Sid's Famous Bread
O.K., everyone
wants to know how I make such good bread. Well here is what I do.
I get the big yellow plastic bowl and pour about 1 tbsp. sugar in.
then I pour in some salt and olive oil or melted margarine. The
yeast goes in next. About 1 package, more if I am making buns. Now I add either lukewarm
water from the tap or the leftover potato water up to the melted
part of the bowl (approximately 6 cups), lukewarm as well. Mix these and add 4 cups flour and mix with a
whisk until smooth. Get the wooden spatula and mix in another 4
cups of flour at least. usually 4 1/2 cups. It depends on the
moisture in the air. Knead the dough until it is smooth and
satiny, sprinkling the board with flour as needed to make the
dough slightly tacky to the touch. Place in the yellow bowl that
has been greased with either margarine or olive oil. Let rise,
covered until doubled in size. About 45 minutes. Cut the dough into 4
pieces and shape into loaves. Put these in bread pans to rise.
Heat oven to 400°F. When the bread has doubled in bulk, or the
oven is hot enough whichever comes first and cook for
32 minutes. Let them cool for at least 10 minutes before they are
eaten. Got that. Okay, here is the real secret to making good
bread. It takes a bit of time to get the yeast spores to saturate
the kitchen, so be patient and keep trying! Make bread regularly
to keep those spores alive. Use fresh yeast!! Only buy as much as
you can use in a couple of months. Be patient when you are kneading the
bread dough and don't add too much flour. With practice you will
be able to judge approximately how much flour to use, but too much
makes for a tough crust. Knead the dough thoroughly until it is
satiny smooth and just a bit tacky to the touch. Just a wee bit
more tacky for buns. I prefer to use a plastic bowl to make the
dough in because it seems to be warmer than a metal one and is way
easier to clean! If you want to vary the recipe, feel free to go
wild. For raisin bread, just add a bit of cinnamon and some
raisins that have been softened in hot water. For multi grain
bread, add some multi grain breakfast cereal and adjust flour
accordingly. Throw in some herbs along with the multi grain and
you have a wonderful bread to serve at those family gatherings. Be
brave and try anything. That is what cooking is all
about.
