Bread Experimentation #1

So we have had a few failed attempts at bread making and I have offered to take up the reins in our house and continue the experimentation.

I was planning to use a lovely recipe from the Frugal Girl (she does beautiful baking) but her sandwich recipe calls for milk. Being somewhat lactose intolerant in our house we don't often have milk on hand. As a result, I did a combination of her french bread recipe and my friend Sarah's no knead recipe.

I have a Kitchenaid mixer that I love very much (it was my granny's). But I didn't quite understand how to use it. So I started mixing in the cuisinart, then ended up doing it by hand and wooden spoon, ending up with the kneading process.

The final product was very delicious but I panicked about how long to bake for and pulled it out after 20 minutes. I think a carefully watched additional 5 minutes would be ideal.

1) Heat 3 cups of water to 120 degrees

2) Add 1.5 tbsp yeast, 1.5 tbsp sea salt, 1/2 tbsp sugar

3) leave to get very foamy (1 hour or so)

4) mix in 6.5 cups of flour till just mixed in (did 1/3 whole wheat, 2/3 unbleached white)

(This is where I veered off course)

5) Sarah says don't knead. I decided to knead for 3-5 minutes as the Frugal Girl does.

By the way, the dough was not too dry when I started to knead, then became smooth and elastic.

6) I left to rise for 1 hour or so with a damp cloth over top of the bowl.

7) I punched it, divided it into 2. Then I gently rolled it into a rectangular shape.

8) I folded it into a bread shape to fit into 2 bread pans.

9) I left it to double in size again in the bread pans covered with a damp cloth.

10) I preheated the oven to 400 degrees with a pan on the lower rack.

11) I put the bread in to the oven. Then with oven mitts on I threw a cup of water into the lower pan and quickly shut the oven.

12) I pulled it out at 20 minutes but it was a touch under cooked in the middle. Would recommend 5 more minutes.

No pics with this experimentation- we gobbled it up fast.