“Low carb”? Not in THIS home! Bread is and always will be a staple in my home; fad diets be damned! That being said, I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of most store-bought bread. Don’t get me wrong, now, it has its moments. There’s nothing like using cheap sliced white bread to make grilled cheese like my mama used to make. It fits the slices of the processed American cheese food so perfectly!
I love baking my own bread. I wouldn’t consider myself to be much above “n00b” status as breadmaking is a serious art and craft. This recipe is so easy, though, that it takes just about an hour from start to finish.
One of the different aspects of this recipe is that you start with a cold oven. This allows time for the bread to rise.
I will post pictures after the next time that I make a loaf so that my descriptors aren’t as odd or potentially confusing. If you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out!
Ingredients
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
6 fl. oz. warm water (about 110°F is optimal if you have an instant read thermometer)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil (butter or vegetable oil will work just as well, but don’t use margarine as it’s more water than fat)
1 package of Dry Active Yeast (that’s about 1 1/2 teaspoons or 1/4 ounce)
Method
1. In your measuring cup of warm water, add the yeast, stir it gently with a fork to break up the clumps, and let it “proof”. That means, let it get frothy and foamy at the top. That should take about 5-7 minutes. If it doesn’t get frothy, your yeast is no longer active and you should try another packet. While your yeast is proofing, measure out your other ingredients.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt by gently stirring it with a whisk or fork.
3. Add the yeast, water, and oil. Stir until stirring seems silly. You’ll know when you get to that point.
4. When stirring seems silly, it is time to knead the dough. On a clean, smooth surface, dump the dough and scrape out all the bits that are still stuck to the bowl. Mash it all together with your hands and start kneading. When the consistency is that of chewed gum (eww, I know), then smooth it into a lump and put it into a baking dish lined with parchment or lightly oiled. (Parchment is the way to go. Just sayin’.)
5. Once it is in the baking dish, cut some slits in it in whatever design you want. I just usually cut three parallel slits. Cover the dish with foil and place into A COLD OVEN.
6. When your bread, covered with foil, is in the COLD OVEN, turn it on and up to 400°F. Once your oven has reached 400°F, set your timer for 40 minutes.
7. When your timer sounds, uncover the bread and put it back into the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes or until it’s the shade of brown you think looks best.
8. When you remove the bread, and this is the most difficult part of the whole process, let it sit for several minutes until it is cooled.
9. Eat. Enjoy!
10. Repeat steps 1-10.
To store it, make sure you keep air as far away from it as possible. It will stale quickly. If it does stale, though, you can just use it in other recipes that I’ve posted on this blog! WIN! I don’t think you’ll have a problem with it getting to that point, though. It’s that good.
The KytchnWytch 