How to Make Bread

Intro: Save money from buying bread all the time by making your own. Follow these simple steps to bake your own bread and enjoy!

Step 1: Gather your main ingredients. You will need 16 ounces bread flour, 1 teaspoon instant rapid yeast, 2 teaspoons salt, 10 ounces bottled or filtered water. You may need a little extra bread flour for shaping.

Step 2: To make bread, start mixing some of your ingredients. You will mix ¼ teaspoon of the yeast, 2 teaspoons of honey (optional), and 10 ounces of bottled water. You should refrigerate this for overnight. Make sure your container is straight sided and is covered loosely when refrigerated.

Step 3: The next day you should add the remaining 11 ounces of flour, 2 teaspoon of salt, and the rest of the flour (11 ounces) to your mix. Place all of these ingredients with your mixture from the day before into a mixer bowl. Knead the mixture for a couple of minutes on low with the dough hook attachment. Now you should cover the dough with a towel and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Once you let it sit, knead the dough again but this time on medium speed. Do this for about 6-10 minutes.

Step 4: Pour 1 quart of hot water into a shallow glass pan and place it on the bottom rack of your oven. Take a straight sided container and grease it with vegetable oil. Place your dough on this container above the water in the oven and let it sit until it doubles in size. It could take anywhere from 60-120 minutes.

Step 5: To make bread, you should put some flour on your hands and press the dough out. Fold 1 side in towards the middle of your dough and then the other side. Do this one more time and then cover the dough for 8 minutes with a kitchen towel. Now you should flatten your dough out, fold it onto itself, turn it over, and squeeze the bottom together. The top of the dough should be smooth.

Step 6: Sprinkle a sheet pan with cornmeal and place your dough on it. Cover it for about 55 minutes with a towel. Put a terra cotta dish upside down in your oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Step 7: Put your bread on the dish in the oven and bake for 55 minutes. Your bread should reach an internal temperature of 205 degrees before removing it from the oven. Take your bread out and place it on a cooling rack and let it sit for 30 minutes, then enjoy!

Tips: To make bread, you shouldn't skip on the rest periods; they are very important for making great bread.

Add more water to the bottom pan if it evaporates by the time you go to bake your bread.

Warnings: You could mess up your bread if you slice it too early. Allow at least 30 minutes.

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