Bread Making 101

every day bread

EveryDay Bread (also used for cinnamon rolls and cheese bread)
You’ll need:
6 cups bread flour
2 tsp salt
6T brown sugar
1C 95F H2O
1C + 3T lukewarm butter milk or regular milk
2T yeast
1/4C melted butter (or olive oil if you prefer)
Additions/Options: raisins w/cinnamon and sugar, cheese and herbs…see alternate steps at #8 for adding these.
1) Combine flour, salt, and sugar (hold back ¼ C of flour for working with later) in your mixer using the regular beater
2) Whisk yeast into water and let sit while you combine milk and butter
3) Add yeast mixture as well as butter/milk mixture - - using your bread hook
4) Let rest 5-10 minutes (I usually fold laundry, change a diaper, let the dog out, etc…and then come back to it…no need to set a timer…just give it a little break)
5) Continue mixing with the dough hook – add flour and water as needed (dough should NOT be sticky)
6) Place dough on a floured surface and knead a bit by hand and then place into a greased bowl to let raise an hour or so (it should double)
7) Place dough on a floured surface and knead again by hand, then separate and place into 2 bread pans and allow to rise again…unless you’re making cinnamon rolls or cheese bread then continue to alternate step 8 after you’re done kneading.
8) Allow dough to rise another ½ hour in the oiled bread loaf pan
9) Bake for 45 minutes at 350F
10) Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.

finished cinnamon rolls

Alternate steps:
* Cinnamon Rolls
8) Roll out dough, butter, add sugar and cinnamon. Roll up. Slice and palce in oiled 8x13 pan and allow to rise ½ hour
9) bake 35-40 minutes at 350F
10) Allow to cool a bit before serving (although warm cinnamon rolls are divine, so don’t wait too long)



** Cheese Braid Bread
8) Roll out, butter, add cheese and spices, roll up.
9) Cut, braid, place in oiled bread pan ½ hour to raise
10) Bake 45 minutes at 350F
11) Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.
**We recently tried the cheese bread with spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese, and mini pepperoni’s and it was a quick little meal – like a hot pocket with less mess. In this case, you’ll want to refrigerate the finished product.

finished cheese herb bread braid

Notes:
Bread should be 185F internal temperature.
You may want to rotate your loaves mid-baking…depending on your oven temperature and how evenly it heats.
Avoid slicing bread too soon…you’ll smoosh the crumb and it won’t be pretty (still quite tasty though)

dutch oven bread (coffee chocolate flavor)

Dutch Oven Bread for Beginners 

You’ll need:

3 cups bread flour

1T yeast

1 tsp salt

2 C warm water

Additions/Options: raisins w/cinnamon, craisins w/orange zest, cheddar cheese with chives, asiago cheese with Italian herbs, garlic w/parsley rosemary and Italian herbs

1)      Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Choose a bowl with a tight fitting lid or plan on using the dreaded plastic wrap (which kicks my a__ every time)…

2)      Add water and any liquid ingredients you’ve chosen. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined. It’s going to be sticky and a bit of a “hot mess”, but that’s okay!

3)      Cover the bowl and set aside for 8-10 hours at room temperature…unless you keep the house chilly, and then put it in the oven with the oven light on. (Mine doesn’t always get 8-10, I usually mix it before bed and bake in the morning…the time isn’t really all that important)

4)      Preheat the oven to 450F. Place a cast iron Dutch Oven with the lid into the oven while preheating. Heat the Dutch Oven for approximately ½ hour.

5)      While the Dutch Oven is preheating, scrape your dough from the bowl and work with it on a  heavily floured surface. (This is a super sticky messy dough – so use floured hands, but don’t knead it too much. Just get it into a bowl and let it hang out while your Dutch Oven finishes warming.)

6)      Carefully remove the Dutch Oven from the oven. Place dough into Dutch Oven.

7)      Cover the Dutch Oven and return the Dutch Oven to the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on.

8)      Remove the lid on the Dutch Oven and allow bread to bake another 8-12 minutes.

9)      Shake gently and move the loaf onto a cooling rack.

10)   Cool before cutting to avoid damaging the crumb of the loaf.

11)   Enjoy!

*No need to grease the Dutch Oven

**If adding craisins or raisins, dust lightly with flour so they are evenly dispersed through the loaf

Crystal is a church musician, babywearing mama (aka crunchy mama), business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Publicist with Dream of Things Publishing, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin with her husband, four young children (Carmen 9, Andre 7, Breccan 2, and Delphine 1), two dogs, two rabbits, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, and over 230 Holsteins.


You can find Crystal riding unicorns, blogging and reviewing books, baby carriers, cloth diapers, and all sorts of other stuff at: http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/ and here: http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/