A basic loaf of bread, formula and technique.

*Cooking* food can involve a recipe, or it can be a matter of doing what you like.  *Baking*, on the other hand, seems to be the land of formulas.  Certain amounts of things, conjured in certain ways.  It's a job for people able to follow directions.  

Bread is no different than any other baked good.  Certain amounts of certain things put together in a certain way.

Here is my basic bread recipe and technique, step by step. As simple as I can make it and still get a good reliable loaf out of it.

This process will take a solid 2-3 hours to complete, but it really only involves minutes here and there during those hours.  It's perfect for a day when it can be fitted in with other home chores.

Special tools: A timer (cell phone is fine).  Also a baking/roasting thermometer.   Neither are absolutely required, but they sure do help.  Bannetons are cool too, but not necessary.  Using the baskets will give a better and more attractive shape, but otherwise it tastes exactly the same.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups bread flour.  AP can be substituted, but bread flour works better.
• 2 cups warm water.
• 1 teaspoon regular yeast. I use Red Star active.
• 1 teaspoon sugar or honey. This can be omitted if desired.
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt.

Bread flour has a higher protein level, thus it makes better gluten.  This is what gives bread a structure and a crust.  All Purpose will work if that is what you have on hand. No worries.   I use Amazon bread flour mostly.  Unbleached and very reasonably priced compared to King Arthur and such.

Red Star active yeast is what I prefer.  I buy it by the pound and keep it in the bottom drawer in our fridge in a sealed container.  A little goes a long way, and yes... the amount used matters.  The pound will last us a year.

Sugar or honey.  At a teaspoon, it's not going to really change the flavor a lot.  It's more noticeable when it's not there, to be honest.  Beyond flavor, it helps feed the yeastie beasties that make the bread rise.

Salt.  I use kosher salt for purity, and the size of the granules seems to make tastier loaves. Fine canning salt also works, but it will have a stronger 'salt' flavor.  Table salt will work, but sometimes simple pure salt is the best.

The steps are fairly simple.

1. Make a 'sponge' with the water, yeast, and a cup of the flour.
2. Give the sponge time for the yeast to bloom and come alive.
3. Add in all the rest of the ingredients, and bring them together into a dough ball.
4. Give the dough time to hydrate, or 'Hydrolyze'.
5. Knead and fold the dough while adjusting texture as needed.
6. Let rise into the desired shape (I use bannetons). 
7. Preheat oven and turn loaves onto a baking sheet. Egg wash if desired.
8. Bake at 450 till an internal temperature of 203 degrees F.
9. Move to a cooling rack till cooled enough to slice and eat.

Active yeast works best when given time. Time really is an ingredient in bread baking, thus the timer.  To make the sponge which lets the yeast come alive and start doing it's job, mix 1 cup of the flour, all the warm water, and the yeast together in your mixing bowl.  Use a whisk and mix it well.   Now, set the timer for 30 minutes and LIA (Leave It Alone) at room temp.  If it's too cold, put it in the oven with the light on.

Regarding mixing bowls and mixers.  I use a kitchenaid to start my dough, but a big bowl and hands will do fine.  I've seen people with a big enough counter just dump it in a pile and go to it.  The sponge will need a bowl though.

After 30 minutes, the sponge should be bubbling and beginning to expand.  Something like this: 

If the sponge has come to life, simply add all the rest of the ingredients. If it has not come to life, try adding some more yeast and repeating the wait.  If it never comes to life, you need new yeast.

Now work it together until it forms a dough ball.  Mixer or by hand, we want it be a cohesive dough ball that looks like this:  

Don't bother adjusting the flour/water at this point, as the dough will spend the next 30 minutes hydrolyzing. That's the flour soaking up the water and beginning to form the gluten we want. Simply leave the dough ball in the mixing bowl and cover it.  LIA for 30 minutes (Timer again.  See the pattern yet?).

After 30 minutes, start the kneading process with your hands or mixer.  This is when we add flour or water by the scant teaspoon full to adjust texture.  What we want is a firm but pliable doughball.  A little sticky, but not leaving gobs on your hands  A doughball that sticks to itself nicely.  The recipe ingredients will get us 95% of the way there.  Sometimes it's perfect as is, and sometimes it needs a slight adjustment.  The local weather, humidity, age of the flour, hardness of the water... all come into play for the final adjustment.

I use a kitchenaid with a dough hook, and I'm looking for the dough ball (speed 2) to clean the bowl for me.  Then I put the dough ball on a floured cookie sheet (to save mess) and finish kneading by hand.

Doughball after the first knead

A few moments of kneading finds the dough 'tight'.  This is normal.  Oil the bowl and drop the doughball back in to rest.  Cover it and LIA in a warm spot. Set 30 minutes on the timer.  This lets the dough relax and begin to rise.

30 minutes in, put the dough back in your kneading spot and it will be much looser and workable.  Flatten it into as big a rectangle as it will do, and then fold it back into a ball 1/3 at a time.  The right 3rd, then the left 3rd, then the upper third, and then the lower third.  Flip the ball and flatten it again.  We can usually get two rounds of this folding done before the dough gets really tight again.  Once it tightens up, it goes back into the oiled bowl and LIA for another 30 minutes.

Dough ball after the first 30 minute rest

Flatten the dough, then fold in 1/3rd

Fold in the next 1/3rd

Fold down the top 1/3rd

Fold in the final third and flip the dough ball over, ready to go again.

Repeat that process two or three times total, based on your patience and time available. There are as many kneading methods as bread bakers, and I like this one.  It's gentle and gives a really nice structure and crumb.  Stretching the dough flat and folding gives us all the gluten formation we could want, with no drama.

Once done, form the loaf into a log, and slice it in two.  That's our two loaves.  I use Banneton Bread Proofing Baskets.  The dough can simply be formed and left to rise on a sheet pan, but I like the shape the bannetons give.

To shape the dough ball, use your hands to stretch the dough down the sides towards the bottom, turning the ball and repeating till it's a smooth ball.  Now, flip it over and pinch shut any seams on the bottom.  Pinch hard and thoroughly so the loaf doesn't split open.  The shaped dough log goes into the banneton smooth side down, and when turned out on the sheet pan that becomes the top.

Form the final loaves to the shape you desire, and leave for a final rise. Covered is best, and I spray-oil a piece of foil to cover the rising dough for yet another 30 minute period.

Start the oven coming up to 450 degrees.  Our oven runs cold, so I set it to 475.

While the oven heats, gently set the loaves (smooth side up) on a parchment lined sheet pan. I get two medium loaves to a half sheet pan.  Traditional oval shaped loaves are favored in this house.

The dough will do it's very final rise on the baking sheet.  Feel free to 'neaten up' the loaves by gently patting or squeezing to get the shape you want, but no touchy in the last 10 minutes before it goes in the oven.

I lightly brush on an egg wash to make the loaves shiny and attractive.  Just an egg mixed with a tiny splash of water, and sometimes a pinch of sugar to aid browning. After the egg wash, I make a slice on the top of the load about 1/4" deep.  A razor is traditional, but I use a sharp serrated blade.  The slice allows the bread to expand and let steam out, while discouraging random splits in the loaf.

One cool thing about the slice on top is it gives a glimpse into the interior structure of the loaf.   Yes, I like a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.  Caraway seeds are a treat as well.  It all depends on taste.

With the oven at full temp, slide the sheet pan with the loaves onto a center rack.  It generally takes about 25-30 minutes total bake time.  I use a remote thermometer that I jab into a loaf at the 20 minute mark. This leaves only a small whole since the loaf is already set, and lets me nail that 203 degrees exactly every time.

Once done to temperature or tap-test, set the loaves carefully (HOT!) on a cooling  rack and LIA for an hour.

TaaDaaa!  Perfect bread every time.

Usually. 

This recipe gets us to a basic standard loaf.  From here, WE CAN PLAY.

Want a more spread out and not quite as dense a bread?  Increase the water by a few tablespoons.    Want a deeper 'bread' flavor?  Refrigerate the dough overnight before the kneading stage.  Want garlic, cheese or herbs?  Mix it in on the final dough adjustment.  Like seeded bread?  Doo Eeet!   Want a moister bread?  Add some melted butter or olive oil. More nutrition?  Substitute a cup of whole wheat flour for one cup of bread flour.  Add 1/4 cup of powdered milk and an egg.  Adjust the water up a few tablespoons to account for the shole wheat flour.

We like herb bread.  That usually means a little parmesan and fresh herbs from our garden.  Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme.  We call it Scarborough fair bread.

Do as you will.  Hope this helps!