Post by karnkiller on Jan 25, 2011 1:38:21 GMT -5
Alright I have been making bread for a while and it is really fun.
It is more of an art then anything I think.
I would say there are more variables than any other food. Your bread changes pretty much every time you make it, and there are many many subtleties that you pick up with time. Things like temperature, humidity, your knead and even elevation effect the bread you are making.
There thousands and thousands of recipes out there and everyone does it a little bit differently. Here is my recipe more or less, as, like I said, it changes every time.
What you will need:
Flour.... Like white bread... use more white... like brown use more brown... like oats.. well you get the damn picture.
You will need about 10 cups of flour total though you may not use all of them.
Yeast. Dry Yeast, traditional. about 2-3 teaspoons, or 1 packet if you but packets.
2/3 a cup of honey.. If you dont have honey you can use water with sugar.
Alright I will start with that and add some more ingredients after.
So you will need about 3 cups of warm water. It is very important that the water is warm but not too hot. If it is too hot it will kill your yeast.
Pour Water into large bowl. then add half your honey and stir very well.
Next add all your yeast, and stir very gently.
Next add about 5 cups of flour, and stir gently, trying to get everything mixed but not stirring roughly.
Cover your bowl with a damp towel and leav in your oven for a little while. You can turn the oven on for about 20 seconds so it will be warmer than room temperature but definetly dont let it get hot.
Leave for between 20mins and an hour until everything rises quite nicely.
Next you will add the rest of your honey, about a 125ml of melted butter.
Add a teaspoon of salt.
Stir that and start slowly adding the rest of your flour.. add slowly and knead it along the way. Kneading is probably one of the most important parts of making bread so maybe look at youtube to get it right.
When your dough is in a nice ball that sticks to your finger but doesnt pull of the bread, it is ready.
Oil the outside of your dough and put it back in your bowl. Once again put it in the slightly warm oven with a towel on top. Then wait for anywhere from an hour to 3and a half for the dough to rise nicely.
When it is large as you think it is gonna get, bring it out and cut in three, put in three bread pans that are oiled.
Let rise again until the bread comes up over the pans, this can take a half hour or an hour. If it isnt rising very much keep waiting.
Then put in the oven at 375 for about 40 mins. You will know it is ready by tapping on the bread with your finger. It should sound hollow.
Take out and cover with butter (it helps preserve it plus makes it delicious). Leave on baking rack until it cools then keep in a plastic bag to keep it fresh.
Alright, this is probably the worst recipe anyone has ever written now that I look at it.
I highly suggest trying to make your own bread, it is really relaxing, and such an art. Plus you can save quite a bit of money.
If this looks too intimidating to you (which I can understand because these are terrible directions) just google easy bread.
Try it out I think you will have fun!
It is more of an art then anything I think.
I would say there are more variables than any other food. Your bread changes pretty much every time you make it, and there are many many subtleties that you pick up with time. Things like temperature, humidity, your knead and even elevation effect the bread you are making.
There thousands and thousands of recipes out there and everyone does it a little bit differently. Here is my recipe more or less, as, like I said, it changes every time.
What you will need:
Flour.... Like white bread... use more white... like brown use more brown... like oats.. well you get the damn picture.
You will need about 10 cups of flour total though you may not use all of them.
Yeast. Dry Yeast, traditional. about 2-3 teaspoons, or 1 packet if you but packets.
2/3 a cup of honey.. If you dont have honey you can use water with sugar.
Alright I will start with that and add some more ingredients after.
So you will need about 3 cups of warm water. It is very important that the water is warm but not too hot. If it is too hot it will kill your yeast.
Pour Water into large bowl. then add half your honey and stir very well.
Next add all your yeast, and stir very gently.
Next add about 5 cups of flour, and stir gently, trying to get everything mixed but not stirring roughly.
Cover your bowl with a damp towel and leav in your oven for a little while. You can turn the oven on for about 20 seconds so it will be warmer than room temperature but definetly dont let it get hot.
Leave for between 20mins and an hour until everything rises quite nicely.
Next you will add the rest of your honey, about a 125ml of melted butter.
Add a teaspoon of salt.
Stir that and start slowly adding the rest of your flour.. add slowly and knead it along the way. Kneading is probably one of the most important parts of making bread so maybe look at youtube to get it right.
When your dough is in a nice ball that sticks to your finger but doesnt pull of the bread, it is ready.
Oil the outside of your dough and put it back in your bowl. Once again put it in the slightly warm oven with a towel on top. Then wait for anywhere from an hour to 3and a half for the dough to rise nicely.
When it is large as you think it is gonna get, bring it out and cut in three, put in three bread pans that are oiled.
Let rise again until the bread comes up over the pans, this can take a half hour or an hour. If it isnt rising very much keep waiting.
Then put in the oven at 375 for about 40 mins. You will know it is ready by tapping on the bread with your finger. It should sound hollow.
Take out and cover with butter (it helps preserve it plus makes it delicious). Leave on baking rack until it cools then keep in a plastic bag to keep it fresh.
Alright, this is probably the worst recipe anyone has ever written now that I look at it.
I highly suggest trying to make your own bread, it is really relaxing, and such an art. Plus you can save quite a bit of money.
If this looks too intimidating to you (which I can understand because these are terrible directions) just google easy bread.
Try it out I think you will have fun!