#Bread April 4
We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
My 30 Day Challenge for April is to learn how to bake. The first recipe I wanted to take on was baking a loaf of Italian BREAD. There are lots of quotes about BREAD.
I particularly like quote: “All sorrows are less with bread. ”
I pretty much think any meal with a great slice of Italian BREAD and butter is gourmet dining. Butter and fresh baked BREAD just makes me feel fantastic.
I love baked goods but I have never attempted to bake anything from scratch. Yes I have scooped out cookie dough on a baking sheet and brought frozen biscuits to life in the oven but I never baked anything following a recipe. So on Wednesday April 1st into the kitchen I went armed with the guidance of YouTube video to bake Italian BREAD.
Below I have posted photos of each step in my process. Remember I used the YouTube linked above as my guide.
Okay the first step was to gather all my ingredients and cooking utensils. Got my all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, salt, oil and board ready to go.
Next step was to make my dough from scratch using a wooden spoon after my yeast started bubbling. I add the flour, yeast, oil, and salt and started mixing. It took me a good 8-10 minutes of hand stirring to get my dough non-sticky. There is no doubt a kitchen stand up mixer will speed up this process but I liked the old school approach.
Once I got my dough where it was not too sticky I need to make it into a ball. First I had to knead it for about 8 minutes by hand. Once I got it the correct consistency I got into a ball with the next step to let it rise for about an hour. I made my ball and went for a 4 mile walk. While I was walking I covered my dough ball with a damp cloth and boy did it rise.
Once the dough had risen and I returned from my hike I shaped the ball by hand into a loaf of Italian Bread. I covered it again for 20 minutes to let it proof. Once it had sat for 20 minutes I took some egg wash and coated it before going in the over for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.
The finished product is depicted below. The best compliment was my son told me that looks like BREAD you buy from the store.
I have to confess I was surprised that the BREAD was good. So good I ate half of the loaf for dinner on Wednesday night. Glad I know how to make BREAD from scratch and now it is on to baking project #2.
Recent Comments