How to Mix & Bake Bread

Home-baked bread attracts a crowd of family and friends.

Homemade bread can't be beat for flavor and freshness, and it makes your house smell like heaven. You can use whole wheat or white flour or any combination -- try three quarters white flour and one quarter whole wheat for a high-rising, nutritious bread. Although the whole process takes between five and six hours, only about 30 to 45 minutes of that is hands-on time; the rest is rising and baking time.

Things You'll Need

• 6 cups bread flour
• 1 packet instant yeast
• 2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup cold yogurt
• 2 cups hot tap water
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3 tbsp. honey
• Butter or vegetable shortening for greasing pans
• Large and small bowls
• Spatula
• Two 8 by 4 inch loaf pans
• Sheet pan
• Parchment paper
• Clean dishtowels or plastic wrap

Instructions

1. Mix the dry and liquid ingredients separately first: flour, instant yeast and salt in a large bowl, and yogurt, hot water, oil and honey in a small bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid ingredients, then stir with a spatula starting in the center and gradually working your way outward, combining the liquid with the dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Use your hand if the mixture becomes difficult to stir with the spatula.

2. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes to let the flour absorb the water and make the dough easier to work with.

3. Remove dough from the bowl and turn out onto a counter or kneading board. Spread some flour or water on the counter and your hands; either will help keep the dough from sticking. If the dough is very wet and doesn't hold together well, use flour; if it is stiff and hard to work with, use water.

4. Knead the dough by pressing firmly into the center, folding the dough in half, and turning by a quarter turn, then repeating until all parts of the dough have been handled. Knead for at least 10 minutes, adding just enough flour or water to prevent sticking. After 10 minutes, if dough has begun to lose its stickiness and become smooth and resilient, you have kneaded enough. If not, keep kneading a few minutes longer. Cover the dough again and let it rest for 5 minutes while you clean and oil the large bowl.

5. Knead the dough again for 5 minutes, until very smooth and resilient. You know it is ready when the surface bounces back immediately when pressed with a wet finger. Shape it into a smooth ball and put it in the prepared bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at a room temperature of about 75 degrees for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in volume.

6. Deflate dough by pressing down gently in center with a wet palm, then pulling up sides and removing from bowl. Knead briefly, shape into a smooth ball again and return to bowl. Cover and let rise about 1 hour longer. When the dough is ready, a wet fingerprint will remain in the dough without bouncing back.

7. Deflate gently again and remove from bowl. Shape into two smooth balls and let rest on a counter, covered, while you get out and grease two loaf pans. With wet hands, flatten each ball, flip over and fold in both sides, then tuck under the ends to make a cylinder shape. Place in pans and let rise, covered, in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until loaves rise into a slight dome.

8. Preheat the oven until an oven thermometer shows it has reached 350 degrees. Put the loaves on a rack in the center of the oven and bake for 1 hour. Bread is ready when it is golden brown, pulls away from sides of pan, and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

9. To make baguette-style bread, instead of putting the dough into loaf pans, shape it into two long cylinders and set them on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper. Let rise and bake in a 350-degree oven.

10. Let bread cool for at least 30 minutes and preferably 2 hours before slicing and eating.

Tips & Warnings

• If you only have time to prepare bread at night, but want to bake the next day, follow steps 1 through 4, then deflate the dough, return to the pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Put it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. About 2 hours before you want to bake, take out the dough, shape into loaves, and rise, covered, in a warm place, then bake as directed.

• Instant yeast is added directly to the flour. To substitute regular active dry yeast, use part of the liquid (lukewarm, not hot) to dissolve it before adding it to the other ingredients.

• Use high-gluten bread flour for the best results. All-purpose and pastry flour are lower in gluten and will not work as well for bread.

References

• "The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book"; Laurel Robertson: 2003