Fresh bread with butter and preserves
My blog updates have been becoming less and less as the boys are home with me for the summer and despite the 105 degree weather, we’ve been playing, playing, and more playing. In fact, we’ve just come in from playing in the sprinkler and eating popsicles. Now, we’re all cuddled up and I’m thoroughly enjoying my fresh, clean, watermelon smelling boys (thank you, Suave, for that!). The budget has been going wonderfully, but I’ve realized after putting a halt to our credit card use how much we’ve been relying on them. I’ve been watching and listening to Dave Ramsey everyday and while I haven’t really learned anything new, it’s good inspiration slash motivation to become completely debt free.
On a totally random note, Casey, aka Shoulder Cat, has now been renamed Scrufflebutticus by The Man. Scruffle butt i cus. Freakin’ hilarious. Even more hilarious is that it totally fits the little bad attitude dude and it seems to really irritate him when we call him that. And it’s so dang cute when he’s ignoring us idiot humans giggling and laughing at him… *best coochie-coo voice*
Anyway, back to the bread. We started our morning off today with a fresh loaf of bread. Absolutely to die for tasty - so much better than anything you’d buy at the store, even the artisan breads because, well, they’re not hot from the oven, typically. You don’t think making bread is something you can do? Well, it is, and it’s super easy. This is my “quick bread” because I don’t typically do an autolyse or use a preferment. Professional bread bakers out there will probably cringe at my primitive method here.
American “Italian” Bread (it’s really just like a softer, denser French bread)
3 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 scant tablespoon instant yeast (there are tons of yeasts out there, instant has proven winner in taste tests by Cooks Illustrated)
1 tablespoon salt
7 cups all-purpose flour
In a nutshell, we’re going to knead, rise, knead (lightly), rise, form, rise, and bake. Key to note - less is more as in, less handling after that first kneading equals more and better flavor in your end result.
Mix all of the ingredients together in your stand mixer using the dough hook or spiral. Since we’re using instant yeast (as opposed to active or others), we don’t need to worry about soaking and activating the yeast - just toss it all into your mixer. After all of the flour has been incorporated, up the speed to medium-low (3 or 4) and knead like this for about 15 minutes. At this stage, you really can’t knead it too much, so don’t sweat it if you go a little further. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can do this by hand and get a decent arm workout (bring all ingredients together in a bowl, stir until combined, and knead like crazy until satiny smooth and elastic).
After kneading is done, form into a ball with your hands and place in an oiled bowl. Turn dough ball to coat in oil, cover top of bowl with a towel and let rise until doubled - about an hour. Don’t let it go beyond doubled or you’ll wind up with an odd tasting bread.
Turn dough out onto your counter and gently smoosh flat (don’t be scared of it, but just be aware that less is more). Fold in thirds like a letter and smoosh flat. Turn, fold in thirds, and smoosh flat. (This is essentially what “punching down the dough” is - but better handling equals better bread) Form into a ball again and let rise oiled and covered for another hour.
After that, preheat oven to 450, making sure to place an empty pan in the bottom or in a location underneath where your dough will bake (this is for water to create steam), and cut dough into two large loaves or three medium loaves, gently smoosh each portion of dough out flat and roll to make a log shape. If you start to get dried out, mist lightly with water. Pinch the seam shut on bottom and on the ends (tuck your ends under and pinch, too!).
Sprinkle a baking sheet or parchment paper with cornmeal and place your logs of dough on it. If you want sandwich bread, you can form loaves and place the loaf, with seams pinched, into a loaf pan. Let it rise one last time, remembering to lightly oil and cover your dough (spray oil is really handy here). Your oven needs to be well preheated. Not barely preheated, WELL preheated. If you have baking stones, put them in the oven before you preheat. Even a cast iron skillet in the bottom of the oven will help. You want to keep as consistent a temperature as possible. Mist the tops of the loaves with water just before they’re ready to go in and pop them into the oven quickly. Pour about a cup of water into that empty pan (or cast iron skillet!) under your loaves to create steam and shut the door. Let bake until golden brown on top and the internal temperature reaches 190. I like to make three long “French” loaves, and they usually take about 35 minutes to bake.
It’s all really easy, as long as you’ve got in your mind what you’re supposed to do next. Because it takes a while to rise, a kitchen timer is your friend so you can go about your day at home. Remember, knead, rise, knead, rise, form, rise and bake. Last night I made this is a big hurry and omitted the middle knead and rise - it turned out really good, this way, too! Once you’ve accomplished your first loaf, it’s all you’ll want to do!
I’m a wife to one hot Air Force dude, a mother to two gremlins born six months apart (we’re special), and slave to the slightly feral Shoulder Cat and his cohort, The Velociraptor (remind me to clip her claws, please, she clicks when she walks).
