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Baking bread is something I am not an expert at, nor is it something I have spent a lot of time on. I have been lucky to find two great bread recipes that I use regularly and make them for both sandwiches and for dinner loaves & rolls. Jorge is an amazing baker is always working on a new recipe, but I am just not that creative. I love this recipe for bread and use it all the time. It makes great garlic bread and we use it often for dinner rolls too. This bread recipe provides a firm exterior with mouth watering doughy goodness on the inside. I just love it.
The first step is always get your yeast proofed or started. I look at it as waking it up. I mix the yeast with sugar and warm water in a my stand mixer and mix until combined. Cover with a warm towel, then let it sit for about ten minutes or so. You are just looking for it to be a bit frothy. If it looks exactly the same it probably won’t work. Side note: I use a stand mixer for bread making, but it is absolutely not mandatory. You can definitely mix these item with regular old whisks and kneed by hand, but my stand mixer just makes things easier and less grunt work on my end. (I save that for outside work)
When the yeast is ready, it is time to add the remaining ingredients. I switch out my whisking attachment for my dough hook on my stand mixer and start mixing together. Once it is combined, I kneed the dough for five minutes. Let the dough rest for five minutes, then kneed again for another five. I remove the dough for the stand mixer and spread a little olive oil around before replacing the ball of dough. The dough is going to double in size and become a bit sticky. The oil makes it easier to remove from the mixing bowl, but you only need a light wash. Cover with a damp towel and place in a dark, warm area. We usually place it on the stove near the oven.
When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Yes, punch it. This is a great time to get out any aggression and annoyances. Form your loaves or rolls and place them in the dishes that will get to the oven. I use bread pans for loaves and regular old sheet pans for dinner rolls. Cover these and let rise for about 30 minutes. When they have risen again add a nice egg wash and place in oven for at least 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I knock on the bread to make sure it is done and listen for a hollow sound (just like a watermelon) before pulling the loaves out for cooling.
Finally, just let your bread cool and enjoy it with your meal! I’m a big fan of thick slices of this with some garlic butter and shredded mozzarella melted on with pasta, but I also adding these dinner rolls to holiday meals. We can’t wait to hear how you use this recipe and hope you share with us! As always, thank you for reading and joining us on this journey. Simply, Beth
Basic Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup warm water
- 2 tbsp yeast may only need 1 depending on your altitude
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cups flour Can be bread flour or all purpose. We have used both.
Instructions
- Mix water, sugar and yeast in mixing bowl to proof for ten minutes
- Add remaining ingredients and kneed for five minutes. Let it rest for five minutes, then kneed again for five minutes
- Cover in bowl with a wet towel to let sit in a warm, dark place until it doubles in size (about 30 minutes or so)
- Punch down the dough and form into 2 loaves, many rolls or whatever you'd like this dough to be. Let them rise for another 30 minutes or so. This is a great time to preheat the oven so that it is ready to go.
- Brush loaves or rolls with an egg wash and bake for about 15 minutes at 350.