Ria's Homemade Bread



It was a tradition in our house when I was a child to eat fresh home made bread, ham and hot sauce on Christmas mornings. Now, even though I am older and have a house and family of my own, I still go to my mom’s house on Christmas mornings to continue that tradition….and get my presents….

Making bread gives me great joy and a sense of accomplishment and I make it frequently for my family. It is a great substitute for the store bought bread which contains preservatives and additives.

I almost always know when bread is done baking and is ready to be removed from the oven. The aroma of fresh bread dances its way around my house and up the stairs to entice me in my bedroom…I hypnotically follow the aroma back down the stairs and straight to the kitchen….There I remove it from the oven, brush the top with butter, slice it ever so carefully, smother it some more with a little too much butter and lift it to my eager mouth(the rest is history)….oblivious to all the commotion being created by two hungry, impatient kids……uuummmmm…the simple pleasures in life…

I love home made bread so much, I was inspired to write a poem…….
Bread is love…
Love is bread…
I knead you….
whenever I am blue……
Tis heaven where hot bread meets butter…
After that, not a word can I utter…
Give me my daily bread……
up 'till the day I’m dead….
'Cause there is nothing better..
than [Ria's] hot homemade bread and butter!
The end…

After reading that, my husband thinks that I am weird, very weird….for better or worse, right?

I know the thought of making bread can be overwhelming to some, but don’t be intimidated; it is so simple you will wonder why you never tried it before. They say you should try everything at least once, that includes making bread!

Ingredients
4 cups unbleached all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 envelope active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 ½ cups water
4 tablespoons butter

Makes 2 loaves of white bread.

Preparation
In a small saucepan, heat water and 4 tbsp butter over low heat. Remove from heat when the butter is melted. Set aside to cool(lukewarm). NOTE: If the water is too hot during the mixing/kneading process it will kill the yeast.

In a large mixing bowl combine 4 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast using a wooden spoon to evenly distribute all the ingredients. 

Gradually add the water and butter mixture and continue to mix until dough comes together. 

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead for about 8-10 minutes by pressing with your knuckles to smoothen and folding the dough over itself and pushing out with the heel of your hands, not down. Rotate the dough and repeat. [The dough is properly kneaded when it is smooth and you can stretch it without breaking.]
NOTE: Resist the temptation to add too much flour to the dough at this point because you risk dry loaves.

Knead to form a smooth, round ball. Coat lightly with oil and place the dough back into the bowl. 

Cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and set in a warm place until dough doubles, about 1-2 hours, depending on room temperature and type of yeast. [The dough is adequately risen when an indentation remains after the dough is pressed with two fingers.]

Turn out on a lightly floured work surface. Halve dough and press each dough gently into a 12 x9 rectangle about 1 inch thick. Starting with the narrow edge, roll, pinch seams closed and turn ends under to make loaves to fit pans.

Place the dough seam side down into the greased loaf pans, 9x5x3-inches. Cover with a barely damp paper towel or kitchen towel. Set pans in a warm place and let dough rise a second time until the top of the dough is nearly level with the top of the loaf pan, about 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on room temp and type of yeast. 

Bake loaves at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, until crust is golden and loaves sound hollow when tapped with fingers.  Remove the bread from the pans to racks; brush with butter for a soft, more flavorful crust. Slice and serve.

NOTE: If you have leftovers for some strange reason and wish to store the bread, wrap in foil then in a zip lock bag and place in freezer. I hear it will keep for a few months..To reheat, place it in a 450 degree oven still wrapped in foil for 10-15 minutes, then remove from foil and leave in the oven for a few more minutes....Bread never lasts past a day or two in my house, so I have never had to freeze...

Please repeat after me.....BREAD MAKING IS EASY & FUN!!!

Thank you for stopping by!

Cooking with love,

Ria