Nothing can possibly match up to having your kitchen filled with the aromas of freshly baked bread. We often don’t attempt bread baking as we consider it either too difficult or tedious. But trust me, it is none of the above. Bread baking is not only easy but also highly satisfying. There is a world of bread recipes out there. So for an easy start I’m sharing with you an easy recipe with very basic ingredients. So bake on and don’t forget to add a smear of butter on the warm slice as you enjoy it.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups warm water 110 degrees F/45 degrees C
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons or 16 gm active dry yeast (you can also use instant yeast)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 5-6 cups flour (You can use wholewheat/ Atta or flour)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, dissolve the 1 TBSP of the sugar in warm water and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
- Mix remaining sugar, salt and oil into the yeast. [For instant yeast, mix it with the flour keep aside. In a large bowl dissolve sugar into the warm water and add the salt and oil and stir well.]
- Mix in flour one cup at a time. Dough should be tacky and clean the sides of the bowl save for a small part at the bottom. Too much flour added in yields a dry loaf of bread, so if you’re worried you added too much, add a bit more hot water, until you get the correct consistency.
- Knead dough for 7 minutes. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat completely. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. (make sure you let the dough rise in a warm spot)
- Punch dough down. Knead for 1 minute and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place into two greased 9×5 inch loaf pans. You can also roll the dough into loaves. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30-40 minutes (
a preheated oven always help you bake better). Cool, brush with butter and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe yields 2 standard loaves of bread
I baked one half in a bread pan and one I rolled into a loaf. You can cut/ decorate your loaf as desired, I did cute snips with a scissor to give it spikes!
You can also bake this dough as dinner rolls, breakaway bread, buns, or even stuffed rolls with your favourite filling. Adjust the time as you make modifications. Smaller the piece of dough, lesser the baking time.
Enjoy the baking and don’t forget to share your attempts with me!
2 thoughts on “Simple Bread Baking”
I used this recipe to bake my bread. The dough-making process was an eye-opener. I usually do the long fermentation process which produces a loaf that has its own charm with a crusty outside and a slightly chewy inside. This time I used a half-and-half of maida and atta and the loaf turned out brilliantly soft all over. Huge thanks.
Im glad it worked well for you. Hope you do give the other recipes a try too. Thank you so much.