Homemade Bread and All Its Eventual Shapes

Bread Beautiful Bread, "I can hear the song in my head."

I make a lot of bread. I have been doing so for years. I have the recipe memorized. I always look at the clock and if I have three hours, I know I have the time and the meal will be that little bit more delicious. It does not hurt that the house will smell divine.

One secret to making bread is to weigh it when you want to get things to be of equal size. If you notice the loaves above, they are pretty much the same size. I was making sub rolls for panini dinner.

I also like to make shapes like these nice braids above. It is like making a knot, simple and fun.

Those are Burger Buns. Honestly, they taste so much better when they are homemade.

Here is my recipe for a basic two-loaf

bread bake:

4 C flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 -2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cup liquid.....milk, water, yogurt or a combination
1 tablespoon yeast

Add the yeast to the water. The water should be 110 degrees. Sprinkle a little sugar in the water to help the yeast bloom. Wait 10 minutes for the yeast to bubble. Now add the dry ingredients together and mix well. I use a bowl and use my hands and a stick, but go ahead and use a mixer if you want to. Add the liquid to the dry. Stir to combine. Once it is combined take out of the bowl. Let it rest for a few minutes while you clean the bowl. Now on the counter, start massaging the dough. Have a little flour on the counter so the bread does not stick. After the dough becomes a nice soft pliable mass, oil a bowl and oil the dough a little ( not too much ) and place in the bowl. Cover in a warm place for 1 - 1 /2 hours till it is doubled. Now you can make 2 regular loaves of bread or buns or subs.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes (if loaves) or 25 minutes (if subs) or 20 minutes (for rolls). Keep an eye on it because "it is done when it is done," not when I say it's done. Every oven and dough are different. Every day is different and the weather changes the results. Below is today's bread. It was to be accompaniment for stew. Tomorrow it can become paninis. I used the above recipe to make it.

If I made the below buns smaller. They would be perfect Hot Dog Buns.

Enjoy, my friends.