Basic Yeast Bread
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Ingredients
Units
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Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes until it becomes frothy. This froth indicates that the yeast is active and ready to go. If it doesn’t froth, it's a clear sign that the yeast is outdated, and it's time to start afresh with a new packet.
- Next add two cups of flour into the yeast-water mixture. Stir this concoction gently until the flour is moist.
- Add the olive oil or butter, followed by the salt. It's crucial to wait until now to add the salt because it can kill the yeast if they come in direct contact too early.
- Knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a ball. Transfer the ball of dough onto a lightly floured surface and continue kneading it for a good 8-10 minutes. The goal is to create a smooth, elastic dough.
- Transfer the kneaded dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and sit it in a warm, draft-free space. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size. This could take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
- Once the dough has sufficiently risen, gently punch it down to release the gas bubbles formed during the rising process. Now shape the dough as desired, laying it into a cast iron Dutch Oven with a cast iron trivet in the bottom of it and lined with 2 layers of parchment paper*.
- Cover the shaped dough again and allow it to rise until almost doubled. This usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour.
- Once the dough is finished rising, place the pan the dough is in or on into a preheated oven. Standard baking time in a 375-degree oven is about around 30-35 minutes for boules.
Notes
*The cast iron trivet and the two layers of parchment paper keep the bread from burning or sticking as it bakes. The parchment paper makes removing the bread once it is baked a lot easier.
