People see baking your own bread as the utmost challenge for a home cook, but the fact is, people have done it for thousands of years and the recipe is really pretty forgiving. You don't have to worry about gluten formation or hydration percentages--heck, you don't even have to measure the flour!
Here's how to wing it, and come out with delicious bread every time. All the rising and baking takes a few hours, but there's only about 10 minutes of actual kitchen work involved. This procedure is adaptable to make just about any kind of yeast bread; I've used it to make dark rye studded with caraway seeds, cheesy white bread with cheddar and Parmesan, and even sweet chocolate bread.
What You Need
Ingredients
Water
Yeast
Bread flour
Whole-wheat, rye, or other type of flour (optional)
Salt
Equipment
Electric mixer (optional)
Baking sheet
Silicone baking mat or parchment paper
Instructions
1. Pour 1 cup of water per loaf you want to end up with into a mixer bowl (or other large bowl if you want to mix and knead by hand), and sprinkle about 2 teaspoons (or 1 envelope) of yeast per loaf on top. Let stand for a minute or two.
2. Dump roughly 2 cups of flour per loaf on top of the water-yeast mixture (no need to be exact; you'll adjust later). If you want to make whole-wheat, rye, or any kind of alternative-grain bread, use half bread flour and half other flours. Add a good large pinch (1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons) of salt per loaf. You can also throw in any cheese, seeds, dried fruit, etc. you want in the bread at this point.
3. Attach the dough hook to your mixer and start mixing on low until the dough comes together. Turn the mixer to medium and knead for a good long time--8 to 10 minutes. If the dough sticks to the bottom or sides of the bowl, add a bit more flour, a handful at a time, until it doesn't stick anymore. If it starts to climb out of the bowl, stop the mixer and push the dough to the bottom of the bowl. (If you don't have a mixer, stir together the flour and water with a spoon until a dough forms and knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes, adding flour if the dough sticks to your hands or the counter.)
4. Pull the dough ball out of the bowl (if it's sticky, sprinkle some flour on the counter) and shape it into a ball. Put back in the bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled. (This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on temperature, humidity, and the age of the yeast. Just check on it periodically. The dough can't over-rise, unless you leave it for hours and hours.)
5. Punch the dough down (basically, knead it a few times--you're redistributing the bubbles the yeast has formed), shape it into a ball again, and put it back in the bowl to rise until doubled. (It'll take less time than the first time.) This second rise is optional, but it gives the bread a tangier flavor.
6. Punch the dough down again, divide into pieces if you're making more than one loaf, and shape it however you want. You can stick it in a loaf pan, but I prefer hand-shaping, which leaves it a little lumpy. My favorite shape is a rough rectangle (see photo)--that way all the slices will be basically the same size. Place on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
7. Turn the oven to 450° and preheat for 10 to 15 minutes. (The shaped loaves will rise a little during this time, ensuring they puff up nicely in the oven.)
8. Slash the top of the dough with a serrated knife. (I use a steak knife.) This looks pretty, and helps the loaf rise evenly in the oven. You can create a decorative pattern if you like, or just make a few lines. Doesn't really matter.
9. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. You know the bread is done when it's a nice deep brown and it sounds hollow if you tap on it. If you like your bread really crusty, fill a spray bottle with water and spritz the oven floor a few times right before putting the bread in. (Steam makes a better crust.)
10. Breathe in that fresh-bread smell, impress your friends and neighbors, and enjoy!
Jason Horn is a professional writer based in Birmingham, Alabama, where he is also working on a culinary degree.
Related: How To Make Bread
(Images: Jason Horn)
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YUM fresh baked bread dipped in oil and spices!! saving this recipe for a later date that's for sure
My rule of thumb for making good bread is to first make 100 mediocre loaves. It's uncanny how many places the process can go wrong - not enough rise, timing is off, dough too loose, misshapen loaves... Learning your flour, water, yeast are crucial but so is knowing your kitchen surfaces, kneading, rising temp, oven.
Challenging as it can be though, even the first crummy loaves (pun intended) are such reward. You'll learn something from each loaf. First you get the basics down. Then you do it over and over and over adjusting each time if you need. Eventually you have something you're proudly willing to share with someone. I spent a winter a few years ago baking loaves and giving them as presents. It warmed my house right up and gave me a nice excuse to make more.
I like the approach here that you don't need to measure. The only thing to add to the above is that if you're new to this you should start with plain loaves first. Make a few basic loaves with the flour you're most familiar with first. Adding flavorings like cheese (my favorite is cheddar, corn and jalapeno) needs to be done in the right proportions or you'll have a mess and potentially make a mess and ruin your dough. Once you get the basics down you can start with herbs and then some dryer ingredients like craisins or dry cured olives or cheese. Do these before you move to wetter flavorings like brined olives or corn.
Anyone ever made beer bread? It's the easiest thing in the world, even easier than this. Google it, and you'll find a million recipes. I love using a nicely flavored, even a medium-to-dark beer (I've tried cheapie Coors light, but it really doesn't work that well), and throwing in some chopped fresh rosemary. Served hot out of the oven with butter, it's DIVINE.
I understand that bread flour has a higher gluten content but is it really necessary? Will I still make successful bread without it? If so, do I follow the same recipe?
@meganificient - Isn't the standard recipe for beer bread a "quick bread"? If you have a recipe for a yeasted beer-based bread, I'm interested!
@smultron You can use AP flour for bread and you should be okay. Just don't use White Lily AP flour—it's more like a pastry flour, with really low gluten content. That said, bread flour does make better bread.
You'll get a lighter, taller loaf if you preheat to 25-50 degrees F above what the recipe says then reduce the temperature accordingly after putting the loaf in. The higher initial temperature makes the gas bubbles expand more before the crust forms. It also counteracts the drop in temperature that happens when you open the oven door, which can be significant and can take a few minutes to overcome.
If you're baking batches, push the temperature back up between each batch. When I forget to do this the second batch will end up a 1/2 inch or so shorter.
This recipe worked so well and is soo simple! 5hird time around I made a thick cinnamon sugar syrup and
marbled it inside...omg so good. The only thing I suggest is that you make sure your parchment paper is safe at 450! Reynolds is only tested to 420...I was a little scared it was going to light up my oven. Haha
Thanks for the great recipe!
Any changes for high altitude? Or will the "adding flour as needed" take care of that?