Baking a Bread
Aug. 13th, 2013 04:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
potato_headSo, I made a bread!
Actually, I did this like a week ago, and kept meaning to make a proper post about it, but I kept putting it off.
So I used this recipe to start, but made some variations with it, because I cannot comprehend putting store-bought Italian dressing on homemade bread (no offense if that sounds good to you).
The dough recipe remained the same, except we added a good dose of garlic powder to it (I didn't measure it, so I'm not sure how much...just add to taste. It will smell stronger than it will taste.) If your yeast comes in packets, one packet SHOULD be approx. a tablespoon, but if you're not sure, check the back and see if there's a recommendation or recipe that will give you a hint of how many cups of flour per packet of yeast. We coated the inside of the bowl with olive oil (I mention this because the recipe says to 'grease' the bowl, and Paige thought we were supposed to spray it with pam...)
Here's what it looked like before rising (sorry for the weird lighting, I just lifted the towel we covered it with):
And after rising! Mixing bowl markers conveniently give you some idea of how much it rose.
We baked it on a pizza stone in the oven. Coat the pizza stone with flour, and make sure you have a pretty young woman to stare at it. (You probably don't have a Paige on hand, so any pretty young woman will do.)
Punch down the expanded dough-ball, put it on the pizza stone (or pan, but if you have a stone I strongly recommend using the stone). Press it out round. You don't need to use a rolling pin or anything like that, just press with your hands, it should go easily enough. You might have to slap it around a bit if it's feeling a bit elastic/insolent. (Seriously, if you're having trouble getting it to stay in the shape you want, give it a hard smack. You didn't punch it down thoroughly enough.)
Once it's flat, top with toppings. We brushed the top with some more olive oil, then sprinkled with dry basil, then shredded mozzarella on top. You can really add whatever you want. You can even make it a proper pizza if you like, although I'd cook it some before adding the sauce.
Allow your adorable assistant a swig of olive oil while the bread bakes. Contrary to popular belief, assistants are human and do require occasional feeding to survive.
We had it in the oven at 450 F for only 13 minutes or so, not 15. Check on it to be sure it doesn't burn.
Slice it however you like! Everyone in my family likes to slice it in pizza triangles (I would rather slice it in strips, but somebody else always gets to it first...) it's easiest to use a rolling pizza slicer. Paige likes to dip it in some olive oil; I eat it plain. You could dip it in marinara sauce, too.
It's really super simple and quick to make, as far as breads go. Even moreso than most of my cookie recipes.
Actually, I did this like a week ago, and kept meaning to make a proper post about it, but I kept putting it off.
So I used this recipe to start, but made some variations with it, because I cannot comprehend putting store-bought Italian dressing on homemade bread (no offense if that sounds good to you).
The dough recipe remained the same, except we added a good dose of garlic powder to it (I didn't measure it, so I'm not sure how much...just add to taste. It will smell stronger than it will taste.) If your yeast comes in packets, one packet SHOULD be approx. a tablespoon, but if you're not sure, check the back and see if there's a recommendation or recipe that will give you a hint of how many cups of flour per packet of yeast. We coated the inside of the bowl with olive oil (I mention this because the recipe says to 'grease' the bowl, and Paige thought we were supposed to spray it with pam...)
Here's what it looked like before rising (sorry for the weird lighting, I just lifted the towel we covered it with):
And after rising! Mixing bowl markers conveniently give you some idea of how much it rose.
We baked it on a pizza stone in the oven. Coat the pizza stone with flour, and make sure you have a pretty young woman to stare at it. (You probably don't have a Paige on hand, so any pretty young woman will do.)
Punch down the expanded dough-ball, put it on the pizza stone (or pan, but if you have a stone I strongly recommend using the stone). Press it out round. You don't need to use a rolling pin or anything like that, just press with your hands, it should go easily enough. You might have to slap it around a bit if it's feeling a bit elastic/insolent. (Seriously, if you're having trouble getting it to stay in the shape you want, give it a hard smack. You didn't punch it down thoroughly enough.)
Once it's flat, top with toppings. We brushed the top with some more olive oil, then sprinkled with dry basil, then shredded mozzarella on top. You can really add whatever you want. You can even make it a proper pizza if you like, although I'd cook it some before adding the sauce.
Allow your adorable assistant a swig of olive oil while the bread bakes. Contrary to popular belief, assistants are human and do require occasional feeding to survive.
We had it in the oven at 450 F for only 13 minutes or so, not 15. Check on it to be sure it doesn't burn.
Slice it however you like! Everyone in my family likes to slice it in pizza triangles (I would rather slice it in strips, but somebody else always gets to it first...) it's easiest to use a rolling pizza slicer. Paige likes to dip it in some olive oil; I eat it plain. You could dip it in marinara sauce, too.
It's really super simple and quick to make, as far as breads go. Even moreso than most of my cookie recipes.
