How to Make Bread

"Mix the water and sugar and, if desired, salt in the big bowl. Add the yeast. Go post a couple of messages to K5. When you come back, the yeast should have grown to form a stinky scum on the water."

What you will need:

• 2 3/4 cups (about 650 ml) of warm water
• Some flour (about 8 cups, though it varies). Regular, unbleached white flour works well. Whole wheat flour rises slowly, due to the lack of gluten, but a mix of 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour gives good results.
• Two packets of dried yeast.
• Three tablespoons (about 45 ml) of sugar or malt extract
• A bit less than a tablespoon (about 10 ml) of salt (optional)
• Shortening--butter, oil, lard, anything that's greasy and edible
• A big bowl
• Two bread loaf pans
• A big horizontal surface--a countertop works well
• Paper towels
• A spoon and a knife
• An oven
• A rack of some sort, or just the top of the stove
• Some butter for later

Procedure

Mix the water and sugar and, if desired, salt in the big bowl. Add the yeast. Go post a couple of messages to K5. When you come back, the yeast should have grown to form a stinky scum on the water.

more...

Excerpted from an article published at Kuro5hin.org March 15, 2003

clipped March 15, 2003

John's Molasses Bread

Here's my basic molasses bread recipe.

Collection: Food and Cooking