Beginner bread recipe and advice?

[Lesa]

I use the glass pans... but today I made a french loaf, for garlic bread and made the whole batch on my pizza stone. So, it looked like an artisan bread, more than a regular loaf. Don't even try to make bread for slicing without adding gluten. You will just be disappointed, IMO. I think I probably made 10 loaves before I was completely satisfied, so don't give up. And don't forget, warm bread is always delicious- so the learning curve isn't too hard to handle!

 

[onthespot]

 

[Carolyn]

I would start with a white bread recipe, you can use maybe 1/4 to 1/3 whole wheat flour instead of the white flour. I personally would recommend using bread flour the first few times. I would not use a mixer, I would do it by hand. My reasoning is you need to learn what the dough is supposed to feel like and look like. Making yeast bread is so much fun because the dough is living once the yeast starts working. I would also use a recipe that does require kneading.

Guard your temperature both the water you add to the yeast and bread and also the temp where you are letting it rise. Hot can kill the yeast, too warm makes the process very quick, too cold can cause it to fail or take much longer. Measure salt carefully and add it with the flour, not to the yeast, water and sugar.

Here is a Traditional Roll Dough recipe from an old Betty Crocker Recipe

1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees) ( test on wrist like you would for a warm baby bottle)
3/4 cup lukewarm milk, scalded then cooled.
1/4 cup surgar
1tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup shortening or soft butter
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups plain flour (or bread flour)

Dissolve yeast in warm water, stir in milk, sugar, salt, egg, shortening and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough on lightly floured borard; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover, let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (dough is read if an impression remains).
Punch down dough. You can roll into balls, roll and cut into pie shape and roll for cresents, cut with biscuit cutter, fit in pan and cut in squares, place 2 or 3 small balls in muffin pan or any other shape you want. Let rise 20 minutes. heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake rolls 15 to 20 minutes.


There are healther and easier recipes out there but this is very good and gives you a feel for the dough. Good luck and enjoy!!

 

[herfrds]

Here is a roll recipe I make. easier to start out small and work your way up.

Dinner Rolls

2c. milk scalded
4T butter flavored shortening
4T sugar
2t salt
1 pkg bread yeast
2T sugar
1/2c warm water
4-8 cups of flour

Scald the milk in a sauce pan til small bubbles appear around the edge. add shortening, salt and sugar. Mix and let cool til lukewarm.
Mix sugar yeast and water stir to dissolve.
Put all inliquids in mixer bowl. Start addind flour a cup at a time.
Dough will be sticky.
Cover and let rise.
Punch down.
Pull off about a a small handful. Pat out flat. put a small piece of butter in the center. Pinch the edges and roll into a ball.
place on a non stick pan. Let rise again.
bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

 

[maizey]

most of the time, I don't use a pan at all.. I like to shape them into a boule and plop it down on a pizza stone or even a cookie sheet and bake them rustic. A sprinkle of corn meal on the pan is all you need to keep it from sticking. i detest greasing and scrubbing out loaf pans! Plop it on the pan after you punch it down after the first rise. search alton brown bread making on you tube and he shows you how to roll the boule around to make it tight enough to hold the shape.

Another tip: let it rise in the oven with the light on ONLY.. no heat.. just the light bulb on... it warms it up like a brooder box for baby chicks and is just as good as a proofing box in professional kitchens. If you live in the dessert or something you can place a pan of steamy water on the bottom rack but here in my area, we usually have it humid enough not to need the water. It rises so well I had one get away from me one time and tried to crawl out of the oven!

 

[wsmoak]

I thought I would update that... it worked!

My first attempt at "real" bread with yeast and kneading and everything:

110225_4570 by wsmoak, on Flickr

This is the whole wheat sandwich bread from the March Cook's Illustrated magazine -- 60% whole wheat flour, which soaks overnight in milk in the fridge while the starter is doing its thing on the counter.

And earlier, a no-knead bread in the dutch oven:

110214_4530 by wsmoak, on Flickr

(Another Cook's Illustrated recipe.)

I have this thread bookmarked to come back and try some of the recipes. Thanks!

-Wendy

 

[jspasl20]

I would start with a white bread recipe, you can use maybe 1/4 to 1/3 whole wheat flour instead of the white flour.

 

[Lesa]

Well, Wendy that bread looks gorgeous! Now you know you can do it- the sky is the limit!!! Enjoy!