Bread Baking

Baking bread may be a gift of love when you prepare it at home. Of course, you will need some time to make it but it is not so difficult if you have all the elements and a good recipe that will be your support.

Apart from that, you will really save money when baking bread at home. The first aim may be to bake bread by using a simple recipe. Bread has been a source of food for thousands of years. It has been also the symbol of friendship and hospitality.

Why don't you try to make it at home for your loved ones? Here is a simple bread recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup buttermilk (room temp)
• 1/4 cup oil
• 5-6 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs (beaten)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 teaspoons instant yeast
• Egg wash
• 1 egg white
• 3 tablespoons milk

Preparation

Mix together water, buttermilk and oil. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Add sugar and eggs stir together. Add the salt and mix the yeast. Allow to sit uncovered for 15 minutes. Then add flour slowly. Stir till it becomes too hard to mix. Place some flour onto the table. Knead the bread dough for 10 minutes till smooth and elastic Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Spray the top of the dough with an oil spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for about 1 hour.

After that has finished, cut dough in half and degas the dough. Shape dough into 2 rectangles at the length of a 5×9 loaf pan. Roll the dough like a jelly roll being sure to lightly press with each rotation of the dough. Pinch the seam close with your fingers. Place into two greased 5×9 loaf pans. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise till double in bulk about 50 minutes. After the dough has proofed, make egg wash and brush the tops of the loaves. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 35 minutes. If you place a thermometer into the center of the loaf it should register between 180 degrees or when you tap the bottom of the loaf it sounds hollow. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

If you have already decided to prepare homemade bread, you should know that before baking the marvelous recipe described above, you should understand the basic facts and secrets related to baking bread. Different books or magazines may provide some detailed information on breads or you can also search over the Internet to get the data you need to be almost an expert in this topic. Remember, there have not been so many innovations since people prepared bread for the first time!

There are a few secrets for successful baking. You will work more comfortably if you use a glass pan because it will give the bread browner crusts. On the last minutes of the baking process, cover the pan with another bread pan and let it finish baking. You will never burn your bread by following this tip. If your bread over rises, cut off the excess bread with a pair of scissors.

If you cope with the first step of baking traditional bread, then you can try some more difficult recipes. Your bread will surely look and taste irresistible, so do not waste the possibility of being a successful “bread maker”. Start right now!