This is a super simple yeast bread you can make with just about any bread flour. We’re going to walk through every step from how to mix your ingredients to folding and finally the tap-test.
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Are you wanting to make bread but worried it’s going to be too much of a challenge? This recipe for a yeast bread is super simple – perfect for a newbie bread maker. Bonus points – you can tell all your friends you made it without mixer too!
Let’s Talk About This Simple Yeast Bread
While I stated up in the introduction that you can use any type of bread flour, there is a little caveat to it. The heavier the flour, the more moisture needs to be added. For example, if you use whole wheat (brown) flour, you’ll want to add about 10-20g of water more. Additionally, with Rye wheat etc. You will want to play around with this as every flour is different.
That said, even every white bread flour brand can be different when it comes to mixing. If you find your dough mixture never reaches a consistency you’re happy with, keep adjusting your water to flour ratios – making sure not to adjust more than 5-10g on either one.
Making bread is so unique to the bread maker. YOU are the bread maker! When you make bread, the way you mix the initial ingredients together, your method of kneading to your resting times are all unique to you. This is what makes your bread, YOUR BREAD. Adjust and tweak everything as you make more loaves. Really the sky is the limit with the flavors you can add to this simple recipe and the cut line designs on the top.
Let’s Make Bread!
Let’s start at the very beginning, the beginning is a very good place to start – sing with me now! Ok, ok! I’ll get down to business and let’s get to work. I’d like to go over a few key notes for this recipe that is spelled out below – your methods will be slightly different, again no two people knead or handle dough in the same ways. Use this recipe as your reference and starting base. Keep adjusting and tweaking little bits as you make more and more loaves and find what works best for you.
Enjoy your time kneading! Feel the dough in your hands change because of what you’re doing. Learn what your dough feels as it changes and how adjusting your recipe can make big changes – even just a few grams difference.
List of Items Needed:
- Digital Kitchen Scale
- Bread Scraper
- Medium Bowl
- Bread Pan
- Dish Towel
- Yeast (Dry or Fresh)
- Bread Flour (do not use All-Purpose Flour)
- Room Temperature Water
- Fine Salt
- Oil (Preferably Avocado or Olive Oil)
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Simple Yeast Bread
Equipment
- 1 Scale
Ingredients
- 12 g Active Dry Yeast
- 320 g Room Temperature Water
- 500 g White Bread Flour
- 8 g Salt
- 15 g Oil (or Avocado Oil)
Instructions
Initial Prep
- Place your mixing bowl on the scale and TARE out to Zero.
- Starting with the water and yeast, mix together until all the yeast is absorbed (mixing gently)
- TARE out between each additional ingredient – add one at a time, do not mix anymore until the all ingredients are added, then remove bowl from scale.
- Mix & fold all the ingredients together, constantly scraping the side of the bowl to include all the flour. Use your scraper to make cuts in the dough as you keep folding as it opens up more moist pockets to help incorporate the flour
- Transfer your dough mixture to the table top (preferable a wood surface) No NOT flour the surface first!
- While using the heel of your palm knead the dough working in an almost circular (up and down) motion and folding the dough back over itself.Knead the dough for 8mins.If the dough sticks to the surface, take a quick moment and scrape it back together with your bread scraper and keep kneading
- Work your dough into a sphere – if it nicely holds it's shape, it's ready. If not, keep kneading
- Let the dough rest for 3 mins on the work surface
Getting Ready For First Rise
- Now it's time to shape it by giving it a top and a bottom
- Lightly dust the top of the dough where it's currently resting, then use your bread scraper to help remove it from its resting spot and flip it onto it's top (dusted side down)
- Gently but firmly press down all over the dough as it flattens from a sphere into a circle – keep checking that it's not sticking to the surface
- Then pull a side out and over just past the middle giving a firm press in and keep pulling from the outside and over to form a new sphere. Stop when you're happy with the shape.
- Roll the dough over, lightly dusting the top again.
- Place the dough back in it's bowl, add another light dusting of flour, then cover with a towel and rest for an hour (based on 70*F room temp – higher temps may need less time, lower may need more. Check the dough around an hour by peeking and it should have almost doubled in size and look real puffy)
Getting Ready For The Second Rise
- Celebrate! This was the hardest part if your dough looks puffy and has risen, you will have a good loaf of bread to eat today!
- Dust the top of the dough again before removing it from the bowl – using the bread scraper, loosen the dough from the walls of the bowl and let it fall out of the bowl to your work surface dusted side down (sticky side up) – give it a little wiggle to ensure it's not sticking to the table – if it does, use your bread scraper to unstick and add a pinch more flour
- Gently and firmly press into the dough sphere again to make a flattened circle like we did above – making sure to not push it out to stretch it, simply pressing down
- Pull one side out and fold it back just over the halfway point – keep repeating (like we did above) until you make another sphere.
- Flip the sphere of dough over and use the cup & turn action to finish shaping the dough sphere.
- Lightly dust the top again and set to the side – cover with a towel and let it rest for 15mins
- While the dough is resting, use a couple drops of your oil to grease the bread pan – use your hand to get into every corner
- Once finished your 15min rest, knead down the dough again into a circle – again making sure the dough is not sticking to the table – add a dash of flour if needed
- Then we are going to grab the circle on both sides, slightly lifting and tapping to the work surface as we stretch out a "wing-like" shape, then flip one "wing" in and down (shaping one side like a triangle), then firmly pressing down from bottom to top hearing some squeaks and pops of air bubbles being worked out.Repeat with other "wing"
- Now you should have a triangle shape. Ensure that the bottom of the triangle isn't longer than your bread pan – it can be shorter, but not longer. Fold over another created "wing" if needed to shorten the bottom.
- Grab the top of the triangle on both sides and give a little tug away from you then roll back onto itself – using your thumbs to press into the dough to join it. Keep repeating – roll and tuck until you reach the bottom of the triangle.
- Tuck in the final piece with a few firm presses – lightly dust all over with flour.Place into your greased bread pan – cover with towel and rest for one hour
Prepare for Baking
- While the dough is doing its final rise, around the 30min mark, start to preheat you oven (400F)
- Dough has finished it's final rise – should be soft yet firm (remember all flours puff up differently, you will get to know your flour better as you use it more)
- Place in the centre of your oven for 30-40mins (RV Oven, route halfway for even cooking)
- Remove from oven – tap side bread pan on work surface a few times to loosen bread from the pan
- Bread should be lightly toasted on all sides – if you hard tap on the sides, it should sound hollow, which means your bread is complete
- Place on cooling rack and allow to cool (if you can wait that long before devouring!)
- Congrats! You've made Bread!
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