Baking Bread

We stumbled upon a "Basic Bread Recipe" and figured...how hard could it be? Well it wasn't difficult, but it was time consuming. So make sure you have a few hours to devote to your homemade loaf.

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Almond Milk

1 1/2 Tbps. Sugar

1 tsp. Salt

1 1/2 Tbps. Butter/Margarine 

1 Package Active Dry Yeast

3/4 Cup Warm Water (105 to 115 degrees F)

2 1/2 to 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

Instructions:

Place milk, sugar, salt and butter in a saucepan. 

Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm. 

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a mixer bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 2 cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer, turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute. 

Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of the bowl. Kneed on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch. 

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover. Let rise in a warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. 

Punch dough down and roll into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to smooth the dough and remove gas bubbles. Starting at a short end, roll the dough tightly and punch to seal the seam (Will look like a long cinnamon roll.) Pinch the ends and turn them under. 

Place the dough, seam side down, in a greased loaf pan. Cover. Let rise in a warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. 

Bake at 400 degrees F until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire racks.