Dough is all you knead – Home baked breads!

It has been a while since my last post, but I must say my day at the kitchen today has been the most satisfying in the many days I have spent venturing around with baking goodies for everyone. Baking bread has always been on the list of my “must conquer before I die” recipes, macarons being the next which hopefully will turn out successfully after a series of flop cases earlier. Bread always seemed challenging owing to the misconceptions that many new bakers in the kitchen keep in mind like the yeast might just not “wake up” or the kneading would get messed up or the buns might just end up looking like stones in the oven. As a amateur baker myself, I was particularly cautious while considering this as my next baking venture. Having my cousin around makes it an additional bonus. An equally passionate baker and budding chef of the family, she somehow convinced me that bread would not be a bad idea after all. With a swift visit to the nearby supermarket and a quick siesta before we could get started after a scrumptious lunch prepared by mom, we got started with what seems to be the trickiest part of the bread making process and that is activating the yeast. These tiny granules make all the difference in the process and of course for any baker is the make or break factor for bread recipes.

But all seemed well in the end. With a recipe as simple as the one I am about to share, there is little space for messing up. For bakers thinking bread baking is a challenge, this recipe will change your mind for sure. Simple ingredients and simple steps, your kitchen will soon smell like that beloved bakery around the corner, and what’s better than baked with love bread!

90 ml milk
30 gms butter, softened ( at room temperature )
11gms instant yeast granules
3/4 cup water, room temperature – not too warm and not too cold either
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
250 gms all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

First begin by activating the yeast. Take 3/4 cup of room temperature water in a bowl. Ensure that the water is just right and not too warm or too cold. This is essential to activate the yeast. Dilute yeast in water by stirring well. Keep aside.

In another bowl, heat milk in a microwave along with the butter for a minute or two. Taking a bigger mixing bowl on the other hand, mix together yeast mixture and milk/butter mixture and stir well.

Add sugar and salt. In case you need the bread to be sweeter, feel free to add extra quantity of sugar.

Sift together flour and baking powder in another bowl. Add half of the flour to the wet mixture and gradually keep adding the flour till the mixture thickens. Keep kneading for ten to fifteen minutes. Remove dough from bowl and knead on a flat surface dusted with flour as the dough in this stage will be extremely sticky. Add additional flour if needed.

Place dough in a bowl and cling wrap it. Keep aside for fifteen or twenty minutes to allow the dough to rise. A good rise is a sign of the activated yeast, If this happens you are going on the right track.

Dust a flat surface with flour. Remove risen dough and divide into equal quantities and place on a baking tray with baking paper. This can make simple round buns. My adorably talented cousin prepared plaited bread, both with 3 and five plaits which I think are just awesome!

You can also shape them like cinnamon rolls and top them with chocolate chips and sliced almond like I did, being the chocoholic I am!

If you have guests coming home for dinner, plaited bread rolls with sesame and oregano topping would be perfect!

Coming back to the recipe, place cut out dough balls in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees C, and bake until golden brown.

Best served warm !

This is just one of those recipes I am excited to share just as much as I was excited to bake. That’s all from me tonight, time to catch up on my sleep after this truly satisfying experience.

Until my next post, Happy Baking and Gnite!

xo