I hear so many times from people how hard it is to bake bread. Well, no more thanks to a new cookbook I came across;
Bread, Toast, Crumbs by Alexandra Stafford. This no-knead bread is super easy and these days with all I've got going, was perfect choice for my mid-week bake.
Like Ms. Stafford, I grew up with my mother baking bread, which she made look so easy. She built my confidence to try yeast rolls from an early age and I've never been afraid to try anything again! However, admittedly, yeast breads can be tricky; careful not to "kill" the yeast with too hot liquids or over-kneading or worse, over-proofing. This recipe definitely takes all the fear out of making bread to impress your family.
Soft Sandwich Bread
6 cups (768g) King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 T Kosher salt
1 T granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
3 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil, or other "neutral" oil
Softened unsalted butter, for greasing
In a large bowl, measure out all the dry ingredients. Whisk together, then change to a rubber spatula and add the liquid (water + oil). Mix until all the liquid is absorbed and the dough is formed into a sticky dough ball.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in bulk.
Using the soften unsalted butter, grease two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Using two forks, deflate the dough by releasing it from the sides of the bowl and pulling it toward the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn as you deflate, turning the mass into a rough dough ball once more.
Using the two forks and working from the center out, separate the dough into two equal pieces.
Grease your hands with some of the softened unsalted butter and lift each half of dough into the prepared pan. DO NOT COVER THE PANS. Let the dough rise on the countertop near the oven or another warm place, draft-free for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the dough just crown the rims of the pan. Preheat oven to 375F-degrees.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and firm to touch. Remove the pans from the oven and turn the loaves out onto a cooling rack, resting on their sides.
Allow to cool before slicing...if you can resist. Enjoy!
Now, for this month's Give-Away Apron...I chose Batiks that reminded me of the Cherry Blossoms blooming in Spring. If you would like to win this apron, comment on any of the posts this month. Good Luck!
