No bread machine, no problem!

All the breads I have made and posted are from my bread machine. Not everyone has one and I have been wanting to make bread without one. So I found a recipe and tried it out. Here is what I got and how to do it. This is the basic. Play with it to make it your way, I will be! So yummy! Enjoy!!

Whisk together water and yeast.

Combine all the dry ingredients with a fork.

Add the yeast to the dry and stir until a ball forms.

Put the dough on floured surface.

Knead until you have a nice dough ball.

Put in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a lent free towel or plastic wrap.

I have a towel I only use for my bread. I call it my bread blanket :-)

Let rise for 2 hours.

After 2 hours remove towel. It will be about double in size.

Punch it down and turn onto floured surface.

Lightly knead. Will make 2 loafs of bread. Or make other things.

Ideas are: bread, dinner rolls, baguette, bread sticks....whatever.

I made 1 loaf of bread, an artisan type bread and 6 large dinner rolls.

Cover with your bread blanket and let rise again for 30 minutes.

After second rise take a sharp knife to cut slits on the top.

I did one down the center of the loaf, cross on the dinner rolls and 3 on the other loaf.

Brush butter over the top. Bake in oven.

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.

Let cool and enjoy your homemade bread!

Bread Dough Recipe

2 cups warm water

2 1/2 tsp active yeast

1/2 tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

5 cups flour

5 tbsp oil

Whisk the water and yeast together. Combine all the dry ingredients. Stir yeast mixture in dry mixture. Put on a floured surface and knead until a nice dough forms. Lightly oil a large bowl and place dough in bowl. Cover with a lent free towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours. Remove towel and punch down dough. Place on floured surface a lightly knead. Cut and shape into what you want to make. Place in pans of choice - bread put in loaf pan, dinner rolls put in muffin pan or on a cookie sheet, etc.. Cover with towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Remove towel and back all together in 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, remove from pans and place on cooling rack to cool.