Easy, Basic & Good White Bread

recently i've been making what we've dubbed "home bread". i got the recipe from a great little book called The Backyard Homestead (which i'll review soon) the first time i made this it took what seemed like forever but each time since it's been much easier. the recipe is very detailed for people like me who have never made their own bread. the kids go crazy for it!

from here on out, it's total plagiarism...

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons honey

1 tbs dry active yeast (one packet)

2 tbs light oil

2 teaspoons salt

5-6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons wheat germ

1/2 cup nonfat dry milk

Proofing Yeast

1. the most critical judgment you make comes at the very beginning, when you test the temperature of the water in which you dissolve the yeast. it should be warm, not tepid and not hot - around 100 degrees/ if you have a thermometer, use it. if not, run the water over your wrist; if it feels definitely but not uncomfortably warm, it's okay.

2. put 2 cups warm water in a large mixing bowl. add the honey and the dry yeast. stir. set aside for a few minutes; it will take about 3 - 15 minutes, depending on the temperature of the water. as the grains of yeast activate, they begin to foam.

Combining Ingredients

1. when the yeast is bubbly, add the oil, the salt, and 2 cups of the flour. beat this mixture extremely well; this stimulates early development of gluten, the magic ingredient in the flour that gives bread lightness and a fine texture. if you have an electric mixer, use it to beat the mixture on medium speed for 2 minutes or longer. otherwise, beat it with a wooden spoon, at least 200 strokes. when you have finished beating, the surface of the fough may have a glossy look - this is a good sign.

2. add the wheat germ and dry milk and miz them in. then add 2-3 cups more of the flour, a little at a time, mizing with a wooden spoon until the dough is too stiff to stir and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Kneading

1. kneading is ike dancing -- most any way you do it will be okay. a delicate touch is fine, but it will take longer to produce a state of elasticity. energy and decisiveness wil get you there more quickly. if you have a heavy-duty mixer with a dough hook, you can use it to knead. if you are kneading by hand. choose a kneading surface (bread board, tabletop or other clean surface) that is about the level of your wrists when your arms are hanging at your sides. anything higher will tire your shoulders.

2. sprinkle the kneading surface with flour. dip your hands in flour, dump the dough out of the bowl onto the surface. thrn the fough around and over to coat the outside with flour, patting it into a cohesive mass. begin to knead.

3. take the far side of the dough and fold it toward you, stretching the dough and then folding it as though you were folding a sheet of paper. with the heels of your (floury) hands, push the folded portion down and away from you. give the whole piece of dough a quarter turn, fold and push. repeat. each time you will be folding and pushing a different segment of the dough. do it over and over. ten minutes is a good ball park figure.

the dough will be sough and sticky at first. you may have to keep dipping your hands and sprinkling flour on the dough and onto the board; add only as much flour as you need to keep the dough from being too sticky to work with. too much flour makes a dry loaf; you want to end up with a dough that is smooth but still soft and pliable. when you push it, it springs back. eventually, it will become smooth and satiny.

First Rise

1. rub a large bowl with soft butter or brush it with melted butter. (oil tends to be absorbed by the dough, which then sticks to the bowl) place the dough in the bowl and turn it until all sides are coated with a thin layer of utter, or brush the top of the dough with melted butter. sover the bowl with a kitchen towel.

2. place the bowl in a warm, draft-free spot. many people recommend the inside of the oven. if your oven has no polot light, preheat it for 1/2 a minute, turn it off, and put the bowl inside. or put the bowl in the oven with a pan of hot water on the shelf below.

3. let the dough rise until it has doubled in size. you can test it by poking a finger into the top of the dough, about an inch down. if the hole you have made remains, it has risen enough. this can take anywhere from 45 minutes to several hours. if the dough gets away from you and rises too much more than double, it's best to punch it down and let it rise again in the bowl before you proceed.

Punching Down

give the dough a good sock with your fist. this is called punching down the dough. take the dough over to the lightly floured work surface and dump or pull it out of the bowl. knead it a few times to press out gas bubbles, then take a sharp knife and cut the dough into two equal pieces. cover them with a towel and do something else for 5-15 minutes while the dough rests.

Preparing Pans

grease two 8-9 inch loaf pans use soft of melted butter, preferable unsalted. if you don't have loaf pans or prefer free-form leaves, grease a baking sheet and sprinkle it lightly with cornmeal.

Shaping

take one piece of dough, pat it with your hands into a rough ball and flatten it to a size about twice as wide as your loaf pan and slightly longer. fold the two long sides under so that they meet in the middle of the bottom. tuck the two short ends under. gently ress the loaf against the board to help the folded dough stick to itself. place the shaped dough in a loaf pan or on the back sheet. it should fill the pan no more than half full. repeat this process with the remaining piece of dough. brush the tops of the loaves with soft or melted butter.

Second Rise and Baking

1. cover the pans or baking sheet with a towel and put the loaves in a draft-free place to rise again until they double in size, usually 45 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. place pans in the oven and bake about 25-30 minutes. resist the impulse to open the oven door and peek during the first 15-20 minutes.

Testing for Doneness

when the bread has baked almost the minimum baking time, take a look. if the loaves are well browned and the sides have shrunk slightly from the sides of the pans, remove them from the oven. tap the bottom of a pan to release a loaf. turn out the loaf into your other, oven-gloved hand. give the bottom of the loaf a tap; if it makes a hollow sound, it is done. if it makes a dull thud, bake a few minutes longer.

Finishing the Bread

1. when done, turn out the loaves on a wire rack to cool. if you like a softer crust, brush the loaves with melted butter or cover the loaves with a towel as they cool on the rack.

2. bread doesn't slice well when it's hot, but the suspense may be too strong to let you wait. don't be disappointed if it's a bit doughy inside. the texture will improve as the bread cools. in any event, be sure to wait until the bread is throughly cool before wrapping it. happy eating!

yield: 2 loaves

note: whole-wheat and rye flours make dough that is stickier and less elastic than white-flour dough. it has been kneaded enough when it feels resilient. when rising whole-wheat and rye dough, covering with a dampened towel helps prevent a crust from forming on the top.