Quote:
Originally Posted by Zevo
Happy to contribute. 
Redforever, thanks for all the tips and recipes in this thread! If you have any more I guess what you would call beginner recipes, please post, if you don't mind. I also like the photos you provide...very helpful. |
Here is a very very basic recipe that is pretty well done in 2 hours with good results and good taste......and any beginner should be able to make this bread. I actually made these buns and twists today. I am expecting company tomorrow so will have some fresh bread on hand. I made two batches, instead of one double batch. These twists or buns take around 18 to 20 minutes to bake and while they are baking, the second batch that you have made and shaped is pretty well risen and ready to put in the oven as the first batch comes out. So basically, I made two batches of bread in about 2 hours.
I am going to post the recipe first with pictures of what the dough looks like in its various stages. Then I will do a post on how to shape and bake the bread twists. Then I will do a post on how to do shape and bake the rustic buns. Excuse the pictures if they are not all up to snuff but I was trying to make the dough and take pictures at the same time, all the time trying not to get my camera full of flour and dough.
Bread Twists
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 Tbsp sugar (scant)
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp oil
3/4 tsp salt
3 to 4 cups all-purpose bread flour
1 Put the water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with the bread hook and mix to combine. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly. If you are using instant yeast and you are absolutely sure it is fresh and active, you can add the yeast directly to the flour without proofing it first. Add the salt, oil, and 1 1/2 cups flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger. Knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Remove dough, lightly grease or spray the bowl, return dough to the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with saran and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
2 Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly coat with cooking spray. Remove dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a log and cut into 12 equal sized pieces. Shape into bread twists or rustic dinner rolls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Space them evenly apart on the baking sheets, 6 twists per baking sheet. Cover the baking sheets and let the twists or rustic dinner rolls rise until doubled in size, about 30 to 40 minutes.
3 Bake in a preheated 425F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating pans back to front and top shelf to bottom shelf halfway through baking. The bread twists or rustic dinner rolls are done when golden brown on the top and bottom. Remove the baked bread twists or rustic dinner rolls from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
4 Garlic Bread Seasoning: You will need this seasoning if making the bread twists. Put 1/4 cup powdered Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp Kosher salt, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried marjoram and 1 tsp dried parsley in a small bowl and whisk to combine. This is enough for a double or triple batch of this recipe. Cover and refrigerate the remaining seasoning until the next use.
The ingredients have been mixed together for about 1 minute. The dough is very shaggy at this stage.
The dough is just starting to clear the sides of the bowl. It is still shaggy and not very smooth or elastic at this point in time. This is after about 2 to 3 minutes of mixing.
The dough is almost ready. The dough is getting very stretchy and elastic as the gluten has now developed. The dough is starting to clear the sides of the bowl but it also falls off the bread hook fairly quickly and sort of puddles at the bottom of the bowl.
This is what the dough looks like after 5 to 6 minutes of kneading in my stand mixer. Notice that the bowl is now clean? The bread still stretches and slowly falls off the hook, but it does not fall off quickly nor does it puddle at the bottom of the bowl. If you are kneading the dough by hand, it will take about 8 to 10 minutes to get to this stage.
The dough has been shaped into a ball and is ready to proof. See how nice and smooth and elastic it looks?
This is what the dough looks like halfway through proofing.
The dough has fully risen and is ready to be shaped into twists or buns.