YEAST BREAD FOR BEGINNERS

Come On Be Brave

You CAN Succeed at Bread Making !!

I've been making this bread recipe for nearly 40 years and it has never failed me. It is a basic white bread that goes together in minutes (I make this recipe about once a week). It is nearly fool proof and a great recipe for beginning bread makers.

 

 

OR

 

 

5 cups Better for Bread Flour (see note below about flour)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon table salt
2 envelopes of active dry yeast
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2½ cups very warm water

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 packets of dry active yeast (I use 2 level tablespoons because I buy it in a larger jar), 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of table salt and 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I use canola oil). Stir together

NOTE: Normally, most yeast recipes tell you to dissolve the active dry yeast in water that is 110 degrees before you add it to the flour. However, 99.9% of the time I do not do it that way.

If you mix the DRY yeast into the DRY flour, you can add hotter water because the flour will cool down the water before it can damage the yeast.

That may sound complicated, but it isn't. The advantage of adding warmer water, is that it will jump start your yeast and your bread dough will raise faster using this method.

If you are nervous about doing it this way, it might be a good idea
to use an instant read thermometer with your first few batches of bread (just to reassure yourself). However, it isn't rocket science and after you make bread a couple of times, you will quickly learn what the water is supposed to feel like by holding hour hand under the running tap water.

When I mix the DRY yeast into the Dry flour, I used 120° water


Stir 2½ cups of 120 degree water into the flour mixture and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon while you pour. Let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes; this will give the yeast time to activate.

Start adding the rest of the flour, half cup at a time, mixing with a sturdy spoon in between each addition. When the dough gets too stiff to mix with a spoon, attach a dough hook to your stand mixer and turn on low.

NOW HERE IS AN IMPORTANT TIP

When making dough, at this stage, something called "dough shag" is (can be) your enemy. If you add too much flour, too fast, you will get "dough shag" or dry shaggy pieces of dough.
 

Click on this next photo so you can see the dry white sections/layers next to the wet sections of dough? I call it "shag"
 

Click on the photo to see the
shag more clearly

 

 Shag is not totally a bad thing, it is just a clue that it is NOT time to add more flour. NEVER ADD MORE FLOUR IF YOU CAN SEE SHAG.

 

Here is another photo, see the shag?

 

I intentionally added the flour a little too quickly (in this next photo) so you could see what I mean by "shag".

 

Click on photo

 

 Don't panic if you see shag, just keep "kneading" with your dough hook (or by hand) and the shag will eventually incorporate into the wet dough. Don't add more flour until it looks more like this:
Eventually, you will get all 5 cups of flour into the dough. When that happens, let your machine knead the dough (gently, on a low setting) for about 6-8 minutes (or by hand for 6-8 minutes).

Stop you mixer every once in a while and pull all the dough off of the dough hook, scrape down the walls of your bowl and turn the ball of dough completely over and start the mixer again. You will have to do this a few times until the shag totally disappears and the dough clings together in a nice semi-solid "glob".

At the end of 6 to 8 minutes (exact time is not crucial), the dough should have worked itself into a smooth ball that stays on the dough hook when you raise the hook out of the bowl. The interior sides of the bowl should be fairly clean. It should look like this:

 

See how the dough ball has "cleaned" all of the little bits off of the bottom and sides of the bowl? This is what you want to see. The dough will not be sticky and it will feel like play doh when you touch it. If the dough is too soft, it will pull itself off of the dough hook. If that happens, add another quarter cup of flour and knead it a little longer.

Remove your dough from the dough hook, form it into a ball and place it in a greased bowl (I use a little vegetable spray). Spray the top of the dough with a little more, and cover it with plastic:

 

 Place this covered bowl of dough in a nice warm place in your kitchen. Room temperature is OK, but if you have a warmer place (less than 100 degrees) place it there. After an hour, your dough will have risen substantially, (hopefully doubled in size).

 

Your dough should look
like this after an hour
(doubled in size)

When the dough has fully risen, turn it out onto your counter (some people say flour the counter at this stage, but I NEVER do) and push all of the air out of the dough. Cover it with an inverted empty bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes to relax (this will make your dough much easier to work with when you try to form it).

Depending on how you want to shape your dough, follow these general directions, but use your imagination.

 

Depending on the size of your loaf pan, you will get 2 or 3 loaves.

Cut your dough into 2 or 3 pieces and roll each piece into a large rectangle. Roll the dough into a log and pinch the seams shut. Place in a greased loaf pan (I use vegetable spray) and spray a little more on the top of the formed loaf. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it raise for an hour or until it is doubled in size. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and brush top with butter (optional) and let it cool on a baking rack.

 

If you are making rolls, just pinch off pieces about the size of a golf ball and place them in a greased baking dish with sides almost touching. Spray a little vegetable oil on top and loosely cover with plastic. Let raise for an hour or until doubled in size. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and brush tops with butter (optional) and let cool on baking rack.

 

 

Hamburger Buns

 

 

Sandwich Rolls 

 

 

This bread freezes very well



 

TIPS

NOTE: Yeast comes in little envelopes ¼ ounce envelopes (2¼ teaspoons per envelope). However, I buy yeast by the jar, so I always just use a tablespoon of yeast (3 teaspoons). Any (dry active or instant or rapid rise) yeast will work; just make sure you check the expiration date (very important).

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT FLOUR:

Many first time bread bakers are stressed out about working with yeast. If the bread didn't turn out perfectly, they blame it on the yeast and that is not always the case.

The problem could EASILY be your flour. Low gluten flour, or even worse yet, OLD low gluten flour, will produce faulty bread every time. If your flour is six months old, THROW IT OUT!!

Make sure you use a HIGH GLUTEN FLOUR, this is extremely important.

I use Gold Medal Better for Bread Flour or  King Arthur Bread Flour.

 

 

I made mediocre bread for years, until I discovered these two flours; they make all the difference in the world. 

NOTE: You will have much more success in your bread making if you understand that the amount of flour that goes into a recipe varies from day to day; depending on your climate. 

Many serious bakers weigh their flour, but I find that keeping a close eye on how the flour is "behaving" works better than weighing. On a humid day it may take an extra tablespoon, on a rainy day a tablespoon less. So be stingy with that last half cup of flour until you see how the dough acts in YOUR climate. Keep in mind that too much flour makes for a DRY bread. 

NOTE: A lot of people have granite counter tops which are always cool to the touch. This will effect the length of time your bread takes to raise. I suggest that you find a warmer place to let your bowl of dough raise than on the granite.

 

I hope you give this recipe a try, it really is fun and once you

get over the "nervousness" of bread making, you can use this

recipe to make PIZZA DOUGH and a million

other things........come on, be brave!!

PEANUT BUTTER KRISPIE TREATS

This "recipe" couldn't be easier, faster or tastier. In this batch, I added 3/4 cup of miniature chocolate chips to the final mix stage, but the straight peanut butter squares are to-die-for delicious!! They are excellent for snacking, for bake sales, for lunch boxes and especially for "whenever"!!

1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter

Mix the above ingredients in a sauce pan that has a nice heavy bottom. Heat (on medium) until you JUST START to see bubbles around the edge of the pan (watch and stir,  because this mixture wants to scorch if you heat it too fast).

As soon as you see the little bubbles around the edges of the pan, remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla; mix well.

Pour over 6 cups of Rice Krispie cereal and mix well. If you are going to add the miniature chocolate chips; add them after the peanut butter mixture has coated the cereal; the heat of the mixture will melt them just a little, so don't add the chocolate too early.

Pour into a lightly buttered 11" x 7" dish. Pat down with slightly dampened hands. Allow to cool completely and cut into squares.

NOTE: I don't butter my dish, I spray it with vegetable spray and then use a paper towel to wipe out the excess, that way the squares don't have a "greasy" side and the squares DO NOT STICK to the pan.

NOTE: If you have any treats left, after your family descends upon these, store them in an airtight container, or cover tightly with plastic wrap.

GOOD OLD SLOPPY JOE's

Years ago, when our hungry teenage boys came home for dinner (with hungry buddies tagging along) it was a challenge to feed them all with one pan of Sloppy Joe's. Unexpected "guests" at the dinner table required some quick thinking, so I "stretched" this simple  tried and true recipe, by adding kidney beans, extra shredded veggies and cheese. It was always a big hit. Necessity is the mother of invention I guess, thank goodness for versatile recipes like this one.

 These days, with the kids all gone, I still make a big batch of Sloppy Joes (seems like I can only make our family favorites in BIG BATCHES for some reason).

These days, I freeze portions in Ziploc bags (patted to a 1" thick flat shape so it thaws quickly). I love "instant" meals like this.

1 pound lean ground beef (I use 90% lean)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup shredded carrot
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon red pepper sauce (see note)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 hamburger buns, split and toasted

Cook the hamburger and onion together, chopping up the meat as it cooks (drain meat well).

Stir in remaining ingredients (except buns). Simmer on med-low for about 20 minutes (to reduce the consistency of the sauce). Fill the hamburger buns with the beef mixture and serve.

NOTE: After this is cooked, it keeps well in the crockpot if your dinner hour is uncertain.

NOTE: I serve these with a slice of cheese under the meat mixture and a squirt of yellow mustard on top of the filling (our favorite).

NOTE: I never have red pepper sauce on hand, so I always use a pinch of dry red pepper flakes instead.

KETCHUP

In your busy, hectic and over-accounted-for day; making homemade ketchup is probably not a big priority ...........I get that. But if you find yourself with a little extra time, this ketchup is WELL WORTH the minimal effort it takes to whip it up. It is not only inexpensive to make (uses every day pantry staples), but it is sweetened with honey, so it is REALLY-REALLY tasty!!

6 ounce can of tomato paste
1/4  cup honey
1/2  cup white vinegar
1/4  cup water
3/4  teaspoon salt
1/4  teaspoon onion powder
1/8  teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)

Whisk everything together until smooth and then bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer slowly for 20 minutes (whisking every five minutes or so).

Cool and store covered in refrigerator. This recipe makes just over a cup of ketchup, but you could easily double or triple the recipe with no other adjustments.

NOTE: In my humble opinion, this ketchup is just perfect, but if you like your ketchup with a little "heat" to it, just add some cayenne before cooking.

POT LUCK MINI CHERRY PIES

These "Grab-and-Go" mini cherry pies are perfect for large gatherings and family or church potluck dinners. The dough can be made days ahead and baked off when you have some "extra" time, which is a big help.

Guests (at least mine) seem to appreciate PIE at a potluck, but traditional pie can be messy to serve, especially for children. These little "two bite" beauties are perfect. This recipe makes 24 pies, but the recipe doubles easily.

 

 

CRUST

1/2 cup butter  (room temperature)
3 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup flour

Mix with electric mixer (I use my stand mixer with paddle attachment) until you get a smooth dough. Wrap it in plastic and chill for about an hour (will also keep well in fridge for several days).

FILLING

(1)  14½ ounce can tart pie cherries packed in water
3/4 cup granulated sugar (divided)
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon corn starch
pinch of table salt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (do not leave out)
1 teaspoon butter

Drain the cherries, reserving the liquid. Pulse the cherries in the food processor until fairly well chopped then drain again (I even press on the cherries a little to remove excess liquid): set aside.

 In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the reserved cherry juice, HALF of the sugar, the cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Whisk till smooth and bring to a boil. When this mixture gets super thick (it will happen FAST once it starts to thicken), remove from heat and stir in the rest of the sugar, the chopped cherries, the almond extract and butter. Stir until well mixed; let cool while you form the crusts.

 Preheat oven to 375°. Cut the chilled dough into 24 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place one ball in each mini-muffin cup (no need to grease the pan).

Now, you have to use your fingers and push the dough across the bottom and up the sides of each mini-muffin space.  Better yet, if you have tart tamper or something similar, this step will go MUCH faster (just dip it in a little flour between each use).  I use the rounded end of the wooden tool that came with my Kitchen Aid meat grinder, it works absolutely perfectly. Try and get the crust edges just a little taller than the edges of each muffin cup (see 2nd photo).

Fill each mini-crust 2/3 full of the cherry filling. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes on the TOP RACK of your oven.   When the edges of the crust are light golden brown, they are done. 

IMPORTANT:
Don't try to remove the cooked pies from the pan right away. The filling stays hot for a while, so let them cool for a good 25 minutes or so. You can use a butter knife to help "lift" the pies out of the pan. 

BETTER YET: line the mini-muffin pan with mini-cupcake papers and that should solve any/all problems.

 

Delicious and FUN to Serve!!

CRAB CAKES (ALMOST)

Even here in Alaska, crab is VERY expensive and (unless you have a good connection with a crab fisherman) it is often already frozen when it hits our market (which effects the quality greatly) and makes it even harder to justify those high prices.

That's my wordy way of saying "YES, we eat (and enjoy) Surimi" (fake crab). The following recipe is quick, easy and economical.

CRAB CAKES
1 egg beaten
2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I use honey Dijon)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
1/4 cup VERY finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 pound crab lump meat (I use Surimi)
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. If you are using Surimi, dice it up fairly small, but not shredded.

In a medium size bowl, beat the first 8 ingredients until very smooth. Stir in the crab (Surimi) and bread crumbs until well mixed.

Using a half cup measure, portion out and shape patties and place them on the waxed paper (makes 6 patties). Cover and chill at least an hour.

The hour wait time is important for flavors to meld AND for the bread crumbs to soften enough so that the patties stay together.

Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil with a tablespoon of butter and fry the patties until golden brown (3-5 minutes per side).

These patties also make wonderful sandwiches.

HOME MADE CREME FRAICHE

Creme Fraiche is all the rage on the Food Network cooking channels, but it is one of those ingredients that I've been too stubborn old fashioned to try, until now.

Well, my curiosity got the better of me and creme fraiche went onto my grocery list. You can imagine my shock when I saw the price of it (at least at our market) was $7+ per cup!!! That's just crazy.

So in my penny pinching thrifty mindset,(and wanting to know what all the creme fraiche hubbub was about), I set out to see if I could MAKE it. I was shocked at how easy, cheap (and fun) it is to do.  Yes, it takes a couple days to make, but 99.999% of that time is just waiting for it to "cure".

2 cups of heavy whipping cream (at least 45% butterfat)
3 tablespoons buttermilk (OR) plain yogurt (see note)

That's it!!

Mix the two ingredients together well, and put it into a very clean glass jar. Cover it loosely and let it sit on your kitchen counter for 24 hours (room temperature should be 70° to 75°).

It's good if you give it a quick stir after 8 hours, but that isn't absolutely necessary.

After 24 hours, it will still seem a little thin, but that's OK. Put a lid on the jar and put it in the fridge for another 24 hours. After 24 hours in the fridge, it will thicken up and be ready to use in any recipe that you would normally use sour cream for.

 

The flavor will be very mild at this stage, but it will get tangier the longer it sits in the fridge (keeps about 7 to 10 days).

People say it is the "mild cousin" to America's commercial sour cream, but I think it is much tastier than that. Of course, the flavor of your creme fraiche will depend on the "flavor" (quality) of whipping cream, and brand (quality) of buttermilk.

Creme fraiche is excellent for baking sweet AND savory dishes. It is much more tolerant to heat (than commercial sour cream), so it works well in gravy or sauces and makes killer mashed potatoes!! Sweetened, it is nice over any dessert, especially fresh fruit. Can you tell that I am a recent convert??

NOTE: Many of the recipes for creme fraiche (that are online) insist on using UN-pasteurized cream, but I couldn't find it, so I just used regular pasteurized heavy whipping cream and it worked fine.

NOTE: The buttermilk or yogurt that you use HAS to have live cultures in it. The buttermilk at our market was low fat and didn't mention "live cultures", so I opted for the same amount of organic unflavored yogurt with live cultures and it worked very well.