Yeast Bread Recipes

QUICK YEAST BREAD

Steps:

• Put 4 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar and salt into large bowl.
• Pour in hot water and oil and mix until combined- it will be sticky.
• Add the remaining flour in increments until dough is no longer sticky.
• Knead for about 5 minutes until dough is elastic and smooth.
• Place dough back into bowl and cover with a damp teatowel and let it rise until double its size- about 1/2 hour.
• Punch it down and divide dough into two pieces.
• Roll pieces long enough to fill two well oiled loaf pans and leave to rise until dough has reached the rim of the pan.
• Bake at 400F for 40 minutes.
• Rub hot breads with water and wrap in a teatowel to'sweat' to soften the crust.

YEAST BREAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients. You can make the bread by hand or use a stand mixer with a dough hook to speed up the process.
• Place the dried yeast in a small jug, add the sugar, and 1/4 cup of the lukewarm water. Stir and put to one side. Keep checking the jug and within 10 minutes, it should be bubbling and foamy. If it is not, leave a little longer, the speed is often dependent on the ambient air temperature; on a cold day, it can take longer.
• Put the flour and butter into a large baking bowl. Add the salt and once the yeast is foaming, add this to the bowl and gently stir with a spoon until everything is combined.
• Add half the remaining lukewarm water and mix with your fingers, then gradually add more water a little at a time until you have a soft but not sticky dough. The precise amount of water you will need depends on several things, including the flour you are using, sometimes even the weather. The most important thing is to stop once the dough once it is as described above.
• Now is the time to knead the dough . You can use a stand mixer for 6 to 8 minutes or knead on the work surface as follows. Gather the dough into a ball and fold it in half towards you. Press down and away from you firmly, but lightly with the heels of your hands. Turn dough 1/4 turn and repeat process. Do this for about 4 or 5 minutes, working quickly until the dough is smooth and stretchy. It is ready when it is soft and pliable without any stickiness.
• Using a little olive oil, lightly grease a clean mixing bowl and put the dough in. Cover the bowl with a towel and set in a warm spot to proof , this will take about an hour. Once doubled, press fingers gently into the dough and the indentation will remain when you remove your fingers.
• Line a baking sheet with either a silicone mat or paper. Scrape the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and knock out the air by quickly kneading for a few turns. Once flattened, roll up the dough, turn 45 degrees, and roll up again. Do this twice more the gently smooth the dough into a loaf shape.
• Put the loaf onto the baking tray, cover again with a damp towel, and leave to prove for another hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 F.
• Remove the cloth, sprinkle a little flour over the surface of the bread, and ever so gently rub it in with losing any air or height from the loaf. With a thin, sharp knife, slash the surface, no more than a quarter-inch deep, 3 or 4 times, then criss-cross the opposite creating a diamond pattern.
• Bake in the center of the hot oven for 30 minutes until beautifully risen and golden brown. You will know the bread is cooked when it makes a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Note: If you want a crustier loaf, read the notes below on adding steam to your oven.
• Remove from the oven and leave to go cold on a cooling rack. Eats with lots of butter and enjoy. The bread is best eaten fresh the day it is made, though it does make delicious toast. The loaf also freezes well, defrost slowly overnight in the fridge when you want to eat it.

WHITE YEAST BREAD

Steps:

• In a measuring cup, mix the sugar with a 1/2 cup of the warm water and yeast and let stand in a warm place for 5 minutes, or until frothy. If using fast-acting yeast, there is no need to let the mixture stand.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Rub in the butter, and make a well in the center. If using olive oil instead of butter, pour the olive oil into the remaining 1 1/2 cups water. Pour in the yeast mixture and most of the remaining water (and the olive oil, if using). Mix to a loose dough, adding the remaining water if needed, plus extra if necessary.
• Knead the mixture until the dough is smooth and springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. If kneading in an electric food mixer with a dough hook, 5 minutes is usually long enough.
• Put the dough in a large oiled bowl. Cover the top tightly with plastic wrap, and place somewhere warm to rise, until it is doubled in size. This may take up to 2 or even (on a cold day) 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• When the dough has more than doubled in size, punch down, and knead again for 2 to 3 minutes. Leave to relax for 10 minutes before you begin to shape the bread.
• Shape the bread into loaves or rolls, and then transfer to a baking tray, and cover with a clean tea or dish towel. Allow to rise again in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes, until the shaped dough has again doubled in size. When the dough has fully risen, it should leave a dent when you gently press the dough with your finger.
• The bread is full of air at this point, and therefore very fragile, gently brush the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds, if using, or dust lightly with flour for a rustic-looking loaf.
• Bake in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes for a loaf, depending on its size, or 10 to 15 minutes for rolls, Turn the heat down to 400 degrees F, after 15 minutes for the remaining baking time. When baked, the bread should sound hollow when tapped on the base. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool.

FRESH YEAST BREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand 10 minutes.
• In a very large bowl, combine hot water, white sugar, salt and shortening. Stir to dissolve shortening; let cool to lukewarm. Add the yeast mixture and 6 cups of flour; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.
• Lightly oil two large bowls Divide the dough in half and place each half in a bowl; turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate dough, form into rounds and let rise again until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into six equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into six lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until loaves are golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped.

SIMPLE YEAST BREAD / DOUGH

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup warm water with 2 tablespoons of yeast and in a large mixing bowl and set aside for about 5 minutes.
• Combine the 1 1/4 cups warm water with the butter or oil and add to the yeast mixture after it has expanded.
• Combine the salt and flour and add 2 cups of flour to the yeast / water mixture and mix well.
• Continue adding flour until a soft dough forms and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the soft dough out onto a well floured surface and knead in remaining flour, continuing to knead for about 10 minute until the dough is very soft and pliable.
• Place the dough into a well-greased pan, turning once to coat and allow to rise for about 1 1/2 hours. Dough is ready when doubled in size and indentation remains when pressing a finger into the center.
• Press to deflate and shape the dough as you desire. You can use it to make mini pizzas, hot dog wraps, 2 regular sized pizzas, 2 loafs of bread or cinnamon bread.
• After shaping the dough, allow to rise again for 10-15 minutes before baking. Bake in a very hot oven (450-500 F) for 12-15 minutes. Check for desired golden color / doneness. Ovens vary in cooking time, so check the dough at about 10 minute and then adjust the cooking time / temperature according to your oven.