RECIPE 6 Ingredient Yeasted Bread
Makes 2 loaves
Other Equipment
Large bowl
Bench scraper/knife
Aluminum roasting pan
Cookie sheet
(optional) Baking stone
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix the 2 cups water, 1 Tbsp yeast, 1 Tbsp sugar, and 1 Tbsp salt together. Be sure that the water is warm but not over 110°F, as it will kill the yeast and you’ll have a flat loaf. Let the mixture sit until a tan, creamy foam forms on the top, this means the yeast is alive and active.
Slowly add the 5-6 cups flour one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly between each cup to incorporate. You will want to add flour until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl. As you add more flour, it will be harder to mix, so once you are around the 5 cup mark, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and incorporate as much flour as needed for it to stop being sticky.
Now comes the most important step, kneading. Kneading develops gluten bonds in the dough and adds air, producing an elastic and airy dough that gives bread its trademark texture. To knead the dough, take the edge of the dough farthest from you and fold it over itself towards you. Then, using the heel of your hand, press into the dough and push it away. After each push, turn the dough 90°. Repeat the folding and pushing for 5 minutes, sprinkling flour as needed. You can also push the dough and then fold, or do a different method entirely, as long as the dough is being kneaded.
Clean out the large bowl used for mixing and add a small amount of olive oil, or other kind of oil such as canola or vegetable oil, to lightly coat the inside of the bowl. Use a paper towel or cloth to spread the oil around the bowl and remove any excess. After greasing the bowl, knead the dough for another 2-3 minutes. Then place the dough in the bowl and turn it to coat the dough. Place a damp towel over the bowl or loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1-2 hours (see Tip #1), or until it has doubled in size.
Now that your dough is nice and large, punch it down(see Tip #2) and briefly knead out any air bubbles. Cut the dough in half with the bench scraper or knife and shape them into whatever style of loaf you want, I recommend Italian or French style loafs (google a picture if unfamiliar). This bread is freeform and doesn’t need any pans, forms, or molds. Now, move the shaped loaves onto a cookie sheet lightly sprinkled with cornmeal or flour and let them rest for 5 minutes as you boil some water (Enough to fill 1 inch of your aluminum pan).
Slash 3 diagonal lines in your loaves. These are steam vents and prevent sporadic chasms from forming on and through your bread. Preferably brush with cold water, but if you don’t have a pastry or other brush of some sort, try flicking, dabbing, or any other method to get water onto the dough.
Move one of your oven racks to the bottom most level for your aluminum pan, and the other one to the middle, leaving enough room for the aluminum pan to fit under the middle rack. CAREFULLY (see Tip #3) pour the boiling water into the aluminum pan. The boiling water creates steam that forms a nice crust on your bread, so try not to open the oven when the bread is cooking, as it will let the steam out. Either slide the loaves onto your baking stone (see Tip #4), or put the cookie sheet into the oven and bake at 400°F for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
Let cool before cutting and enjoy! Congratulations, you did it! Now you can make bread. Maybe try adding some thyme or oregano next time, spice it up a bit. Or maybe some cinnamon or chocolate! It's a blank slate but it tastes great on its own and with all the spices and fixings.
Tips
1 Dough rises faster when its warmer, although if you proof it in a cool environment it will have a more complex flavor and thicker crust. But for the impatient, turn your oven on for a few minutes just so it can get warm, then turn it off and place the bowl inside with a slightly cracked door, and voilà, you have a makeshift proofing drawer and your dough should proof in about an hour.
To punch down the dough, literally just punch it straight in the middle, don’t be shy! This eliminates large air bubbles that will cause holey bread.
Please wear oven mitts to avoid steam burns and do not spill any boiling water onto the cold glass oven door, or cold liquid onto a hot glass oven door, it will fracture and break, leaving you with a broken oven and sad, uncooked bread dough.
A baking stone draws moisture out from the bread and makes a really nice, crispy bread (Think that one scene from Ratatouille where Colette cracks the bread, yeeeaaaah). But a baking stone is not required, the bread just won’t have as thick of a crust.
This recipe is a collection of many different bread recipes I made over the years, but it is mainly based off of a recipe by Melanie from Gather for Bread, go check it out here https://gatherforbread.com/easy-perfect-yeast-bread/
--Anna Thomasson, TAB Member
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