Basic Bread

We woke up this morning, hungry for eggs and toast, only to realize that we were out of bread. So while I made split pea soup and gardened, I baked some basic loaf bread. Like usual, this recipe yields 2 loaves.

Basic Bread

1 tbsp dry active yeast
2 1/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp salt
6-7 cups all-purpose flour (I used 2 cups whole-wheat and the remainder all-purpose)

In a large bowl, combine yeast and water, stirring until yeast is dissolved. Add in sugar and salt, let rest 5 minutes.

Gradually add in flour, stirring until dough forms a ball and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto floured surface and knead 8-10 minutes, adding flour as needed, until dough is elastic. Dough should be tacky but not sticky.

Coat a large bowl with spray oil. Add dough, turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, dry place until dough is doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Coat 2 loaf pans in spray oil. Divide dough in half and add in pan. Let rest about 10 minutes, then place in cold oven and bake at 400F for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove loaf pans from oven and let cool.