Today, I tried to make some bread, and it was quite a journey. I started by gathering all the ingredients, and the most important part was getting the measurements right for the salt and yeast.
I remember someone telling me that too much salt can mess up the yeast, so I was careful. I found out that generally, people use about 1 teaspoon of salt for every cup of flour. I had about 4 cups of flour, so I measured out roughly 4 teaspoons of salt.
- First, I mixed the dry ingredients. I put the flour in a big bowl and then added the salt. I gave it a good stir to make sure the salt was evenly distributed.
- Next, I focused on the yeast. Now, the amount of yeast seemed to depend on the recipe and how long you wanted to let the dough rise. I decided to use about 2 teaspoons of yeast. It seemed like a safe amount.
- I added the yeast to a bit of warm water with a pinch of sugar. I let it sit for a few minutes until it got all foamy. That’s when you know the yeast is active and ready to go.
- Then, I poured the yeast mixture into the bowl with the flour and salt. I also added some more warm water, a little at a time, mixing everything until it formed a sticky dough. It was a bit messy, but that’s part of the fun, right?
- After that, I kneaded the dough for about 10 minutes. I pushed and folded it on a floured surface until it became smooth and elastic. Kneading is a workout, let me tell you!
Let It Rise
Once the dough was ready, I put it in a greased bowl, covered it with a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm place. It took about an hour for the dough to double in size. During this time, I kept an eye on it, making sure it didn’t overflow.
After the first rise, I punched the dough down to release the air. Then, I shaped it into a loaf and let it rise again for another 30 minutes. This second rise helps with the texture of the bread.
Finally, I baked the bread in a preheated oven at 375°F (about 190°C) for around 30-40 minutes. The smell of baking bread filled the whole house, and it was amazing! When the loaf turned golden brown and sounded hollow when tapped on the bottom, I knew it was done.
I let the bread cool for a bit before slicing into it. The first bite was heavenly. It was soft, fluffy, and had just the right amount of saltiness. It felt great to see all that effort pay off. I’m definitely going to try different variations, maybe add some herbs or use different types of flour next time. Making bread from scratch is a lot of work, but it’s so worth it in the end!
