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People think making home made yeast bread is complicated or hard but it's not. It is a little time consuming what with most bread recipes requiring two risings of the dough before you actually bake it, but you can always go off and do something else while you're waiting. The following recipe is for a very easy basic white bread.
Ingredients:
2 packets active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110F - just warm tap water)
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
6 cups, more or less of unbleached white flour
1 teaspoonful salt
2 cups milk
First proof the yeast (this lets you test to see if it's active and fresh):
In a bowl, stir together the yeast, water and honey and let stand for about five minutes. Mixture should look a little foamy if it's fresh.
In a saucepan, heat milk on low - you don't want it to get too hot, just enough so the temperature registers when you stick your pinky in the pan to test it. If you do get it too hot, just let it cool down slightly before continuing.
In a large bowl, place two cups of the flour and mix in the yeast mixture. Add the two cups of milk and begin mixing in the flour a cup at a time. Reserve half a cup or more of the flour to use during kneading. You should end up with a stiff dough (you may not need to add all the flour). On a floured work surface, turn the dough out and start kneading. The following video shows you the kneading technique better than I can explain it:
[url=http://]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWj8oHMPFm0[/url] (sorry, I can't embed it)
Once you have finished kneading the dough, it's time for the first rise. Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl and turn once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or wax paper (you may need to oil the side that is over the dough to keep the dough from sticking to it when it rises). Put the bowl in a warm area free from drafts. I usually stick the bowl in my oven or microwave. Let it rise for one to two hours or until doubled.
When the first rise is complete, prepare your loaf pans by spraying them lightly with cooking spray. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide in half. Working with one piece at a time, shape the dough into a loaf and place in the pans. Cover the dough again with wax paper/plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place. This rising should only take about an hour, again until almost doubled.
Preheat oven to 350F. Place risen loaves in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap on it. Remove from oven and turn out on a rack to cool (assuming you can control yourself until the bread cools off, that is).
Notes: Yeast can be found in either the dairy section or in the baking section of most groceries. Red Star and Fleischman's are both sold in strips of three packages, Hodgson's is sold as individual packets.
You can substitute almost any kind of sweetner for the honey except artificial sweetners. Yeast needs sugar to feed on and Splenda (or Nutrasweet) just won't do.
You can try substituting 2 cups of whole wheat flour for the white. Your bread's texture will be a little denser as a result.
NOW GET OUT THERE AND START BAKING!
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sooz06
~ I'm going to try "pic's way" this weekend ~