ISO: First timer bread recipe

[primus diddy]

Thanks a lot for answering my proofing question everyone! In the book I got (Artesan Baking) most of the breads have very long proof times, but I'm glad to know I don't need a lot of patience to make a loaf of bread.

I'm looking for a basic bread recipe- something I can make sandwiches and toast and croutons and all that stuff with. I'm guessing I'll get a wheat bread recipe.

This would be my absolutely first time making any kind of bread, so I've never mixed or anything. I've only baked apple crisp, cookie, brownies, and stuff like that...and some meats.

 

[Chausiubao]

Edit: (That was way too long)

Today I made dinner rolls with a very simple recipe. Its straight forward and doesn't require a preferment as it's white bread.

Dinner Rolls

4 1/4 C. White Bread Flour
1 1/2 C. Whole Milk
3 Tbsp. Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Large Egg
2 Tsp. Instant Yeast
1/4 C. Butter, Shortening, or Vegetable Oil

Beaten egg for egg wash

Since this is instant yeast you can just mix it in with the other dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar). Once you mix all the dry ingredients you can mix in the liquid ingredients. Mix this until it forms a ball on the end of whatever you're mixing with. At this point it is ready for kneading. So sprinkle flour on a work surface and knead until the dough is ever so slightly sticky, but not so much that it sticks to ur hands in an inconvenient way. The dough should be elatsic and smooth.

Let this rise for about two hours, at which point the dough should have doubled in size. Then divide the dough into 18 separate pieces and shape them into rolls. Brush them with the beaten egg, then let them rise for about 30 to 45 minutes. Once the oven is preheated, the rolls can go into the oven to bake for about 15 minutes.

Thats what I did, and heres the result...

I hope this helps.

 

[Ardor]

3 cups bread flour
1 cup warm water (adjust to humidity)
1 teaspoon of honey
2 teaspoons of dried active yeast
pinch of salt
a couple table spoons of olive oil (for softer, longer lasting bread)

Mix honey and 1/2 cup of warm water together. Then add the yeast. Let it foam.

Mix flour with salt and olive oil. Pour in yeast mixture. Mix, pour in the rest of water, mix. Form a sticky dough that pulls off cleanly from your hand. Knead. Cut with knife and let proof until doubles in size. Knead again, make slashes across the bread and let proof until 1.5 in size.

Bake in oven at 180ish C for about 30 minutes. It is done when it sounds hollow tapped at the bottom.

This is the most basic bread recipe that i summarized from hundreds of bread recipes.

 

[DinaFine]

The first time that I made bread, I turned out a brick. It takes practice. I was at the time using only whole grain flour. I have since discovered that the longer the whole grain flour has to ferment, the softer the crumb will be. You should for instance, since you will be using active dried yeast, create a sponge which is made by first proofing the yeast, and adding it to all of the liquid and most of the flour, you want it to be just past soupy. Not too thick. This should bubble up nicely in about an hour or so depending on your room temperature. You then add the rest of your ingredients, and the rest of the flour and knead for at least 10 minutes. The longer you knead, the more even the crumb will be.

All whole grain will probably give you a course crumb no matter what you do. If you want a soft crumb, you need to combine it with white flour. I find that I dont follow amounts of flour in any recipe exactly. You can use the amounts of liquid and other ingredients in the above recipe, and then add flour until you can easily scoop the dough onto a board. The dough will be sticky, but dont be tempted to dump whole cupfuls of flour in at a time. You want to add just enough flour in while kneading the dough to keep from sticking to the board enormously. Actually, your dough should have some, a very little bit of stickyness to it even after 10 minutes.

 

[Barb L.]

Edit: (That was way too long)

Today I made dinner rolls with a very simple recipe. Its straight forward and doesn't require a preferment as it's white bread.

Dinner Rolls

4 1/4 C. White Bread Flour
1 1/2 C. Whole Milk
3 Tbsp. Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Large Egg
2 Tsp. Instant Yeast
1/4 C. Butter, Shortening, or Vegetable Oil

Beaten egg for egg wash

Since this is instant yeast you can just mix it in with the other dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar). Once you mix all the dry ingredients you can mix in the liquid ingredients. Mix this until it forms a ball on the end of whatever you're mixing with. At this point it is ready for kneading. So sprinkle flour on a work surface and knead until the dough is ever so slightly sticky, but not so much that it sticks to ur hands in an inconvenient way. The dough should be elatsic and smooth.

Let this rise for about two hours, at which point the dough should have doubled in size. Then divide the dough into 18 separate pieces and shape them into rolls. Brush them with the beaten egg, then let them rise for about 30 to 45 minutes. Once the oven is preheated, the rolls can go into the oven to bake for about 15 minutes.

Thats what I did, and heres the result...

I hope this helps.

Those look awesome -what temp. for the oven ?

 

[Chausiubao]

Oh. Those went in at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 15 minutes. I thought I added that in! Sorry.