I finally did it. I made an edible loaf of bread. I mean "real" bread.With yeast.
After talking about bread with a girlfriend this weekend (for the record, that's not ALL we talked about!), I got a wild hair today to try making a real loaf of bread. I don't have the best track record with breads of any kind, so I wasn't optimistic. Then, to top it off, I once again missed a few details in the directions (see my notes below), so I was sure it wouldn't work. But, in spite of me, it actually worked!
And it was very tasty.
My tester liked it too. Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread
copied from the King Arthur Traditonal Whole Wheat Flour bag
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tbl of water
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
1/4 cup dried milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey, molasses, or maple syrup
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6-8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth. You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for "dough" or "manual." Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan, cover teh pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 30 to 60 minutes, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.
Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or measuring it's interior temp with an instant read thermometer (it should be 190 at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven , turn it out on the pan, and cool it on a rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temp.
My notes: I actually didn't use King Arthur's flour (I'd just run out of it, but kept the recipe on the bag). I had some other whole wheat flour, which apparently worked just fine. I also didn't notice the directions to dissolve the yeast in water first, so I didn't do that step (my lame excuse is that the kids were helping me and I was distracted). I didn't have dried milk (who does?!?!), but I read online that you can replace the dried milk and cup of lukewarm water with an equal cup of lukewarm milk. I also chose to use olive oil, rather than vegetable oil.
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tbl of water
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
1/4 cup dried milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey, molasses, or maple syrup
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6-8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth. You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for "dough" or "manual." Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan, cover teh pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 30 to 60 minutes, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.
Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or measuring it's interior temp with an instant read thermometer (it should be 190 at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven , turn it out on the pan, and cool it on a rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temp.
My notes: I actually didn't use King Arthur's flour (I'd just run out of it, but kept the recipe on the bag). I had some other whole wheat flour, which apparently worked just fine. I also didn't notice the directions to dissolve the yeast in water first, so I didn't do that step (my lame excuse is that the kids were helping me and I was distracted). I didn't have dried milk (who does?!?!), but I read online that you can replace the dried milk and cup of lukewarm water with an equal cup of lukewarm milk. I also chose to use olive oil, rather than vegetable oil.
1 comment:
Wow I'm impressed this is going to open up a whole new world of cooking for you!
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