“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” – James Beard
Today, bread is a bad five letter word. Those doing Keto or low carb diets have forbidden it from their diets. Other view bread a something that is very bad for your health. But bread is the source of life. It can be wonderful. I love bread but as with most things in life it’s much better in moderation. Eating a whole loaf in one sitting is definitely frowned upon.
During the 2020 pandemic I’m been home way more than I usually am. I’m trying to find new ways to fill my time that don’t involve me laying on on the couch and watching (or more likely sleeping through) an old tv show. So I’ve decided to bake more. I really enjoy baking but generally don’t have the time. I also end up eating everything I bake so there is the potential weight gain that has to be considered.
From start to finish it took me about 3 hours to make the bread. And most of that time didn’t require me to do anything.
First, mixed the yeast with some warm water and a teaspoon of sugar. I let ferment for about 10 minutes – basically until it became foamy.
Then I added the flour and had a my mixer kneed it all together about about 10 minutes. Once all kneaded, I coated it with olive oil and placed in a large bowl to allow it to rise or proof. I gave it about 1-1/2 hours – until it doubled in size. Then I punched it down and reformed into my loaf. I cut the design in the top so that the load wouldn’t crack the top while baking.
Then I added the flour and had a my mixer kneed it all together about about 10 minutes. Once all kneaded, I coated it with olive oil and placed in a large bowl to allow it to rise or proof. I gave it about 1-1/2 hours – until it doubled in size. Then I punched it down and reformed into my loaf. I cut the design in the top so that the load wouldn’t crack the top while baking.
I let if rise for another 30 minutes then put it into a hot oven. I baked the bread about 40 minutes. The smell was lovely.
The end result was a lovely loaf of bread. After I let a cool a little – it was too hot to hold when first removed form the oven – I cut a slice and added some butter. It tasted heavenly.
