What's the best recipe for bread?

Question

What's your best recipe for bread? Don't give an external link; give your recipe in the answer.

Answer 1

Rosemary Focaccia


Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion chopped
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
2 T. olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
cornmeal
coarse salt





Directions

In skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over low heat; cook onion, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until golden. Let cool. Meanwhile, in large bowl, disolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle with yeast and let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy. Stir in 2 tbsp olive oil and salt. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Gradually stir in remaining flour, onions and rosemary.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead lightly until smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed for 8 to 10 minutes.
Place in greased bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover and let rise for 35 to 45 minutes. Punch down. Divide in half; pat each half into flat round. Let rest for 5 minutes; stretch into 10-inch rounds. Place on greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise for 35 to 45 minutes. Brush tops with olive oil; sprinkle with coarse salt and rosemary. Bake in 375 F (190 C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until bottom is browned and crisp. Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve.
Makes 2 rounds.

Answer 2

Honey Oatmeal Bread - made in a Kitchenaid Mixer

1 1/2 Cups water
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup butter or margarine
5 1/2-6 1/2 cups flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages active dry yeast
2 eggs
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon water
Oatmeal

Place water, honey & butter in small saucepan. Heat until very warm (120-130 degrees).

Place 5 cups flour,oats,salt & yeast in mixer bowl. Using dough hook mix on speed 2 for 15 seconds. Gradually add warm water mixture and continue mixing for 1 minute. Add eggs and mix another minute.

Continuing on speed 2 add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time & mix until dough clings to the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. Mix an additional 2 minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise about an hour or until doubled in bulk.

Punch down and divide in half. Roll out each half and then roll into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan, let rise until doubled again (1 hour).

Beat egg white & water together and brush on top of the loaves. Sprinkle with oats and bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

This is a sweet bread that is great for sandwiches or eaten with butter!

Answer 3

The bread we make on Tabletop Homestead is simple and easily adaptable to a variety of ingredients. I've been making bread for about 30 years, and while breadmaking requires a bit of practice to learn the "feel" of good dough, this recipe is basic, dependable and good for beginners.

The ingredients in good bread are simple:

Flour is the backbone. Bread flour is best, but all purpose works fine. Whole grain flours are a little trickier, so I recommend starting with white. Unbleached is great.
Liquid: Any number of liquids can be used - water, milk, even whey. We like to use the whey leftover from making goat's milk cheese. Eggs can form part of the liquid portion.
Yeast is the living organism makes the bread rise and is most commonly available in granulated form. We like to buy it in bulk for economy and keep it in the freezer.
Sugar provides food for the yeast. You can use white or brown sugar, honey, sorghum, whatever suits you.

Salt enhances taste and keeps the yeast under control.
Fat: A bit of fat helps make the bread tender. Almost any fat or oil will work. I've made bread successfully with vegetable oil, shortening, lard, olive oil and butter.
My basic recipe is based on 1 cup of liquid and can be multiplied as needed. 1 cup of liquid will make 1 small loaf. 1 and 1/2 cups makes a large loaf. For each cup of liquid I use:


1 teaspoonful of yeast, but no more than 2 and 1/2 teaspoonfuls for multiple batches. (1 cup liquid - 1 teaspoonful yeast, 2 cups liquid - 2 teaspoonfuls yeast, more than 2 cups liquid - 2 and 1/2 teaspoonfuls yeast)
1 tablespoonful sweetening
1 teaspoonful salt (you can cut this back to taste)
1 tablespoonful fat
approximately 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour
Knead the dough until smooth and elastic
It's ready when the imprint left by poking a finger in the dough immediately fills in.Put the dough into an oiled bowl, turning once to oil both sides.Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.Punch down, deflating and working out all the air from the first rising, and form into loaves, rolls, etc.
Let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees until browned. When done, loaves of bread will sound hollow when tapped.Enjoy your homemade bread.

Answer 4

My best recipe for bread is to go to the store and buy it. *wink*I

I haven't baked bread with mom in years, so this will be interesting to come back to and maybe try the recipes myself. It sounds good.

Answer 5

A basic recipe (found in Betty Crocker or Pillsbury cookbooks)
is great.

Other recipes are tooo numerous to mention
.
I personally like the recipes for Italian by Emeril or the
cottage cheese and dill recipe found in any cookbook.

check it out

Answer 6

This is for the automatic bread machine.

KAHLUA AND CREAM BREAD

1/8 cup coffee flavored liqueur
1/4 cup water
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
-Place all ingredients, except for the semi-sweet chocolate chips, into
the bread machine in the proper order for your machine.
-Use dough cycle.
-At end of dough cycle, remove dough, and place on lightly-floured
board. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten.
-Roll out dough into a rectangle, sprinkle with miniature chocolate
chips, and roll up into a loaf. Place dough into greased loaf pan, cover
and let rise for 45 minutes. Slash loaf with a razor or a lame.
-Bake in preheated 375 degree F (190 degrees C) oven for 25-30 minutes.
Remove loaf onto a cake rack and let cool
__________


Homemade Bagels
Yields: 13; nutritional information based on 1 bagel

7 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups water, warmed to 100° F
2 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking soda

1. Make the dough: Combine 4 cups flour and 1 teaspoon yeast in a
large mixing bowl. Whisk the water into the flour until smooth. Cover
the bowl with plastic wrap and proof the mixture in a warm, draft-free
place until bubbly and double in volume -- about 2 hours. Rap the bowl
on a work surface to collapse the dough. Add the remaining yeast, 3
cups flour, salt, and honey and mix until the ingredients form a ball.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead, working in
the remaining flour, until the dough is stiff but satiny -- about 10
minutes.

2. Shape the bagels: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, spray
with vegetable oil, and set aside. Shape the dough into thirteen 4
1/2-ounce balls, cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel, and let rise
in a warm, draft-free place for 20 minutes. Make a hole in the center
of each ball of dough, widening it until the bagel is about 4 inches
in diameter. Return the bagels to the baking sheets, cover with
plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 20 more
minutes. Transfer the bagels to the refrigerator and let rest for 12
to 24 hours.

3. Cook the bagels: Fill a large Dutch oven with water and bring to a
boil over high heat. Remove bagels from the refrigerator and let rest
for 20 minutes. Sprinkle 2 baking sheets with cornmeal. Preheat the
oven to 500° F. Add baking soda to the water and poach 2 to 3 bagels
at a time for 30 seconds on each side. Remove them with a slotted
spoon and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with
remaining bagels. Bake for 5 minutes. Rotate pans, reduce oven
temperature to 450° F, and bake until golden brown -- about 15 more
minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Based on individual serving.

Calories: 239
Total Fat: .9 g
Cholesterol: 49.1 mg
Sodium: 743 mg
Fiber: 1.7 g
Protein: 8.6 g