This is the first homemade bread I learned how to make and the spark that ignited my passion for making these spectacular breads from scratch. It’s an art, really, and its’ fun.
I remember being in the car and my husband was talking about ordering a pizza for dinner. I wasn’t fully into all the health stuff I am now but the prospect of eating another one of those delivery pizzas and spending the next 3-4 hours with indigestion was just not at all appealing. So, I told him to let me try to find a recipe and see what I couldn’t pull off.
Nailed it.
The pizza was so much better. It’s delicious and comes without the heartburn. I loved getting to see all that went into it and knowing that I was only feeding my family simple foods without the fillers, preservatives and other junk additives.
Since then, I have tried and tweaked different recipes. The one below is the one I use most often.
It may seem like a lot but once you do it the first time, you’ll realize there’s really nothing to it.
Ingredients
4 cups Organic UNBLEACHED All-Purpose Flour (I like to sub half of the flour for Whole Wheat Bread Flour, just note that you may need a touch more water but only add it by the table spoon as needed to achieve desired consistency)
1 tablespoon Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 ½ cup warm Water
¾ Tablespoon Instant (Bread Machine) Yeast (1- ¼ ounce package of dry yeast)
Instructions
If you’re making this by hand, Combine flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Stir to throughly combine.
Stir in Olive oil to incorporate. Add water and stir until dough starts to come together to form a supple ball.
Knead, adding the remaining flour a little at a time until the dough becomes a smooth, elastic ball, about 5-8 minutes.
If you prefer to use an electric mixer, combine the ingredients with the paddle attachment and then change to the dough hook. Add the flour a little at a time until the dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl, about 2-4 minutes.
Turn the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a dry towel or plastic wrap.
Let rise for 30 minutes before stretching or rolling into the desired shape.
