</Homer Simpson impression>
Not making something sweet tonight, but rather a lot of bread. Very nice bread, the recipe for which is again from Brown eyed baker (here).
Ingredients:
2 cups lukewarm water (not boiling, but not straight from the cold tap)
1 package active dry yeast
5 to 5¾ cups bread flour (plain flour works too)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar (or any brown sugar you’ve got)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or any other sort of olive oil)
2½ teaspoons salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 cups lukewarm water (not boiling, but not straight from the cold tap)
1 package active dry yeast
5 to 5¾ cups bread flour (plain flour works too)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar (or any brown sugar you’ve got)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or any other sort of olive oil)
2½ teaspoons salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1. Stir the yeast into ½ cup of the warm water. Let proof as you measure out the dry ingredients.
2. Combine 5 cups flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the yeast mixture, remaining water and olive oil. Using a dough hook attachment, mix on lowest speed of electric mixer until a dough starts to form, adding more flour as needed.
3. Knead on low speed for 7 minutes. Transfer dough to lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 1 to 2 minutes, or until a smooth, firm, elastic dough is formed.
(You may need to add more flour during this step. I ended up adding a couple of handfuls more flour)
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and spray the dough with a thin coating of cooking spray. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 1½ hours or until doubled in size.
5. Remove the plastic wrap, punch down and flatten the rounded dough with the heel of your hand.
(It’ll feel really soft, like punching condensed air)
(It’ll feel really soft, like punching condensed air)
6. Roll the dough up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll. The dough should be elongated and oval-shaped, with tapered and rounded (not pointed) ends.
7. Preheat the oven lined to 220 Celsius. Place an empty baking tray on the bottom rungs of the oven to heat up. Place the dough on a different baking tray lined with baking paper. Allow the dough to proof, loosely covered with a floured canvas cloth, for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
(I didn’t have a canvas cloth, so I just left the dough uncovered.)
8. Brush the dough with the egg white. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, slash the dough lengthwise about 1/4-inch deep, keeping the blade at a 45 degree angle.
9. pour the rest of the water onto the heated up baking tray, leaving it in the oven (you’re steaming the bread to get a nice crust). Place the tray with the dough on it into the oven.
10. Bake the dough for a total of 45 minutes, or until a hollow thud is heard when tapping the bottom of the bread. Allow the bread to cool before slicing.
(We ended up burning it slightly, and only cooked it for ~30 min. It seems to depend on the oven)
kneading the dough.
Action shot!
yay, more blurry action shots!
Pro-tip: do not wear black while baking. You will look like an incompetent crack addict.
Knead I say more?
The kneaded dough, in the bowl.
It's ALIVE!
Like punching condensed air.
Shaped into a loaf. Note the round ends.
Slice it up!
So we kinda burnt it a bit.
It still tasted good!
Slicing into it was interesting - let it cool and soften up a bit before you cut it.
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