Let's bake bread: A great way to make food and pass the time!

Times like this call for some back-to-basics strategies. Don't you think?

Right now Covid-19 is rippling its way across the globe. Many of us are hunkered down at home, either trying to make do until we get to work again, or we are working from home because we have been ordered to do so by our employers until further notice.

This is a good; I believe it will go a long way toward slowing the spread of coronavirus and "flattening the curve," as they say.

Image source: Pixabay

Meanwhile, what do we do to pass the time? Sure, we can obsess about the Steem/Hive drama. But really, that's going to start to wear thin. We need to get back to real life, real world pursuits that enrich our lives. And we need to eat! Hopefully bread and flour and other necessities are not dwindling where you are. But if you can at least get some flower and yeast, you can bake a loaf of bread. I can almost guarantee it will make you feel better. And your kitchen will smell divine.

Here's my tried-and-true recipe book for bread. Don't worry that it says "bread machine" on it. That's optional.

This recipe is called "Heavenly Whole Wheat Bread" and is from Bread Machine Magic, a book I have owned and used approximately forever. It was authored by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway, and published in 1992. It is old and stained from many many uses, and is actually falling apart. And I will never part with it!

So here’s the recipe. I’m providing a picture out of the book, rather than retyping it. I use the 1 1/2 pound load recipe.

Don't worry if you don't have potato flakes. (That is dry mashed potatoes in a box.) You can add a 1/4 cup of oatmeal or other grain.

In the following steps, we’re going to get the bread ready to turn into a bread loaf and let it rise. If you have a bread maker, you can actually let it do all the work from mixing through baking. But I don’t really like the square, compact loaf that comes out of my bread maker. So I’m going to show you how to make a lovely loaf that is the perfect size for toast, sandwiches or whatever you like, and has a great consistency.

Mixing and Kneading the Dough

Here are instructions for without and without a bread maker:
If you don’t have a bread maker, never fear! All you have to do is mix all the ingredients, then put it out on a floured surface and knead it until it has a nice slightly tough consistency and you can form it into a ball. Place the dough ball in a greased bowl and put a towel over the top, then let it rise for an hour.

If you do have a bread maker, put all the ingredients in the bread maker and turn it to the dough setting. This will mix the bread dough and do all the kneading for you. At the end of the cycle, turn off the bread maker and pull out the ball of dough.

Forming the Loaf and Letting It Rise

Now you have a nicely risen dough blob! The next step is to form it into a nice loaf shape. Here are the steps:

1. Choose the pan you’re going to use. It can be a cookie sheet, a loaf pan or a stone. I prefer a stone. I think it does a really nice job of evenly baking the bread. But if you don’t have one you can use one of the other options.
2. Lightly sprinkle the bottom of the pan or the surface of the sheet or stone with some cornmeal or flour.
3. Knead the dough a few times and form it into the shape you like, then place it in or on your pan.
4. Now you can brush the surface with a bit of olive oil or egg white if you like, and give it some fancy slashes.
   
5. Cover the bread with a towel and place it in a slightly warmed place, like the oven.
   
6. Let the dough rise for about half an hour until it has a nice full shape.

Baking the Bread

Set the oven to 400 degrees F. This phase is super simple:

1. Remove the towel from the top of the bread.
2. Place the pan in the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.
3. Make sure it’s a nice crisp golden brown at the end of the 25 minutes, or leave it in for 5 minutes more.
4. Take it out and let it cool on a rack before slicing.

That’s it. Then cut it and enjoy! Look at that beautiful texture.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

@jayna