It takes some time to make bread, but it is a simple process that gives great satisfaction. With a few readily available ingredients, you can make excellent bread and perfume the house with its delicious scent. This article will give you instructions for making three types of bread: plain white, wholemeal and banana bread.
Ingrediants
Simple White Bread
- 15 gr of white sugar
- 1 sachet of Brewer's yeast
- 250 ml of warm water
- 315 gr of flour
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Whole grain bread
- 310 ml of boiling water
- 60 gr of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 tablespoon of molasses
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 450 gr of wholemeal flour
- 1 sachet of Brewer's yeast
Banana Bread
- 3 or 4 Ripe bananas, mashed
- 80 gr of oil (vegetable or olive)
- 225 gr of sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- A pinch of salt
- 165 gr of flour
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Plain White Bread
Step 1. Activate the yeast
Combine the sugar and yeast in a cup. Add the lukewarm water and mix well. Let it sit until bubbles form on the surface, about 5-10 minutes.
- If no bubbles form within that time, the yeast may no longer be good. Use another sachet.
- Check that the water is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. If it's too cold, it won't activate it. It must be lukewarm.
Step 2. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl
Step 3. Add the yeast to the flour and use a WOODEN spoon to mix
Step 4. Dust the counter or kitchen table with flour
Pour the mixture over it and start kneading. Add flour if necessary, to prevent the dough from becoming too sticky. Knead for a couple of minutes, stopping when the dough is not well blended and malleable. Form a ball.
Step 5. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a cloth
Let it rise until it doubles in volume.
- If you put the bowl in a warm and dry place it will rise in a few hours.
- Alternatively, put the bowl in the fridge and let it rise overnight.
Step 6. Knead for the second time, adding the olive oil
Dust the counter or table with flour and knead the dough until it becomes elastic and smooth.
If you have put the dough in the fridge overnight, wait until it is at room temperature before reshuffling it. Leaving it to rise slowly overnight will give the bread a more intense flavor
Step 7. Give the dough the shape of a loaf and place it in a pan
Cover with cling film and let it rise in a warm, dry place until it has passed the edge of the pan, after which remove the cling film. While it is rising, heat the oven to 200 ° C.
Step 8. Bake the bread for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown
Let it cool before removing it from the pan. Serve it with butter, or cut it into slices.
Method 2 of 3: Wholemeal Bread
Step 1. Put water, oil, honey, molasses, and salt in a medium bowl and mix
Step 2. Add 220 g of flour and baking powder
Stir to mix everything well.
Step 3. Add the rest of the flour a little at a time while keeping the dough sticky
Do not mix the dough too much or the bread will be too hard.
Step 4. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 45 minutes
Put the bowl in a warm, dry place.
Step 5. Turn the dough over onto the well floured work surface and knead it until it forms a loaf
Put it in a greased pan and let it rise until it doubles in volume: it could take a couple of hours. When the leavening is almost finished, heat the oven to 200 ° C.
Step 6. Bake the bread until golden, about 35 minutes
Allow the bread to cool before taking it out of the pan. Serve with butter or save for later use.
Store it in a tin or bread container. Do not put it in the fridge, otherwise the consistency will become unpleasant
Method 3 of 3: Banana Bread
Step 1. Combine bananas, oil, sugar, egg and vanilla in a large bowl
Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
Step 2. In another bowl, mix baking soda, salt and flour
Step 3. Add the dry mixture to the wet one and mix gently with a wooden spoon
Don't mix too much, or the bread will turn out stringy.
Step 4. Pour the dough into a greased pan
Cook for an hour at 200 ° C. Let it cool, and then cut it into slices to serve.
Advice
- Once you've mastered the various methods, experiment with new flavors. For example, add raisins to wholemeal bread, or nutmeg and cinnamon to banana bread. Give your recipes your personal touch.
- Yeast can be difficult to activate in certain areas. If you live in a rather humid area, wait for a drier day to make bread. Banana bread, which does not require yeast, works well in any area.
- Banana bread is considered a "fast" bread because it does not have to rise. If you like this type of bread, try others like pumpkin, blueberry and zucchini.
