The Best Thing

Homemade Loaf Bread… Oh, and dinner rolls too.

Homemade white loaf bread… better than the loaves you get at the supermarket… actually, it’s the best thing since…well, sliced bread! So, I paused the Basket Case posting for now. It’s the end of the semester for my Paralegal Studies courses and I’ve been studying for finals… Let me just tell you… managing my coursework, the kids’ “distance learning”, their Zoom meetings, their constant “Mom, I’m hungry!” proclamations and all of the other daily routines/tasks…it’s enough to have me reaching for an extra glass of wine before bed… or at least an early bedtime. So once, I was caught up on my assignments and housework, I started going over the list of stuff I wanted to make for the blog. I happened upon this recipe earlier today and since Chelsea has been begging to help me out in the kitchen, I figured we could make some sandwich loaves today. I made a few alterations to the original recipe, simply because it failed us the first round… you’ll see. I mean, with the restrictions on bread purchases and the fact that there’s less and less available to you in the stores, it’s a good recipe to have in your arsenal. Follow along as Chelsea and I make not one but two batches of bread.

Ingredients

• 3 cups All-Purpose Flour, 1/2 cup AP flour divided
• 1 1/4 Kosher Salt, course
• 2 TBSP active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup Canola Oil
• 2 eggs – one for the recipe, one for egg washing.

Instructions

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, yeast and warm water, set aside to bloom for 5 mins.

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Step 2: Add oil, one egg, salt and 1 1/2 cups flour, mix then add another 1 1/2 cups flour and knead by hand for 5 minutes, incorporate a dusting of the additional 1/2 cup AP flour as needed. **The dough should be firm but pliable**

Step 3: Work dough into a ball and set in lightly greased bowl , cover and set in warm place for 30-45 minutes or until dough doubles in size.

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Step 4: Punch down dough cut into two sections and knead for an additional 3-4 minutes, this is to build up gluten and strengthen the structure of the bread.

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Step 5: Form dough into two flatten-ish-ed rectangles then starting from the side closest to you, roll each one into a long cylindrical shape, tuck the ends underneath and place in two separate loaf pans.

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Step 6: Cover with a tea towel and set in a warm place to rise for an additional 20-30 mins, or until the top of the dough has reached the top of the pan.

Step 7: Egg wash and bake at 375*F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and the internal temp reaches 195-200 degrees. **Tip: when temping the bread, do not insert the thermometer at the top of the loaf. This could cause your loaf to deflate. Insert the thermometer in the corner nearest the pan and as low as possible.

Step 8: When your bread is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely before slicing into it…. I know… I know. It’s hard. But ya gotta let it cool. Trust me, it’ll be worth it!

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**NOTE: I divided this loaf into two different sized pans (10in and 8in). And I still didn’t get the height I was hoping for out of this recipe. I have intentions of doing this one again and not dividing it. I’m hopeful that I will get the height I’m looking for then. **Got any tips or strategies you want to share? Let me know in the comments below!**

Ok… so now that you’ve got the RIGHT recipe… let me tell you how we ended up with dinner rolls too! Chelsea and I followed this other recipe to a ‘T’. Out of respect for the author, I won’t share the link, but suffice to say, it was… not what we were hoping it would be. Ultimately, in the first proofing stage, it didn’t rise… like not even a little bit. By process of elimination, I know it wasn’t the yeast or the kneading; however, I figured out what it was and then altered the recipe the second time around; which is what you see above.

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Well, since we still had that other dough, I figured it was time to teach Chelsea how to roll dinner rolls. I remember learning that particular skill in my baking class. My instructor, Chef Gibson (he was an amazing instructor), taught us how to roll the dough using the tabletop surface and I just remember being in awe by that! It seems like such a simple concept now, but at the time I just remember thinking how much I envied his experience and knowledge of all things bread. Anyway… back to Chelsea! She was so excited to learn how to roll the dough and I swear as I was taking these photos of her tonight, I saw her eyes light up just as mine did.

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It’s these moments y’all… these are the ones I want them remembering about being stuck at home. I want them to remember baking bread and sweets with Mommy in the kitchen daydreaming of opening their own bakery. Playing the electric guitar with Daddy and talking about starting a band! Staying up late watching movies in a fort eating ice cream on a Wednesday! Sheltering at home doesn’t have to suck. Find what makes those moments special for your family and DO THEM! They’re not going to remember how clean your house was. But they will remember that you made every effort to see them smile and hear them laugh.

#BakeTheBread #MakeAndBake #AllTheThings

#WorkHard #StayHumble #NeverthelessPersist