Simple Yeast Bread
Ingredients
3 Cups Chapati Flour or Whole Wheat Flour
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups bread flour (if not available use all-purpose flour)
2 ½ cups lukewarm water
1 tablespoon yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey or sugar
¼ cup oil
Note: for best results it is suggested to use King Arthur all-purpose and bread flours.
Secret Ingredient: Hold this thought while making bread: Like a spiritual flower, I am fragrant with all virtues. I bring beauty to the world with my spirituality.
Method
1. Dissolve 1 tablespoon yeast in water and add honey and mix well.
2. Combine the flours, salt and oil in a mixer bowl. Add the yeast water mixture.
3. With a dough hook knead for 5 minutes on medium. If do not have a mixer then knead with hand for 10 minutes.
4. This recipe makes two loafs of bread.
5. Let stand for 1 hour or double in size.
6. Grease two medium sized bread pans.
7. Transfer dough to a work surface and cut into two equal parts.
8. Make an even log making sure ends and middle are equal in size. The log should be long enough to fit snug into the bread pan.
9. Transfer the two logs into the two bread pans and let stand for about 1 ½ hours or till the dough rises almost three times in size.
10. Pre-heat oven to 400F.
11. Reduce oven to 365F or 185C and bake the loaves for 45 minutes. This will give a nice hardy crust.
12. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack and let cool about 20-30 minutes before slicing.
Recipe makes about 2 loafs of bread.