Beautiful Breadmaking

I made the Prettiest batch of bread today! I had no idea it would turn out so beautiful. It did raise awfully fast, but I have learned that here on the East coast, you have to check the bread raising before the first hour is up or You'll Be Sorry!

I've Been Sorry three times in the last 18 months. The last time was the worst, the dough oozed all over the wire rack and down into the hot water pan and even down to the heating unit at the bottom of the oven. That's when I decided next time to use Saran Wrap to cover the dough instead of a damp cloth. It was such a pain to scrape off the dough from the dishtowel I had put over it. I think there are still a few little hard pieces of gluey dough on that dishtowel.

I was quite frantic too, because I still had to rescue as much of the dough as I could and knead it down again and form it into loaves. I didn't want to give up on the whole idea of baking bread just because I had been too lazy to keep track and check on it. There was enough good dough left to provide a nice batch of homemade bread.

So TODAY I made sure to check on the dough at the one hour point and sure enough, it was already beginning to ooze over the edge of the bowl. I was just in time. The next phase was over by the time I finished eating lunch, and I began to bake it. It practically doubled again inside the hot oven. I wasn't sure if it would end up with burned edges, but not one blackened spot appeared.

I've been baking bread off and on since I was about 17. Each place I've lived has called for a little bit of change in my methods. Here on the East Coast I've learned to keep a much closer watch on my bread raising. I think I made 4 loaves and 24 rolls in 2 and a half hours, counting baking time. That is a record for me. It usually takes 3-5 hours everywhere else. Like in New England, Texas, Out West, California, France...I've made bread in a lot of places. I don't think I made any in Korea, though. I only had a toaster oven.

Here's my recipe:

White Bread - 6 loaves

Place in large mixing bowl or standing mixer bowl:
2 TBsp. yeast
5 c. warm water (baby bath temp.)

Let yeast and water work together until foamy.
Then add:
1/2 c. oil, butter or shortening
1/2 c. sugar
1 TBsp. salt
Optional: 1 egg, or 1/4 c. powdered milk, or 1/4 c. buttermilk powder
Then add 11-12 c. of flour, gradually. On rainy days, you will need more flour.
You want enough flour so that the dough ball cleans the bowl.

Dump out onto a floured surface. Wear an apron, put flour within reach, and begin kneading the dough, punching down in the middle and pulling the edges in to the center over and over again so that all the dough gets pushed around. Sprinkle a little flour over the dough if it gets sticky. Knead until the dough is "elastic" and sort of springs back as you push and turn it around.

Oil a large bowl, bottom and sides, then place the dough inside it and turn over once to coat the top of the dough. Lay a sheet of Saran Wrap over the dough and place in a warm, draft-free place. I put mine in the oven, with a pan of hot water on the shelf below.

Let dough rise until doubled, 45 minutes - 1 1/2 hours. Keep checking it! Grease 6 loaf pans, or 4 loaf pans and a flat pan for rolls, or enough pans for all rolls, or plan to shape loaves and bake on flat pans.

Dump dough out onto a floured surface and knead as before. There will be small pops and squeaks as the yeast gas breaks up into smaller units. Break into smaller sections of dough, and knead each section a bit more as you shape it into its final size. Place each kneaded bit of dough into pans and set to raise once more. This last raising doesn't take very long, 30-60 minutes. If the last raising takes place in the oven, do not put anything over the top of the dough. That will cause problems, and really isn't needed since the oven is already draft-free.

You want to let the dough raise a little less than doubled because the bread dough will raise more inside the hot oven as it bakes. When it is about 2/3 the desired finished size, remove the loaves and pan of water from the oven (if that's where it was raising), preheat the oven, place bread in pans inside and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. (Electric Oven)

If you have a gas oven, you can leave the shaped dough in the oven where it was raising but take out the pan of water. Then turn the oven on to 375 degrees for 37 minutes. (Gas Oven) You will be starting from a cold oven but with a hotter temperature. It works.

Take the bread out with hot pads, and remove from pans immediately, laying the hot loaves on their sides on a dishtowel to let the heat escape. After the loaves and rolls have cooled almost completely, place in plastic bags and twist shut, keeping air out. Freeze. This bread tastes best if you can let it thaw naturally, not putting it in the microwave to thaw.

Homemade Bread is a delight to eat! Enjoy!