Basic Bread Recipe

How to make it

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• Put warm water in a bowl, add sugar and yeast.
• Stir and let sit for a couple of minutes.
• Gradually stir in flour and salt until dough pulls from sides of bowl.
• Lightly flour a surface and put dough onto it to knead.
• Knead dough for 3 minutes.
• Then clean and grease the bowl in which you will let the dough rise.
• Before putting in dough, knead another 3 minutes.
• Form the dough into a ball and put into the greased bowl, turning to grease all sides of the dough.
• Cover with a damp clean dishtowel and let rise until it doubles its size, about 1 to 2 hours.
• Punch down the dough with fist and knead for a minute or so to work out the air.
• Cut dough in half and form two loaves.
• Sprinkle cream of cereal on a cookie sheet, place loaves onto the sheet, and let rise for 45 minutes. Remember you can spray oil this instead of cereal! Your preference here!
• Set the oven to 450F and preheat for 15 minutes.
• Put a casserole or pan on the bottom rack and pour 2 or so cups of boiling water into it.
• Put the cookie sheet with bread on the rack above the water, and bake for 20 minutes.
• When the baking time is over, turn off the oven and leave in the bread for 5 more minutes.
• I put the bread into a grocery bag, either plastic or paper. It keeps very well this way.
• To keep, freeze in foil (after cooled).
• Please try not to refrigerate your bread, as it is really bad for it!
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• My bread bowl is a huge fluted side bowl that I can actually knead the bread in so I do not have to mess up what little counter space I do have in the kitchen. Its green and plastic, works great!
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• I will make this using 6 small bread pans, and serve one of them at a time for dinner in a basket with a nice napkin in it to cover it and keep the bread warm. I put butter and honey butter on the side. My daughters like garlic butter and we all go to town!!! Great with any pasta or meat meal!