Bread for Dummies

Where are you letting it rise? My house tends to be a little cool for proper rising so I place my bread in a metal bowl on the top rank of the oven and then I put a bowl of very hot water on the lower rack and close the door and let it rise.

I can't make bread, biscuits, and scratch cookies....There, I admitted it....lol. If they come out of a box to be mixed or the fridge/freezer and I simply put them in the oven they usually turn out perfect.

The last loaf of bread I tried to make was even a box mix. All I had to do was add water at the right time. It mixed, kneaded, rose, and did it's thing and while it was baking it smelled so darn good! But when I opened the bread machine I had this bread bucket. It had made a perfect bucket. I could have made a hot air balloon and put this underneath had I wanted to try and eat it.

Don't feel bad, some of us are handicapped when it comes to this.

Use fresh yeast, make sure the water you mix it in is not too hot (between 80F to 110F degrees is fine).
Knead it twice for about 5 to 10 min each time - over kneading can make bread tough - add enough flour to keep it from sticking but no more than that.
I've got a little kitchen thermometer I use when I make bread - I use it so I know my water isn't too hot or cold and to gauge how warm my rising spot is.
(The microwave over my stove stays a perfect 90F degrees when I leave the stove light on - perfect for rising!)

Looks as if you answered your own question! Your link looks like a good way to start. I like making bread, although my husband says it's not as good as icky white bread for sandwiches. When you graduate to the next level, you'll find that bread-making isn't really hard or confusing, although it does take time. It's a very sensible food to make. Your skill level will rise the more you do it - you'll find the best place in your house for the dough to rise, and you'll learn to evaluate your dough by the feel of it. Have fun!

Thank you for asking this, I have never made a loaf of bread that was edible.. They always turn out like bricks.

make sure your yeast is fresh.
don't over-knead.
make sure your proofing area is warm enough (that's usually why mine doesn't rise enough.)
practice!
:) khairete
S.

I make bread with my little ones and it almost always comes out OK.

Be patient for the yeast to activate (and feed it sugar or beer).
Be patient for the bread to rise 2x
Do not not knead too much. One song's worth is plenty. :)

We use an old Better Homes cookbook for the recipe but I have also used the one on the side of the yeast package and had it work out.

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/ is a great baking resource site.

There are videos here.

I used to make bread and lavosh and even won awards for it!
But I don't bake bread anymore.
It just takes so much time!
And well, in the grocery store, there is frozen bread dough you can buy, then bake yourself at home!
LOL

I love this book and have always had great results ...

http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revoluti...

From Amazon ... "...no kneading, no starter, no proofing yeast and no need for a bread machine is based on the concept of mixed and risen high-moisture dough stored in the fridge for up to two weeks (dough is cut into pieces and popped in the oven for fresh loaves as desired)."

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/no-knead-beer-bread/detail.aspx

there is a video also

I make bread on a regular basis. White, whole wheat, specialty breads, etc. My first few attempts were awful! Once you get it down though, it becomes so easy that you'll wonder why you ever had trouble.

I just looked at the Jezebel recipe you linked and it ridiculously awful with terrible directions. There is no way you'll have really good bread this way.

Problems:
- scooping up flour with a cup is a great way to end up with dense bread. Always spoon flour into the measuring cup, then level with a knife.
- not kneading the dough means it can't form the gluten chains that give it a lovely structure and texture
- they are missing two key yeast bread ingredients, a sugar and a fat.

The link someone posted below for Amish white bread is a little high on sugar for me, but the technique is great. Try this for a single 1.5 lb loaf:

3 C all purpose flour
1 C warm milk
1 rounded TBS sugar
1.5 tsp salt
2 TBS Crisco shortening
1.5 tsp yeast

Then follow the directions in the Amish recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/amish-white-bread/detail.aspx

I recommend that you use quick-yeast that comes in a jar, not packets.