Bread Baking 101

I love making bread. And I make sure to it that we have this particular loaf going at any given moment in time at my house. It seriously is a fantastic recipe, and I’ve had so many people say that it is some of the best bread they have ever had. It’s simpler than you’d think.

Sandwich Bread

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 packet (2 1/2 tsp) either active rise or quick rise yeast (both work)
• 3 cups all purpose flour plus more for kneading
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbs neutral tasting oil (I’ve actually made it without once accidentally and it worked out fine)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

First and foremost you have to proof your yeast. I use a glass cereal bowl. In your bowl of choice, dissolve together the sugar, 1/4 cup of water, and yeast. Allow it to bloom for around 10 minutes. I generally allow it to go longer, sometimes for around 20 to 30 minutes.

Next, in a large mixing bowl, combine your yeast mixture with one cup of flour, the 1 cup of water, the oil, and salt. Add in the remaining two cups of flour, stirring in-between each addition. When you can pretty much form something of a kneadable dough, turn onto a well floured surface and start kneading your bread dough until smooth and elastic (around 10 minutes), adding more flour as necessary.

Form into a dough ball…

…and place into a large-ish greased bowl, and cover with a warm, damp rag.

Leave your dough to rise in a draft-free area until it doubles in size (the time will vary depending on what type of yeast you use.)

When it has doubled in size, punch that sucker down like you’re punching Rick Perry in the face! (okay, maybe not that hard…just deflate it, mmkay?)

Now form into a jellyroll-ish shape, sealing the edges and seams, and place in a 9×5 loaf pan, sprayed with nonstick. Cover again and allow it to raise.

Once it starts to peak over the top edge a little bit (see image below), preheat your oven to 375F.

Your bread should be about this high when your oven is finished pre heating…

I'm oven ready!

Now bake for 25 minutes.

Voila! Bread!

Bread!

You can pretty much take it out of the pan right away to cool on a cooling rack. For best sliceability, allow the bread to cool completely, otherwise it smooshes. And no one wants a smooshed down loaf.

If you want to use whole wheat flour, I suggest using white whole wheat, and only about a cup replaced at most. Otherwise it doesn’t raise all that well. Unless you don’t mind a dense loaf of bread.

Oh, and my favourite brand of yeast is Hodgsons Mills yeast. It even make whole wheat loaves rise to tremendous heights.

 

Sound too daunting still? How about a batch of cookies instead? Try out these. They’re easy, delicious, and sure to please.

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

 

Yields 16 cookies

 

Ingredients:

 

Cookies:

 

• 1/2 cup vegan margarine
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tbs ener-g egg replacer mixed with 1 tbs warm water
• 1 tbs almond (or preferred nondairy) milk
• 1/2 tbs vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbs cinnamon sugar (2 tbs white sugar plus your preferred amount of cinnamon)

 

Glaze:

 

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 tbs tofutti better than cream cheese
• 3 tbs nondairy milk (or a little more if necessary)

 

Directions:

 

Cream together the margarine and sugar. When well creamed, mix in the egg replacer mixture, nondairy milk, and vanilla. Beat in your dry ingredients except for the cinnamon sugar, to form a dry dough. On a floured surface, as best you can, form into a rectangle and roll with a rolling pin to about 1/8″ in thickness. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the dough, and roll as you would a cinnamon roll (just pinch together any cracks). Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the freezer until firm.

 

Once firm and sliceable, preheat your oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice in to 16 cookies, place on the baking sheet and bake for 9 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet.

 

While they cool, make your icing by beating the icing ingredients together. You can just do so with a wooden spoon – no need to break out the beaters. When your cookies have cooled, drizzle or frost the cookies with the icing.

 

It’s going to be so weird. A week from now I will have not much time to bake, and will only be cooking for myself. Talk about an adjustment! Makes my stomach feel a little queezy thinking about it…