Dorm-Made Bread

When my uncle was an R.A. in college he used to bake for his floor. He discovered that when he baked bread he got more visitors than when he baked cookies. Never one to pass up a good story, or good bread, I decided to test his theory today. So I went to the store and bought supplies to bake a few batches of bread and cookies. Tonight I took a crack at the bread. Having never made bread without a stand mixer this required a hurried call to my mom, the master bread baker on call, and some quick tweaks to the lessons I had received at home. The process without the mixer is quite a bit messier, but in the end it all comes together. All told bread in the dorm takes about twice as long as bread at home. Twenty minutes to find all the equipment, twenty to make the dough, thirty minutes to rise, thirty to bake, twenty to cool. With 4:37 left I can't wait to taste the work of my hands. Hopefully it tastes as good as it smells.

Brother's Bread

2 1/4 cup warm water
1 package quick rise yeast
2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 + cups flour (best is 2 cup white whole wheat + rest white unbleached)

In the mixer with the bread dough hook bowl mix the water, yeast, salt sugar and 2 cups flour.  Blend Mix with whisk then add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. Add enough so that the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Don't worry if you add more than 6 cups Once you’ve added 3-4 cups of flour turn the dough onto a floured surface with the remainder of the 6 cups of flour, then dust your hands with flour and knead for a few minutes until the remaining flour has mixed with the dough.  Put the dough into a buttered bowl to rise in a warm place.  After about 30 -45 minutes, when it's doubled in size, punch it down, cut into two pieces, shape into two loaves. Put the loaves onto a buttered baking sheet.  Put the loaves into a cold oven, then turn the oven on to 400F.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the bottoms sound hollow when tapped.

Enjoy with fresh butter!! mmmmm.....

Great as toast, or sandwich bread.