Bread - The Must Have Recipe

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Easy bread, wonderful aroma, this Must Have Recipe makes two French style loaves or 12 rolls or one loaf and 6 medium size rolls. The rolls will weigh about 115 grams each after baking.

It will taste and smell better if you do it all by hand. And the process is good for you and the environment. You save on electricity by not using a electric bread maker and you use your own calories to knead the dough, so you stay thing and , (To keep the dough from sticking to your hand, you can use the thin plastic gloves you find in the pharmacy.)

You need 1) A large cookie sheet for baking. 2) Two bowls, one for mixing and one oiled bowl for the first rising 3) A small bowl for the yeast 4) A small bowl for the beaten egg 5) A pastry brush 6) A damp dish twel or plastic wrap 7) Not necessary but extremely useful is a candy thermometer so you take the temperature of the water. You want it about 110'

Put a thin layer of cornmeal on the large cookie sheet. Oil a large bowl

The recipe: 5 and 1/2 cups bread flour 1 packet of active dried yeast 1 tablespoon of sugar 2 cups of warm water 2 teaspoons of salt 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

For brushing the tops of the loaves, you will need one egg beaten with a teaspoon of water.

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water with the sugar. Water should feel pleasant to the touch, about 110'. Cover and set aside for ten minutes. It should become bubbly and frothy. If it isn't the yeast is not active enough and should be discard. Open another packet and try again.

Empty the frothy yeast mixture into a large warmed mixing bowl/ Stir in the rest of the warm water plus 3and 1/2 cups of the flour. Mix with wooden spoon, adding as much remaining flour as required until the dough in the bowl leaves the sides of the bowl. Remove the ball of dough onto a floured wooden board and knead for about ten minutes, adding flour to the wooden board so the dough does not stick. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic about ten minutes.

Put the ball of dough into the oiled bowl and turn the dough round and then upside down so it picks up a light coating of the oil. Cover the bowl with an oiled piece of plastic wrap and put in a warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Tip the dough onto a floured board. Punch down and let it rest for ten minutes. The divide in half and shape into two loaves. Do the shaping in the following manner. With your hands or a rolling pin shape into a rectangle about 16 inches long, three inches wide and about 1/2 inch thick. Now roll it up tightly lengthwise Pinch the bottom and place it bottom side down on the cookie sheet with the layer of cornmeal. Repeat with the second piece. Make 4 slashes in the top of each loaf. Cover with oiled plastic wrap. Put in a warm place.

When the loaves have doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and place the bread in the preheated oven, 375' for 30 minutes. Brush three times at intervals with the beaten egg.

You will know the loaves are done when you tap the bottoms and the loves sound hollow. Now, if you are not ready to bake the loaves, you can refrigerate them after you shape them, before they rise for the second time. When you are ready to bake them, remove from the refrigerator, allow to rise and then bake as above.

If you prefer rolls or want one loaf and 6 medium size rolls, you can divide the dough in half for making the one loaf and divide the other piece into six equal parts and shape accordingly. The raw dough for six rolls will each be about the size of an extra large lemon. The aroma of the baking bread will fill the whole house and smiles will be everywhere, especially in the kitchen if samples are given out with a glass of milk or a cup of steaming hot coffee.

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