Have you ever wanted to bake bread at home but didn’t know what to do? Follow these two simple recipes which even beginners can easily do and you will be able to cook bread right at home with minimal fuss.
Basic bread
For this recipe, you will need 2 cups of warm water at about 115°F, 5-6 cups of flour, ½ cup of white sugar, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 ½ tbsp of active dry yeast, and 1 ½ tsp salt. First, you need to proof the yeast. Dissolve 1 tbsp of sugar with some warm water and yeast. Within 5 minutes, the mixture should look like creamy foam.
For the best results, you should ensure that you only use warm water during this process. “Drizzle a few drops of your water onto the inside of your wrist. If it is warm and comfy for you, then it will no doubt be warm and comfy for your yeast too. However, if it is not warm and instead feels hot, it most likely will be too hot for your yeast to survive. By the same token, if it is too cold, then your yeast will simply remain dormant,” according to Bob’s Red Mill.
Once the yeast is ready, mix the remaining sugar, oil, and salt into it. Add flour one cup at a time. If you add too much flour, the bread will turn out dry. A tacky consistency is best for the dough. Keep kneading for about 7 minutes. Next, oil a bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let it sit for about an hour and the dough should double in bulk. Remove the cloth and start punching the dough down. Knead for about a minute and divide the dough in half.
Shape the two dough portions into loaves and place them in a greased pan. Let them sit until the loaves have risen at least one inch above the pan. Bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 to 40 minutes. Take them out and brush them with butter to enjoy your first ever home-baked bread. The recipe will take about 1 hour of preparation and cooking. You will need to allow the dough to rise for an additional 90 minutes.
Buttery dinner rolls
This is a flaky bread quite different from the basic bread we discussed before. To prepare buttery dinner rolls, you need 5 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup warm water, ¾ cup evaporated milk, 1/3 cup granulated sugar,1/2 cup chilled butter, ¼ cup melted butter, 1 large egg, 1 tbsp active dry yeast, and 1 ½ tsp salt.
First, whisk the water, sugar, yeast, evaporated milk, egg, and 1 cup of flour. Add the melted butter and keep mixing until the batter becomes smooth. Set it aside. In another bowl, add 4 cups of flour and grate in the chilled butter. Toss them together until the ingredients are combined evenly. Mix the yeast preparation into this. When the dough turns into a lumpy, rough ball and the flour is evenly moistened, cover the bowl and refrigerate it for a minimum of 4 hours.
Next, divide the dough into four portions. Roll each piece into a circle about ¼ inch thick. Brush these portions with a tablespoon of melted butter. Cut the circle into 8 pieces. Roll them up into a crescent shape. Once done, place them on a baking sheet. Cover with a cloth and let it sit for about 2 hours. The rolls should now be double their original size. Preheat the oven to a temperature of about 350°F. Bake the rolls for about 15 minutes until they become golden on the outside. Take them out and brush the rolls with melted butter before serving.
