Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Bread, Can anything be simpler?

Last afternoon I was going through my bookmarked recipes, a bread recipe caught my fancy. Did I say Bread...naah, I meant the simplest bread recipe. There couldn’t be anything simpler than this. Very low chance of anybody going wrong on this one (I got it perfectly after all!). Oh BTW I was suppose to be trying pizza recipes, wasn’t I? Hmmm...that post is coming real soon too, since I have got a very good recipe for it.

Back to the bread...Have you ever thought what goes in making a bread …All Purpose flour (Maida) which is the basic ingredient, Yeast to make the dough rise, Salt for the taste and of course water to make a dough. This is where I would stop my thinking and would wonder what else goes in to making that perfect bread.

To my surprise that was all! Yes the 4 magical ingredients + some time and you are done. I came across this bread recipe on Siri’s corner and couldn’t believe that bread making could be so simple. You should also check out this, it has some very good lessons about bread making.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 All Purpose Flour (Maida)
1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1 tsp Salt
½ + 1/4 Cup warm Water

In a bowl pour the ¼ cup water and add the yeast to this. Keep this to froth. Takes approximately 10 mins. Make sure the water is not too hot as this can destroy the yeast, it should just be warm enough to comfortably dip your finger in it.

In a mixing bowl sift the flour and add salt. Add the frothy yeast and ½ cup water. Form this into a dough. If required use some more water. We do not want the dough to be dry with lumps. Form nice soft dough for perfect bread.

On a lightly floured surface transfer the dough and knead till you get a smooth dough. This step takes around 10 mins.
What is the correct way to knead the bread dough, if this is the same question haunting you, you need not look any further. Check this video. Since Kneading is a very important step of bread making, it is important that you get this right,

Grease a big bowl with oil and transfer the dough in it. Pat some oil on the dough with your fingers. Cover with a cling film and keep it to rest in a dark, warm place. I always keep this in my microwave and if the weather is cool I heat the oven for a minute before placing the dough. Now see the yeast do its magic.

Kneaded Dough
Wait till the dough has doubled. This has almost always taken 2 + hours for me.

First rise
Punch the dough down and knead again for 2 mins. This goes back again in the greased bowl and cover it. Let this rise for another 45 mins, it would be back to nearly double its size by now.

Second rise
Take it out and shape roughly into a loaf. Make scores (cuts) with a sharp knife to help release the trapped gases. This will prevent the loaf from breaking. Preheat the Oven to 200 deg C.

Shaped Dough
Just before putting the loaf to bake I brushed egg yolk on top of the loaf. Bake it for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Baked Bread

Yummy Bread
I don’t remember when was the last time I was relishing the bread as it is. I ate 2 slices without any butter or anything. It was so damn tasty. I loved it. It was no different from the bread I buy from the store every week.

Plateful of Bread

30 comments:

notyet100 said...

wow,..this looks so nice,..:-)

Vijitha said...

Ohoho!! bread looks so soft n just perfect./..way to go!!!! u must be an expert baker!

Do have a look at my crossaints!

Srikitchen said...

wow its really a magic with the 4 ingredients and step by step explanation is really very good nidhi!

Jayashree said...

Your bread's turned out really well. It looks nice and soft on the inside. Did you do this in a mw too?

Unknown said...

Hi dear... Really fantastic... loooks perfect... thxs for sharing...

ST said...

Bread looks sooooo perfect and tasty.

Dershana said...

Hi Nidhi, your white bread looks perfect. it looks more fluffier than most store bought ones. am adding u to my blog roll

Deepthi Shankar said...

cool nidhi .. u baked bread !! looks really good .. i somehow cant get myself to start baking .. lovely entry so simple yet so nice

Siri said...

WOW! the bread looks so perfect Nidhi..:) I am so glad it turned out beautiful and I know exactly how it feels to taste a home-made freshly baked bread!

Thanks for letting me know..:)

Cheers,
Siri

Nidhi said...

~notYet100
Thanks.

~Vij
Thanks. This was my first bread baking experience. Sure will check your blog.

~Srilekha
Thanks Dear!

~Jayashree
Thanks. Yes this came out from my microwave, I baked it in the Convection mode.

~srikars kitchen
Thanks Sri!

~Sireesha
Thank you Dear.

~Dershana
Thanks for adding me.

~Vegetable Platter
I too would be scared of baking until a month back. But now I am enjoying it to the max. I guess its all about taking the plunge.

I know you will be good at it, as and when you decide to start.

~Siri
Siri, Thanks for sharing this beautiful recipe. It indeed is lovely tasting your own baked bread!

Usha said...

Wow Nidhi great job...the bread looks perfect and this is your first attempt...awesome...you bake like a pro...

Vidhya said...

OMG, this looks really delicious Nidhi. Will try this soon

Indian Khana said...

Wow this looks super yummy andn soft...and only 4 ingredients...no butter/oil..thts real interesting...thanks for sharing dear..gud one

anudivya said...

Your bread looks amazing for such a simple recipe.
I will try it out with whole wheat flour soon.

Sia said...

fresh bread baking in the oven and the aroma of it being baked is a simple pleasures of life :)

rankrish1985 said...

The bread looks sooo soft and yummy!!

Uma said...

what a beautiful bread! Looks so soft and delish Nidhi! Great job!

Swati Raman Garg said...

i have seen many of my blogger frens baking breads ... they look amazing....but theirs looks somewhere diff from the shop ones and this is the first one i see to be a photocopy of them... so cool... kudos...

Nidhi said...

~Usha
Thanks for you kind comment Dear!

~Vidhya
Do try it and lemme know how it turns out.

~Priti
Thanks Dear!

~Divya
Thanks Divya. I too want to try it in 1:1 proportion of wheat flour & APF.
Do try it and lemme know!

~Sia
Perfectly put Sia!

~rankrish1985
Thanks Ranjani!

~Uma
Thanks Dear.

~swati raman garg
Thanks Swati! You have been very kind in your comment.

Lubna Karim said...

Wow dear, bread looks very soft and awesome color also.

Yasmeen said...

Good job with the another baking adventure Nidhi! Hope you make and relish many more such tasty bakes.

Bharti said...

Good going!Lovely bread.
Ok...u have to try the no-knead bread, u'll love it. It's easy and no kneading!

Vani said...

The bread has come out so well, Nidhi!

Sum Raj said...

woo this is the nice one..

Shreya said...

Your bread looks so good! Great pics. The til chikki too looks perfect. :-)

Sunshinemom said...

Good loaf, Nidhi. I feel it could have stayed in the oven a little longer! Nice holes too:) It is such a pleasure to bake your bread and eat it too! Flour and yeast conjure up such heavenly images in my mind:)

Rajani said...

nidhi. the loaf looks great, i've been looking for a not too complicated bread recipe since i started out with yeast - so thanks for the recipe will try it out as soon as i am able to.

Purva Desai said...

Bread looks just perfect.....ur bread inspires me too bake one...

Rachel said...

Wow Nidhi...the loaf looks perfect...your dough has risen really well..

Nidhi said...

~Kitchen
Thanks Lubna.

~Yasmeen
I hope too with my fingers crossed!

~Bharti
Thanks. Yes ofcourse. I have read about it. Will surely try it.

~Vani
Thanks Dear!

~Suma Rajesh
Thanks Suma.

~Shreya
Thanks for your kind words.

~Sunshinemom
Ofcourse...baking does give a very good feeling..especialy when you can eat what you baked ;)
I doubt I could have baked it any longer, coz it was just perfect inside.

~Rajani
Ofcourse Rajani. This is the simplest recipe one could come across....and if I can get it right...I am sure any one can :)
Do try it and lemme know how it turned out for you.

~Purva Desai
Thanks Purva! You should definitely try it.

~Rachel
Thanks Rachel. Just learning to bake.