Homemade Bread: My Comfort Food

I used to bake five loaves of bread per week. Okay, maybe I should rephrase. One week, I baked five loaves of bread.

This was not that week but I did bake two and they were delicious. Warm and fresh. Wow! I love bread in general and homemade bread is extra special. It always makes me think of my mom’s (and my) dear friend Billie. She was my Sunday School teacher many-a-year. Our families vacationed together everywhere from California to Pennsylvania’s Amish country. I’ve eaten innumerable delicious and comforting meals around her table and she has taught me much about God, connecting, forgiveness, and love. She even had our wedding rehearsal dinner at her house and then made homemade bread for communion during our ceremony.

Billie’s bread (and any recipe I’ve received from her actually) is something I love to make but love to eat even more. I’m not going to pretend to be the world’s best baker (Tim’s already challenged me for the title) but here’s the recipe I use when I make a batch from scratch.

Billie’s Bread

2 cups warm water
4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoon sugar

Dissolve the yeast in the water then add the sugar and mix.

Add:

1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons corn or vegetable oil
1 egg (beaten)

After mixing in these ingredients, begin adding bread flour. Stir in flour slowly until it is handleable (is that a word?). I generally use 5-6 cups. Most people will then flour a cutting board for the kneading but I usually keep it in the bowl to avoid flour-covered everything when I’m done (I’m sort of a messy cook). I knead the bread dough until it is smooth and elastic.

It may be a bit tricky to figure out when it is done. I believe the key is experimenting. Try making two recipes at once. Knead one to death. Stop the other one short. See what feels right (not in a follow-your-heart-and-the-world-will-become-puppy-dogs-and-rainbows way) or toss it out if it gets too tough. Just keep trying.

Here’s a quick demo of me showing off my almost-pro kneading skills

How To Knead Bread Dough from Allison Howell on Vimeo.

After kneading, oil a bowl and put the dough in it. Place a damp towel on top. Let it rise until doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide in half. With each half, stretch the dough into a rough rectangle and then roll tightly into a loaf shape. Pinch the seam and the ends. Place on a cornmeal-covered baking sheet with the seam-side down. I use a baking stone but a regular cookie sheet with do. If you don’t have cornmeal, you can use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Slash three (or more) slits in the top of the loaves with a serrated knife.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set the bread aside. Let it rise until doubled or roughly 30 minutes (if it isn’t doubled by then, that’s fine). Before baking, brush loaves with an egg wash (beaten egg with a little bit of milk splashed in) for a golden color.

Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when you thump it on the side.

I hope you’ll try this recipe and enjoy homemade bread as much as I do. Billie encouraged me to experiment with the recipe. Sometimes I use 2/3 bread flour and 1/3 whole wheat. She adds cinnamon and raisins to her bread or sometimes dill seed on the top. I’ve seen her add cottage cheese or other flavors and seasonings she has on hand. Once you get the basic recipe under your belt, you can really throw in whatever you want.

Can’t wait to hear what you add to your next loaf.

Tags: Baking, Billie, Bread, Homemade Bread, Recipe