Basic Homemade Bread Food

BASIC ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• Place the water and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer and allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes. Using a dough hook attachment, add the flour and sugar to the water and mix on low speed until a dough starts to form. Drizzle the oil and salt into the dough and beat on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes, or until a smooth, firm, elastic dough is formed.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and spray the dough with a thin coating of cooking spray. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 11/2 hours or until doubled in size. Remove the plastic wrap, punch down and flatten the rounded dough with the heel of your hand. Roll the dough up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll. The dough should be elongated and oval-shaped, with tapered and rounded (not pointed) ends.
• Preheat the oven lined with a pizza stone to 425 degrees F. Alternately, an inverted baking sheet may be used in place of a pizza stone.
• Place the dough on a baker's peel heavily dusted with semolina flour, or cornmeal, or alternately on an inverted baking sheet. Allow the dough to proof, loosely covered with a damp towel, for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Brush the dough with the egg white and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, score 3 (1/4-inch deep) slashes across the top of the dough at a 45 degree angle.
• Spray the dough generously with water from a water bottle and place in the oven on the baking stone. Immediately close the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Open the oven door and spray the dough again with the water bottle. Close the oven door and bake for an additional 3 minutes before spraying the dough for a third time (the spraying of the dough will ensure a crisp golden brown crust). Bake the dough for 45 minutes, or until a hollow thud is heard when the bread is whacked with the bowl of a wooden spoon. Allow the bread to cool slightly before serving.

BASIC HOMEMADE BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in warm water; let stand until bubbles form on surface. Whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Stir oil into yeast mixture; pour into flour mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1-1/2 to 2 hours., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half. Shape each into a loaf. Place in 2 greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1-1/2 hours., Bake at 375° until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped or has reached an internal temperature of 200°, 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

SUPER EASY BREAD RECIPE FOR BEGINNERS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Pour the warm water into a large bowl.
• Slowly stir in the yeast until it is dissolved.
• Add the salt, sugar, and milk to the bowl. Stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
• Mix in the shortening and the first 2 cups of flour. The shortening will continue to integrate into the dough while kneading, so it may be small lumps at this stage.
• If needed, begin adding more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough chases the spoon around the bowl.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead for about 10 minutes. Add small spoonfuls of flour as necessary, until the dough is soft and smooth (not sticky to the touch). You may not need all of the flour, or you may need a little more. Keep the surface floured to prevent the dough from sticking to the board and your hands.
• Put the dough in a greased or buttered bowl and turn the dough over so the other side is also greased.
• Cover and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot, such as an oven with the light on, for about 1 hour, or until doubled.
• Punch down the dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead for 5 minutes.
• Form the dough into a loaf (here are some helpful tips) and set it gently into a greased bread pan .
• Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes, or until doubled. If your kitchen is chilly or drafty, place the pan in a cool oven with the light on for this step, or you may not get a proper rise. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
• Score the risen dough by cutting three slashes across the top with a sharp knife. While not essential, this step controls the direction in which the bread expands as it bakes. (If you forget to do it, the bread will taste the same.)
• Place the bread in the oven and bake for about 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.
• Turn out the loaf of bread and let it cool completely on a rack or clean dish towel before slicing.
• Serve and enjoy.

EASY WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• Mix 500g strong white flour, 2 tsp salt and a 7g sachet of fast-action yeast in a large bowl.
• Make a well in the centre, then add 3 tbsp olive oil and 300ml water, and mix well. If the dough seems a little stiff, add another 1-2 tbsp water and mix well.
• Tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for around 10 mins.
• Once the dough is satin-smooth, place it in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size or place in the fridge overnight.
• Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Knock back the dough (punch the air out and pull the dough in on itself) then gently mould the dough into a ball.
• Place it on the baking parchment to prove for a further hour until doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.
• Dust the loaf with some extra flour and cut a cross about 6cm long into the top of the loaf with a sharp knife.
• Bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

BEER BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Mix dry ingredients and beer.
• Pour into a greased loaf pan.
• Pour melted butter over mixture.
• Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.
• UPDATED NOTES: This recipe makes a very hearty bread with a crunchy, buttery crust. If you prefer a softer crust (like a traditional bread) mix the butter into the batter instead of pouring it over the top.
• Sifting flour for bread recipes is a must-do. Most people just scoop the 1 cup measure in the flour canister and level it off. That compacts the flour and will turn your bread into a "hard biscuit" as some have described. That's because they aren't sifting their flour! If you do not have a sifter, use a spoon to spoon the flour into the 1 cup measure. Try it once the "correct" way and you will see an amazing difference in the end product.
• I have had many email from you kind folks about using non-alcoholic beverages instead of beer. That is fine to do but I highly recommend adding a packet of Dry Active Yeast or 2 teaspoons of Bread (Machine) Yeast so that you get a proper rise.
• The final result should be a thick, hearty and very tasteful bread, NOT A BRICK! ;).
• Thank you all for the incredibly nice comments and those of you who left a bad review - learn to sift sift SIFT! You will be amazed at the results you get.

QUICK & EASY HOMEMADE BREAD

Steps:

• Combine water, yeast, salt, sugar, milk powder, egg, and butter in a large mixing bowl- stir with wooden spoon until well mixed.
• Slowly add the flour while still mixing- you don't have to add whole wheat flour, but I usually add about a cup just to give it some whole wheat flavor; then the rest can be white flour- you can do half and half also, or just all white- you are the cook, mix it up.
• Continue to add the flour to the dough (you will have to use your hands to mix it now)
• Once the dough becomes more of a ball and not so runny, pour the dough out of the bowl onto a floured countertop; knead dough with your hands for 10-15 minutes, adding more flour if needed. Keep adding flour until the dough is JUST sticky when you hold it- but not too sticky- you don't want it stuck to your fingers. Also, if you add too much flour, your bread will become heavy- so watch how much flour you add to your mixture!
• Shape dough into ball, place in a large bowl lightly rubbed with oil; cover with a light towel- let rise until doubled in size.
• Separate dough in half; shape into dough roll and place in lightly oiled bread pans. Brush with a beaten egg to give it that nice golden look when it comes out of the oven or brush lightly with water and sprinkle lightly with quick oats or poppy seeds- the possibilities are endless!
• Let loaves rise for 15-20 minutes- this is a personal choice, some people do not like big loaves of bread, while others do- so keep an eye on how big your loaves get, it is a personal choice of course.
• Place in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, or until done.(cooking time varies, depending on oven).
• Let sit in pans for 5 minutes then take the loaves out and set on wire rack to cool.
• Its great for toast, sandwiches, or still hot out of the oven as a snack!