The Bread Baker Commeth (Part III)

In this episode: Going Small.

Oh, they call me Little John. But don't let my name fool you. In real life, I'm very big. - Little John, Men in Tights

One of the big reasons I wanted to go small, was to avoid dough in the arm hair, and to utilize my Kitchen Aid mixer more fully!

To simplify and make this process more enjoyable, I searched for recipes that made a single loaf of bread.  I found a lot of them online. (Duh!  Internet content over the past 20 years I've had access to the internet has really grown!)

While the same basic combination/recipe/theme was the same,  I noted an exception from my original recipe... the omission of sugar.

I thought that was strange.  I'd always been taught that you needed the sugar to help the dough rise!

Starting at the first single loaf, I put in a teaspoon of sugar.  It turned out so well, a loaf or two later, I omitted the sugar and still had great results!

My family loved this bread more than the large batches!

This allowed me to quickly bake up one or more loaves a time with good results.

Ellie and the girls have a hard time slicing bread without mangling it.  So I slice the bread up, bag it and freeze what won't be used for more than a week. (One loaf in the fridge, and the rest in the freezer)

Read on for the next episode of adventures with The Bread Baker! (After reading the recipe, of course)

Here's the recipe I used:

Single Loaf of Bread

What you'll need

• 2 tsp. dry yeast
• 1-1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tsp. melted butter, vegetable oil, or heavy cream
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 3-1/2 cups flour (or 2-1/2 cups white and 1 cup whole wheat flour)

How to make it

1. Dissolve the yeast in 1-1/2 cups warm water. When it has softened, add melted butter and salt. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until it becomes too difficult to manage. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and let it rest - absorbing more of the flour - while you clean out and oil the bowl. Knead the dough, working in the additional flour as needed, until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
2. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a damp towel. Leave it to rise for about 1-1/2 hours until it has doubled in bulk.
3. Punch the dough down with floured hands. Scrape the dough away from the sides of the bowl and return to the floured board. Knead for another few minutes, then shape into a loaf by folding it in half and patting it.
4. Place the dough in a lightly greased loaf tin, cover, and allow it to rise again until doubled in bulk.
5. Put the loaf in a hot oven, 425 degrees, for the first 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees for another 15 to 20 minutes. Take the bread out of the pan; it should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Allow it to cool thoroughly on a rack before slicing. Makes 1 loaf.

Courtesy of FamilyFun Magazine