over rise or it can collapse on itself.
Brush top of dough lightly with olive oil or melted butter. Bake at 475 degrees F for 20 minutes. Check the bread after 15 minutes. If the crust is getting too brown, turn the temperature down to 450 degrees F and finish baking.
Tap the bottom of a loaf after you take it out of the oven. If it sounds hollow it should be done. If it isn't put the bread back into the oven for an extra 5 minutes.
**For a crusty bread don't brush with oil. Place a pan of water on bottom rack of oven and mist water over the bread occasionally while it bakes.
NOTE: Sometimes at high altitude breads rise too fast, not giving the yeast a chance to do it's job. If your bread doubles in less than an hour, punch it down and let it rise again before doing the last rising with shaped loaves.
|
| Serving
Suggestions: |
| You can make 2 traditional loaves, or 2 French breads from this recipe; I also like to make mini loaves to serve. |
| Additional
Comments: |
| We especially like this bread lightly brushed with olive oil and also sprinkled lightly with coarse salt when removed from the oven. |
|
|
|
|
