Baking home made bread is something I wish I had more time for. I would love nothing more than to make all our own bread. Working full time makes the desire for fresh baked bread very difficult. You can imagine how thrilled I was when this turned out to be so easy, even for a workday.
I found this recipe on a blog and bookmarked the web site she had sited for the recipe. I'm embarrassed to say I don't remember what blog it was from. Don't let the lengthy instructions scare you. They couldn't be any easier. The recipe comes right from the King Arthur web site.
Ingredients
- 3 cups lukewarm water
- 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
Directions
*The
flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe. If you measure flour by
sprinkling it into your measuring cup, then gently sweeping off the
excess, use 7 1/2 cups. If you measure flour by dipping your cup into
the canister, then sweeping off the excess, use 6 1/2 cups. Most
accurate of all, and guaranteed to give you the best results, if you
measure flour by weight, use 32 ounces.
1)
Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, or a large
(6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket. For first-timers, "lukewarm" means
about 105°F, but don't stress over getting the temperatures exact here.
Comfortably warm is fine; "OUCH, that's hot!" is not. Yeast is a living
thing; treat it nicely.
2)
Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If
you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for
30 to 60 seconds. If you don't have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a
big spoon or dough whisk till everything is combined.
3)
Next, you're going to let the dough rise. If you've made the dough in a
plastic bucket, you're all set — just let it stay there, covering the
bucket with a lid or plastic wrap; a shower cap actually works well
here. If you've made the dough in a bowl that's not at least 6-quart
capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it's going to rise a lot. There's
no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a
bit easier to get the dough out when it's time to bake bread.
4)
Cover the bowl or bucket, and let the dough rise at room temperature
for 2 hours. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to
about 7 days. (If you're pressed for time, skip the room-temperature
rise, and stick it right into the fridge). The longer you keep it in the
fridge, the tangier it'll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will
taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it'll
rise, then fall. That's OK; that's what it's supposed to do.
5)
When you're ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with
flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands, and
pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough — a 14-ounce to 19-ounce piece,
if you have a scale. It'll be about the size of a softball, or a large
grapefruit.
6)
Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface, and round it into a
ball, or a longer log. Don't fuss around trying to make it perfect; just
do the best you can.
7)
Place the dough on a piece of parchment (if you're going to use a
baking stone); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking
sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep
the dough moist as it rests before baking.
8)
Let the dough rise for about 45 to 60 minutes. It won't appear to rise
upwards that much; rather, it'll seem to settle and expand. Preheat your
oven (and baking stone, if you're using one) to 450°F while the dough
rests. Place a shallow metal or cast iron pan (not glass, Pyrex, or
ceramic) on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to
go.
9)
When you're ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3
times, making a cut about 1/2" deep. The bread may deflate a bit;
that's OK, it'll pick right up in the hot oven.
10)
Place the bread in the oven, and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water
into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It'll bubble and steam; close
the oven door quickly.
11) Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown.
12) Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.
13) Yield: 3 or 4 loaves, depending on size.
One of my sons wondered what bakery it came from. How is that for a compliment? The crust was crispy and the inside had enough holes to make it similar to a Tuscan Bread, The next batch of dough will stay in the fridge for three days to see if it will taste more like a sour dough.
