Bread 101: The Basics...By Hand And Machine (NAPS)—Oneof the most pleas- ing smells that may waft from a kitchen is that of fresh-baked bread. Golden-brown loaves from the oven can makea terrific com- plement to a hearty meal, or serve as a key ingredient in a succulent sandwich. Any way you slice it—whether you bake your bread the old-fash- ioned way or with the help of a bread machine—heeding a few expert tips can help make your loaves even moredelightful. By Hand Don’t omit the salt. Salt adds flavor to bread and tempers the growth of the yeast. Salt also chemically “toughens” the gluten a bit, allowing the loaf to hold its structure better. Flavor develops duringtheris- ing time, so don’t be afraid to give your doughtime.A slow, overnight rise in the refrigerator creates a wonderful dough with superflavor. Use the right flour. Flour too low in protein will give you a small, squat loaf of bread. The protein in a rich flour, such as King Arthur, provides more gluten in the dough. The gluten is what traps the carbon dioxide produced by the yeast and gives your dough a beautiful rise. Don’t add all the flour at once. Flouris like a sponge; it can absorb humidity in the air or dry out in dry weather.It is difficult to recover from dry dough once you have added too much flour. The resulting bread is tough anddry. Make sure to knead the dough sufficiently to develop the gluten. There is no need to beat on the dough. A gentle, rhythmic workoutis all that is needed. Gen- erally, eight to ten minutes of hand kneading will allow for good protein development. With a Bread Machine oT) Patience and the right flour are two key ingredients in baking up fragrant, delicious loaves of bread. The following recipe is for the bread made weekly by Walter Sands, father of Frank E. Sands, chairman of the board of King Arthur Flour. Because of his arthritic hands, Walter used a bread bucket with a crank, which order the flour, call 1-800-827-6836 or visit www.KingArthurFlour.com. behaveas if it belonged together. Let it rest while you Walter Sands’ Basic White Bread Continue kneading a further 3 to 4 minutes, until the dough kneaded hundreds of loaves of this fragrant bread. For more information, additional great recipes or to 2 cups warm water 2 tablespoons sugar or honey mayneedto addflour or liquid to achieve a soft, smooth ball of dough. clean and grease the bowl. feels smooth andspringy. Let the doughrise until doubled (1 to 2 hours). Knock it down, kneadout any stray bub- 2 tablespoonsbutter, softened, or vegetable oil bread pans. Let rise until almost doubled (45 minutesto 1 hour). Preheat the oven for 15 minutes to 350F. Bake the loaves 35 to 40 minutes, or until nicely browned. Remove bread from oven and cool com- 6 cups King Arthur e Always watch the dough asit minutes, until it begins to bles, cut it in half and form two loaves. Place them in two ply cut the ingredient measurements in half; the exception is kneads through the machine. You intend for kneading. Knead the dough for 3 to 4 1 scant tablespoon or packet active dry yeast % cup dry milk (optional) yeast. Reduce that by only one quarter. is bubbling, add the dry milk, butter, 3 cups of flour and the salt. Mix together and then stir in a further 21% cups of flour. Sprinkle the remaining Y% cup on the surface you Traditional recipes calling for six cups of flour may easily be adapted to the bread machine. Sim- then the yeast. Whenthe yeast Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 2 teaspoonssalt Pour the warm waterinto a mixing bowl. Add andlet dis- solve the sugar or honey and lightly greased 412x8'4-inch pletely on a wire rack. Yield: 2 loaves
