How to Make Bread

Ingredients:

6 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tbsp sugar

2 envelopes Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast

2 tsp salt

1 – 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Combine water, milk and butter; heat until warm (100° to 110°F).

2. Add sugar and yeast; let stand 5 minutes.

3. Add 2-1/2 cups flour and salt; beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add 1/2 cup flour; beat another 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.

4. With spoon, stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Place kneaded dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover, let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

6. Punch dough down. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half.

7. Roll each half into a 12 x 7-inch rectangle. Beginning at short end, roll up tightly. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Place, seam side down in greased 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch loaf pan. Cover; let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

8. Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes. You’ll know bread is done when well browned and sounds hollow when top of loaf is tapped lightly with finger tip.

Makes 2 loaves.

For whole-wheat bread: Replace 1 to 3 cups all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.

For other simple bread recipes such as this one, try the Fleischmann’s website. They’ve got beginner recipes for people such as myself who are baking neophytes, as well as step-by-step how-to videos.