There’s just something about bread, isn’t there? It exists in the consciousness of mankind worldwide. It brings us together, divides us, and plays a crucial role in our religious ceremonies. It comes in countless varieties, is praised and vilified. The smell of a fresh baked loaf, the steam rising from it, that first bite – is nearly a transcendental moment, a moment of true beauty. Bread is also the harsh reality of hard tack, of long arduous voyages and flavorless, jaw-breaking survival. I could go into our modern struggles with bread, and they are worth a trip down the rabbit hole. But for now let’s try to recapture some of the joy, and satisfaction that comes from baking a simple loaf of bread.
I use this method for making most of the yeast breads for my family. I use it for sandwich loaves, dinner rolls, cinnamon swirl, hamburger and hot dog buns, sometimes even for pizza. It is easy to change just an ingredient or two and have a different bread.
Supplies
Note: I am listing all of the possible ingredients. You won’t use them all, pick and choose based on your desired outcome.
- All purpose flour, unbleached and un-enriched, if possible.
- Salt
- Water
- Milk
- Yeast
- Butter
- Honey
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Ground cinnamon
- Brown sugar
- Raisins
- Cheese
- Herbs
- Spices
- Loaf pans
- Dutch oven
- Baking sheets
- 13 x 9 baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Sharp knife or razor blade
- Large mixing bowls
- Kitchen towels
- Stand Mixer with dough hook
- Oven
Base ‘Recipe’
This is the basic recipe that all variations will come from. It’s not a true measured and weighted recipe. It’s more about learning how things should look and feel, and figuring out what works best for you.
This makes two standard sized loaf pans of sandwich bread.
Into your mixing bowl measure about one tablespoon of active dry yeast. If you use instant yeast, things will happen slightly faster, but this bread really doesn’t take that long to rise, at least at 5,000 feet above sea level. Add in your sugar or honey, just a few tablespoons of either. Also add in 3 – 4 tablespoons butter. If you are using salted butter, you’ll want to cut back on the amount of salt you use in this recipe. I recommend you cut the butter into smaller chunks before adding it to the bowl.
Warm about 1 1/2 cups water to the point where it is warm, but not hot to the touch. You can do this on your stovetop or in your microwave. If it feels HOT to the touch, not just warm, let it cool a bit before adding it to your bowl. You want to give the yeast a nice warm bath to wake it up, not scald it to death.
Add the warm water to your mixing bowl and give everything a stir to dissolve. The butter will soften and begin to melt in the warm water. After about 5 minutes, you should see the yeast beginning to bubble or foam. If it isn’t, you can either wait a few more minutes, or start with a fresh batch of yeast. Not the same yeast you just used, you’ll need to grab a brand new yeast package.
Time to start adding the flour. You’ll want to have 5 – 6 cups of flour on hand, plus a little more for kneading and shaping.
Add one cup of flour to your bowl and begin mixing. If using a mixer, do this on low speed. Once the first cup of flour is incorporated, add about one tablespoon of salt. Unless you used salted butter, then you’ll want to cut back on the salt. How much really depends on how salty your butter tastes. I would cut back to somewhere between 1/2 to 3/4 of a tablespoon of salt, to start. Remember, it’s OK to make mistakes and experiment until you find the right balance. Real life is all about learning and messing up!
Continue to add flour one cup at a time, until your dough gets stiff and begins to pull away from your bowl instead of sticking to it. I usually wind up using between 4 – 5 cups of flour total.
At this point I suggest gathering up your dough to knead by hand on a heavily floured surface.
Knead the dough until it no longer wants to stick to your floured surface. If you find that you have used all the flour from the surface, and your bread is still sticking, continue adding flour and kneading until it stops sticking.
I just place my lightly floured dough back into the mixing bowl to do it’s first rise. Cover your bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it double in size. This can take a lot time depending on the temperature of the room your dough is in, your altitude, the weather, the flour and yeast, basically everything. I find mine usually double before two hours are up. Check every now and then to see when yours is ready. If you have a proofing drawer or proof setting on your oven, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for using it to help your bread rise.
Once your dough has doubled, it’s time to punch down!
I like to give my dough a quick knead in the bowl after punching it down. Cover it up again with your towel, and let it rise a second time. The second rise will be much faster than the first.
Once it has completed a second rise, take your bread dough out of the bowl and divide it into two equal parts, on a floured surface. It’s time to shape them into loaves.
This can be done in multiple ways. The way I shape my loaves is to take one of the balls of dough and flatten it into a rectangle that’s slightly wider and longer than the loaf pan I will be baking it in. I just use my hands for this. I also make sure to pop any pockets of trapped gas by pushing my fingers down into the dough while it’s flat.
Next, I like to fold the top and bottom edges toward the middle of the loaf. I again use my fingers to make sure I am not trapping any air inside.
I then take the left and right edges and fold them toward the middle, once again making sure to push out any air pockets. Air pockets = giant holes in your loaf.
Place your loaf in your pan, with the folded sides toward the bottom. If your pans require, butter them beforehand. My pans need buttered, top, bottom, and sides. Once you have both loaves in their pans, cover with a towel and let rise for the third and final time.
Once your dough has risen above the lip of your loaf pan, it’s ready to bake.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While your oven is preheating, you can decide whether or not you would like to add a cut down the middle of your loaves. For this particular bread, it is not necessary for baking, it is purely cosmetic. I like the look of the split top, so that’s what I do.
When your oven reaches temp, place your loaves on the center rack. I usually start checking for doneness after the 35 minute mark. Your oven will vary, so it may take less or more time. How I tell when my loaves are done: they have a nice golden to golden brown crust, and have a hollow sound when I thump them. Use your best judgement, and don’t be afraid of letting the crust be a little dark.
After about 10 minutes, you can remove your loaves from their pans and cool them either on a cooling rack, or on top of the baking pans.
Wait at least an hour before cutting into your loaf for best results. Cutting too early can leave your bread a little soggy in the middle. Trust me, I know how hard it is to wait.
Store this bread at room temperature, however you like to store bread. I usually just keep mine in a zip top gallon bag. Perfect? No, but easy. My bread is usually eaten within a few days, so I haven’t really needed to come up with a better storage solution. Of course, always check the condition of your bread and if you see any mold, throw it out.
Variations
So what else can be done with this basic bread recipe? Quite a lot!
Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns
Using the base above add one whole egg along with the salt. Shape as desired, keeping in mind that bread dough rises! Expect to get about a dozen or so of whichever shape you decide. Bake on a baking sheet for around 30 – 40 minutes. My hot dog buns are especially wonky shaped, but they still get the job done. Have fun with it!
Richer tasting bread
Substitute whole milk for water in the recipe above. You could also add an egg or two.
Cinnamon Swirl and Cinnamon Raisin bread
I like to use the richer tasting bread variation for this. After you have flattened out your loaf, during the shaping, spread a couple of tablespoons of soft butter over the top of your bread, sprinkle on enough brown sugar to cover, and repeat with ground cinnamon. For Cinnamon Raisin bread, sprinkle on some chopped raisins on top of the cinnamon. Start to roll you bread from the bottom edge to the top, and pinch to seal. Fold over the left and right ends, and place in loaf pan as usual.
Artisanal Round Loaf and Variations
Follow the instructions for the base recipe with the following changes: cut in half the amount of sugar, unless you want a slightly sweet loaf. For shaping, you will divide the dough into two for two smaller loaves or keep it together for one large loaf. Knead the dough instead of flattening it to release gas. Shape it into a round, and pull the sides down to the underside, and pinch together. You can bake this in either a dutch oven, or on a baking sheet. The loaf will spread slightly more if baked on a sheet. Use parchment paper in the bottom of your dutch oven, or when using the variations below. Slash the top after it has risen, and bake for around 45 – 50 minutes for a large round, always checking for doneness. Bake two smaller loaves for around 30 – 40 minutes, again checking for doneness.
You can vary the flavor of these loaves by adding herbs, spices and/or cheeses to the loaf. I like to add things during the kneading/shaping phase. I would use about 1 cup of small cubed cheese, or shredded cheese. I would add a teaspoon or two of dried herbs, or a tablespoon of fresh.
Dinner Rolls
Use the richer flavor recipe, add 2 eggs. Shape into small balls and place into buttered 13 x 9 baking dish. You want the rolls to rise and touch each other in the pan. Brush the tops with melted butter before baking and after you take them out of the oven. Bake for 25 – 35 minutes, always checking for doneness.
There you have it! One simple method, lots of variety! Let me know in the comments what you made! As always, thanks for being here, beautiful soul! See you soon!