I just realized I have a pending post from at least a year or so ago (this is 1 SEP 2022), so I’ll post it and continue…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have been doing a bit of baking during the pandemic, and I’ve been a little experimental while I tried to settle in on a “standard” recipe. I am very close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being an engineer warps me a little bit, and watching British baking shows hasn’t helped normalize me, so I tend to make my recipes in milliliters and grams, especially for bread recipes. Flour absorbs water, and that changes it’s weight-to-volume ratio, making it difficult to properly measure flour with a measuring cup. So I use a kitchen scale. I got it at Walmart for about $11. It weighs in grams and lbs:oz, so it’s quite handy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The provided weights are approximate. If you end up with 53 grams of honey, nothing bad happens. 12 grams of yeast? OK. 510 g of flour? No problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recipe is relatively straightforward, though I do use bread flour and honey, as well as canola oil. You can used all-purpose flour, sugar, and any other oil you have on hand. Bread flour has a bit more protein than AP flour, so makes a bit nicer, chewier bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have been specifically<\/em> using Bob’s Red Mill Artisanal Bread Flour, and Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast. I bought a pound package of yeast in October 2020, and it’s still in use seven months later, though I did get another package the other day. I use active dry yeast because I’m used to it – and – it shows in the proofing stage that it’s still alive. No guessing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The other really weird thing about this recipe is that I start it in a cold oven. I use the oven for proofing and raising, then just start baking when that is done. Stay tuned for instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recipe:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 275 ml tap water Grease a standard bread loaf pan. I tend to use bacon grease for this part of the job. It’s what my mother-in-law Evelyn used when Peg was growing up, and the smell of bread with bacon grease makes Peg smile. My job is to make Peg smile, so I use bacon grease. (I also coat the loaf in bacon grease after baking to keep the top supple.)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Measure out the water. Place the measuring cup on the scale and zero (tare) it. Add 50 grams of honey. I microwave the the cup for 50 seconds to get 110-120F water in the cup. Mix in the yeast and set it aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In your (one – count ’em – one) mixing bowl, weigh out 10 grams of salt, 20 grams of canola oil, and 500 grams or so of flour. By now the yeast mixture should be active, with a layer of foam over the top. If not, your yeast is dead and you need to make a trip to the store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Otherwise, mix in the yeast. I just fold it in with a scraper until it’s mostly incorporated, then turn the whole thing out onto a clean surface. Scrape the bowl clean – we’ll be using it for proofing in a few minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Incorporate all loose flour into the dough, and knead the dough for five to seven minutes, until the dough is relatively smooth. The dough should be not quite sticky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gather the dough and form into a ball – it should be slightly larger than a softball at this point. Cut a deep (1″) cross in the top of the dough ball (it’s to make the rise more uniform), place it in the bowl, and cover with a clean tea towel or cloth. Put the bowl in a cold oven, and place a pan of hot water (1 quart\/1 liter) in the oven next to the bowl. Let this proof for 30 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out on the counter and flatten it out into a rectangle. Roll the rectangle into a loaf shape. Make the loaf pretty and place in the greased bread pan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The loaf pan is covered with the tea towel and placed in the oven with new hot water, and allowed to proof until it’s just about 1-1.5″ above the pan rim. Remove the hot water, remove the towel, and make decorative and functional cuts into the bread’s crust if desired. A single 0.5″ deep cut down the center lets the bread rise nicely while baking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn on the oven to 350F, and set a 40 minute timer. Assuming your oven is like mine (it’s within 5F), the bread will be done at that point. Remove from the oven, remove from the pan, and cool on a rack. When still warm but cool enough to handle, brush the top of the loaf with butter (or bacon grease \ud83d\ude42 ). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let cool completely before cutting into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I just realized I have a pending post from at least a year or so ago (this is 1 SEP 2022), so I’ll post it and continue… I have been doing a bit of baking during the pandemic, and I’ve … Continue reading
50 g honey
10 g yeast
10 g Kosher salt
20 g canola oil
500 g bread flour<\/p>\n\n\n\n