The recipe ingredients
1 1/4 c water (luke warm??)
2 TBSP active yeast
1/4 cup sugar (??)
1/4 TSP salt
5 cups of AP flour (3-4 cups whole wheat)
oil to coat dough for rises
1 extra large egg and some honey, for coating bread
before baking
Method:
1) Add 2 cups of hot water, two tbsp sugar and two tablespoons of
yeast. in a large bowl; proof 10-15 minutes
2) Add more sugar 2+ tbsp, the salt required
3) Add to mixture 2 cups of flour, stir
4) Add 1 more cup of Flour stir until thick, then get hands in and
begin to knead the dough.
5) Add 1/2 cup there after each time needed; dough should only be
slightly sticky, like tape, not gumming up the fingers, not so dry as to be no
stick at all...towards the end, flour your hands while kneading, to keep from
adding too much flour, and get the dough to the right consistency. Knead for 15
minutes.
Kneading is an art in itself. Some believe you have
to have a floured bread board, or some large bowl with flour in it... myself, I
found just handling the dough, twisting and folding it, was the easiest method
here. Unless one is making dough for 4+ loaves of bread, there is no need for
anything more.
For making bread:
Divide into two balls, coat with oil and set
aside to rise in separate bowls, covered.
Let rise for 1 hour in pan, to double, punch
down, and either braid the bread with 3 ropes of dough, or re-coat ball with oil and let rise again, until suitable.
(It was chilly in the house, so I left it to rise again for 1
hour, but normally it should only take 30 minutes, according to the recipe.
This is something to keep in mind for later. Have read that heating the oven to
200 and turn it off, and putting the pan or tray in the oven, with the door
ajar, will get it to rising temperature in a chilly house)
Coat bread with the honey egg solution, and
sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds on top
or
Coat with flour and slash with a bread knife
either diagonally or horizontally, and put a tray of water in the oven; this
will ensure a firm crust.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until crust is
golden brown
For making buns:
don't let rise, flatten to 1/2 inch,
cut into circles with large cup, (I got 6 buns) and lay on tray... let rise for
30 minutes to 1 hour depending on how you want them. They did tend to rise a
bit more in the oven when left to rise for 30 minutes. Haven't done a batch for
1 hour yet ;)
Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees...
