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Freshly baked bread is one of life’s greatest simple pleasures, and one that’s much easier than you might think. You can make your own crusty French bread, soft sandwich loaves, and deliciously sweet quick breads as a great way of saving money and filling your home with the wonderful smell of fresh baked goods. Anyone can make bread with a few simple ingredients and a little know-how. Make Bread Step 2 Version 2. The temperature of the water needs to be warm to the touch, but not hot. If the water is too warm, the yeast will be killed, while if it’s too cool, it won’t activate enough to make the bread rise properly. It should be warm enough you could keep your finger in it without becoming uncomfortable.
If you use “Rapid Rise” or self-activated yeast, you don’t have to activate the yeast before adding it to the flour. Skip this step and go to the next. Make Bread Step 3 Version 2. Mix the flour and salt together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl.
The bowl needs to be big enough to hold all your flour and water together at once and mix it comfortably, preferably with a sturdy wooden spoon. When you’ve mixed the dry ingredients, you can also add the yeast, whether you’re using quick yeast or the bubbly activated wet mixture. Make Bread Step 4 Version 2. Slowly add water to the bowl with one hand, while you stir the flour with the wooden spoon in your other hand. You’re looking to form the initial dough and get all the ingredients to come together into a workable mass, so it’s important to keep your spoon moving. It can be helpful to have someone add the water while you stir, or vice versa. Push all the stray bits of wet dough into the ball and start to form the basic dough in the bowl before turning it out.
Make Bread Step 5 Version 2. Turn the dough out on a well-floured kneading surface. Let the dough rest for at least five minutes. At this stage, the gluten strands are starting to form, giving the bread its wonderfully chewy texture. The strands are forming whether you’re kneading or not, so it’ll be easier to knead if you let the gluten do its work for a few minutes, making your job easier by bringing the bread together. Make Bread Step 6 Version 2.
The initial kneading is the most important step in preparing the dough. You want to firmly knead constantly for at least 5-10 minutes, or until the dough feels smooth. The surface of the dough should be soft and look mostly uniform, not tacky or lumpy. If it looks like the craggy surface of the moon, keep kneading, adding flour as necessary. It takes some practice to get the motion right, but it’s a lot like Mr. Make sure your hands are well-floured, and that the dough isn’t sticking to the surface by keeping a light dusting of flour on both. If the dough seems wet, add more flour to the surface of the dough by sprinkling it on and continue moving it.
Make Bread Step 7 Version 2. Let the dough rise for about 3 hours. Keep the dough in a warm, but not hot, place. The ideal temperature is about 70-75 degrees F for dough to rise. Make Bread Step 8 Version 2. Punch the dough down, turn it out, and reform it. You don’t need to knead the dough for nearly as long as you did before the first rising.