Gò0dNews for your Taste Buds Surviving the Pandemic from the Kitchen! by Angie Parris
I
don’t know about anyone else, but when I am stressed…I like to bake. There is nothing better than the smell of fresh bread rising and baking. There is nothing more intimidating as the thought of making fresh bread for anyone other than experienced bakers. I have found myself in the kitchen during this pandemic, looking for items to bake. The need for distraction has never been greater. The moment I spotted yeast, which seems to be a hot commodity…I knew a fresh loaf of bread was in my future. Whipping up things in the kitchen can be more than just creating meals or comfort foods. In fact, baking has been found to have therapeutic value which helps to ease depression and anxiety. Any activity which takes your whole attention can have calming and therapeutic qualities. Gathering ingredients, following a recipe, mixing and kneading truly lend a therapeutic quality to this recipe. This recipe is pretty simple and turns out beautifully but will give you such a sense of accomplishment and pride when your family enjoys this with their next meal! Give it a try! I hope you will feel much more relaxed and your entire family enjoys the fresh baked goodness.
Beautiful Loaf Bread Ingredients • 2 cups water • 2/3 cups sugar • 1 ½ tablespoons Active Dry Yeast • 1 ½ teaspoons salt • ¼ cup vegetable oil • 5 ½ - 6 cups All Purpose Flour • Two large bowls • 2 Loaf Pans
Instructions Heat water to 110 degrees F. This is what I do: Heat ½ cup water in a microwave safe bowl for one minute. This will boil the water. Then add tap water from the faucet until you reach 2 cups of water. Add the sugar to the water you just heated and stir it up. Add the active dry yeast and let it set for exactly 10 minutes. It will become frothy. After 10 minutes, mix in the oil and salt. Slowly add one cup of flour at a time to the yeast mixture. You might not use all of the flour. It depends on how wet the dough is towards the end. You want to get a good non-sticky dough consistency and it will form a ball. Once the dough forms a ball, you will need to knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the surface with flour before you begin. When you feel the dough get sticky, sprinkle more flour over the top while you knead it. When kneading is complete, you should be able to lift a small piece of dough without tearing it, just a gentle stretch. Spray a large bowl with non stick cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a damp towel. Let this dough rise for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. After the dough has risen, punch down the middle part of the dough and pull from the sides of the bowl. Split this into 2 equal parts and place them in greased loaf pans. Gently shape to match the loaf pan shape. Allow these to sit uncovered for another 30 minutes to rise. Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until they are cooked thoroughly. Feel free to brush with melted butter when they come out of the oven. Transfer to cooling rack. Enjoy a warm slice with butter and honey…you’ll be glad you did!
42 // July 2020
