Bread Making Is Easy!

The ingredients are simple. You start with a cup of warm water, a little pinch of sugar and a package of yeast. The water temperature is important -- too cool and the yeast doesn't wake up; too hot and the yeast dies. It's important but don't stress. The water should feel pleasantly warm to the inside of your wrist. Yeah. That simple.

Let the yeast wake up (bakers call it "proofing") for about 10 minutes. It can be a short as 5 minutes if you're in a hurry. But really, what's 5 minutes? Once the proofing stage is finished, add a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of oil and about 4 cups of flour. Mix that together into a dough. A stand mixer with a dough hook will make your life so much better, but if you don't have one, an old fashioned wooden spoon will do the trick! As you mix the ingredients together you will need to add another cup or so of flour. In the end you want a stiff dough. It should feel a little "wet." I mean, when you touch the dough with the tip of your finger, the dough should cling just a bit. Later, after you have a few loaves under your baker belt, we'll explore the world of sourdough bread and sourdough starter.

All of that -- from proofing to stiff dough -- will probably take 20 minutes. Next, tip the mixing bowl so that you can pull the dough out and on to a floured counter top. You'll knead the bread a few times. To knead dough, grab the top (the farthest way from you) of the dough and pull it up and over towards you. Now, using the heel of your hand, push the dough down and in. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and do the same thing again. You'll probably need to dust a little flour on the dough and the counter. Flip the dough over and repeat the kneading process.

This is why bread baking is such a great stress reliever. Kneading dough just feels good! But don't get carried away. too much kneading makes the bread tough. Now, put the dough back into the bowl and cover it with a towel. Set your timer for an hour and go relax.

When the timer goes off, lift the towel and peek at your bread dough. It's bigger than it was an hour ago. How cool is that?
Next grease a bread pan. Make sure you coat the inside of the pan well. You don't want your bread to stick to the pan!

Make a fist and punch the dough. Don't worry you won't hurt it. Now tip the dough on to the counter again. Dust your hands and the dough with flour. Knead it a few times. Now shape it into a rectangle. Gently place it in the greased bread pan. Cover it with a towel. Set the timer for 30 minutes and go relax.

When the timer goes off, turn your oven on. Set it for 375. We want the oven to be nice a toasty when we put the dough in, so set the timer for 15 minutes. Don't bother your bread dough -- it's rising just fine with out you looking at it.

Once more, when the timer goes off, take the bread pan and put it in the oven. Set the timer for 30 minutes and then, just before you close the oven door, toss a couple of ice cubes on to the floor of your oven. Bread likes moisture and those ice cubes are going to making it nice and steamy inside your oven. The ice will hiss and your oven might go BONK! But it's all fine. Resist the urge to open the oven door and look at your bread as it bakes.

Then, when the timer goes off for the last time, your bread will be done! Tip it out on to a cooling rack and try to wait a few minutes before you tear in. Hot bread is difficult to slice. If you can't resist (and why should you?) the worst thing will be some big chunks of bread that you have to eat.
In another lens, I'll share a sourdough bread recipe that will have the family raving.