- 1-1/2 cups warm tap water
- 2 tablespoons oil or margarine
- 4 cups of bread flour, or
all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Measure all of the ingredients as accurately
as possible. Accurate measuring is very
important in the bread machine, especially
if you are using the delay cycle.
Begin by removing the bread bucket from the
machine. Make sure the kneading paddle is in
place. Measure 1-1/2 cups of warm water into
the bucket. Add the oil, or margarine.
Sprinkle the flour over the water to sort of
"seal" it off. Add the salt and sugar. Use
your finger to make a small indentation in
the center of the flour. Carefully place the
yeast into the indentation.
Snap the bread bucket into place inside the
bread machine. Close the lid. Select the
Basic Cycle. Press the Start Button. You can
walk away and leave it now, or you can check
it out as it processes, to see how it works.
The machine will begin kneading the dough
right away. After about 10 minutes, you
should see a nice cohesive ball of dough
inside the bread pan. Open the lid and
carefully touch the dough with clean hands.
It should feel exactly the way good bread
dough feels, with a slight clay-like
texture, or like a baby's bottom. If the
dough seems dry you can add a little bit of
water: a teaspoonful at a time. If the dough
seems too moist you can add a little bit of
flour: a teaspoonful at a time. This recipe
is very well tested, and doesn't really need
water or flour to be added. You can add a
teaspoon of each though, if you want the
practice.
Watch the dough for as long as you like.
When you are bored, make sure the lid is
down, and let the machine do it's business.
The dough will mix, then rise, and finally
bake. It's a good idea not to open the lid
while the bread is actually baking. The heat
loss, may make the bread under cook a
little. When the machine beeps, signaling it
is done, turn the machine off by pressing
the Start/Stop button.
Use potholders to remove the hot bread
bucket from the machine. Be careful not to
burn yourself. Turn the bread bucket upside
down and the dough should fall out easily.
If it doesn't, then tap it gently to get the
bread to release itself. If the kneading
paddle is stuck inside the loaf you can
remove it with a chopstick or the end of a
wooden spoon. Do not use a metal tool to
remove the kneading blade. Use a plastic or
wooden tool, so you don't mar the non-stick
surface of the blade.
Allow the bread to cool down some before you
slice it. Use a serrated (bumpy-edged) knife
to slice the bread. This recipe makes a 2
pound loaf of bread.
|