EVERYDAY BREAD

Yes - for the past month I've been making bread every week - always on Monday, sometimes later on if we eat it all. No - it is not hard. No - I don't have a bread machine. I do, however, have a Kitchen Aid mixer. I learned to make this recipe watching Alton Brown on the Food Network - and here is how it goes....

Sunday night - 5 min. Prep time -
Mix 1 envelope Rapid Rise Yeast, 1 cup All Purpose Flour, 1 tbsp. Sugar with 1 3/4 cups warm water (not hot - that will kill the yeast). I put this into a bowl (often a 1 quart ziplock cheap bowl from the grocery, and set the lid on top, but do not seal - the idea is to keep the dust out, but not cause the starter to blow up in your kitchen). After about 30 min (it should smell yeasty and look bubbly) put into the fridge overnight.

Monday morning - 10 min. Prep time -
Into your mixer put 2 cups of flour (I use 1 whole wheat and 1 ap white) and pour the start on top of the dry ingredients. Add 1 tsp. salt. Turn on the mixer (use the bread hook). When everything appears to be mixed (really wet looking) add more flour. You can add up to 2 more cups (for a total of 5 cups of flour) - it depends on the humidity and temp as to how much it will take. Turn on the mixer and let this run until the dough forms a ball and rolls around the bowl - it can take 5 min. or so for this to happen. Generally I add the flour in 1/2 cup increments so that I can try to figure out how much flour it will take.

If you find that you have lots of dry crumbly parts on the bottom -you have added more than your bread can take. If it is too wet - then it won't form a ball.

Take a large bowl and grease it with spray on (like PAM) or with a paper towel and come canola oil (the way I do it). Put the dough ball into the bowl. Cover loosely with a light weight kitchen towel (not terry cloth - something woven is good). Place in your oven. On the rack under the dough, place a large container (mine is rectangular and about 2 inches deep - a roasting pan). Add 1 quart boiling water - then shut the oven door. Do not turn it on.

In about 1 hour - your dough will be risen and ready to punch down. Then reform in a ball, put back in bowl, drain the roasting pan and add anouther quart of boiling water - close the door.

In about 1 hour - your dough will be ready to punch down a second time (this is the secret of terrific home made bread by the way) - you can put it into a greased bread pan or form into a ball and put in a layer cake pan. cover with a towel, back into the oven - yet another quart of boiling water and let sit for 1 hour.

Now - it appears you are ready to bake. Pull out the roasting pan, and the towel. If you want - you can paint the top of the bread with 1 tbsp. cornstarch in 2 tbsp. water, or you can make an egg wash - 1 egg and 1/4 cup water - paint it onto the bread gently - you don't want to punch it down - while you are pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees.

When the oven is ready - gently put in the bread and bake for 40 min.

Let cool 20 min. before you cut the bread.

NOTE - this works great for me on Mondays - since I also wash clothes - I work on laundry for a few minutes, work on bread for a few minutes, check facebook, post to the blog and repeat!