If the heavenly aroma of fresh bread baking in your oven isn’t enough to convince you to try making bread at home, how about the money-saving factor? Homemade bread is far more economical than store-bought brands, plus you get to control the ingredients. The task most home cooks shy away from is the kneading, but a stand mixer with a dough hook makes short work of that chore. Watch and learn how to create your own dough for homemade breads and rolls. If you need a simple bread recipe, try Belinda's basic bread dough, below.
How to make bread dough
Belinda’s basic bread dough
MAKES 16 ROLLS OR 1 LOAF
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons potato flour
2½ teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup warm water
Attach the dough hook to a stand mixer. Into the large bowl of the mixer, put all dough ingredients except water. Mix a few seconds to combine. Gradually add water, and continue to let the dough mix and knead. Keep mixing until a ball forms, all flour is incorporated into the ball, and sides of the bowl are free of flour.
Place dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover bowl, and allow dough to rise 60–90 minutes, until it has just about doubled in bulk. Gently deflate dough, and transfer to a lightly greased work surface. At this point, decide whether to bake in a loaf pan or to make rolls.
For rolls: Divide dough by cutting it in half, then cutting each piece in half again, repeatedly, until you have 16 equal pieces. With the palms of your hands, round each piece into a smooth ball. Lightly grease two 8-inch, round cake pans. Space 8 rolls in each pan. (You can use larger pans, but the rolls won't nestle as closely, so their sides will be a bit more baked.) Cover pans, and allow rolls to rise until they're crowded against one another and quite puffy, about 60–90 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Uncover rolls, and bake 22–24 minutes, so they are golden brown on top and edges of center roll spring back lightly when touched. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the center roll should register at least 190 F. Remove rolls from oven, and brush with melted butter. After a couple of minutes, turn them out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm. Rolls can be frozen for up to a month.
For loaf: Shape dough into an 8-inch log. Place log in a lightly greased 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan. Cover loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise about 60 minutes, until it has domed about 1 inch above edge of pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.
Uncover and bake for 30–35 minutes, until light golden brown. Test for doneness by removing from pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow) or by measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190 F at center of loaf). Remove bread from oven and cool on rack before slicing.
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