| 2 tsp |
yeast (or 1 package) |
| 1 tbl |
sugar |
| 1 tsp |
salt |
|
1 cup |
warm water (110° to 115° and not from the faucet, it has chlorine in it that kills yeast) |
| 2½ cups | bread flour (I use King Arthur) |
| 2 tbl |
melted butter |
For this
recipe you will need a heavy duty mixer with a dough hook.
I have a KitchenAid and that's what I used
to write this recipe.
Pour the water
into your mixer bowl and add the sugar and salt. Stir
until everything dissolves. Stir in the yeast and let everything
sit for 5 minutes. Add the flour to the bowl, put your
dough hook on the mixer, and turn the mixer to speed 2.
Let the mixer do its stuff and make a dough ball. STOP
MIXING as soon as the dough forms.
Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Let the dough rise for 1 hour or until doubled. Take
the dough out and roll it into a loaf shape. Put this in a
French bread pan and brush on the melted butter. Wipe a
sharp knife with oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray and
cut diagonal slits in the dough about ¼” deep. Cover with
plastic wrap, and let rise 30 minutes until the dough rises
enough to form a loaf.
While the dough
rises put a baking tray on the bottom shelf of your oven and
pour a cup or so of water in it. Turn the oven to
425°. After the bread has risen, bake it for 20-25 minutes
or until browned. Make sure the baking pan has water in it
the entire time the bread bakes. Cool on a baking rack.