Rise.
And shine.
After a few recent failures, it’s such a relief to FINALLY have a success story with yeast dough.
Up until this point, the only loaves that were both edible and risen were from my bread machine, which lead me to believe I was unable to knead on my own.
Hallelujah!
This dough is truly flexible and can be used for everything from bread twists, to soft pretzels, to pizza dough.
Basic Dough:
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp active yeast (1 packet)
- 4 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp salt
For herbed bread twists:
- 1/4 cup finely chopped herbs (I used parsley, rosemary, & thyme)
- 1 tsp course salt
- 1 tbsp oil
Directions:
Add warm water, sugar and yeast to a big mixing bowl.
Let the yeast proof for a few minutes.
Once it’s frothy, add flour, salt, and oil.
Take off your rings and get your hands dirty. The shaggy dough will quickly form a pliable dough.
Knead until you have cramps in your fingers. Then knead some more.
When you’re certain your hands are suffering more than your arthritic 90 year old grandmother’s grease the inside of the bowl (with oil or cooking spray) and leave the dough ball in it.
Keep in a warm area to rise for 2 hours. [I put it next to the rice cooker that was on and releasing warm steam from the top]
Once the dough is double it’s original size, punch it down and re-knead it into a ball for it’s second rising.
At this point I covered it in saran wrap and put it in the fridge overnight for use the next day. If you want to use it right away, let it rise again for at least an hour.
Portion dough out and roll each in herb topping. You can knead it in a bit or not.
Form dough into knots or twists or whatever shape you want. [Regardless of your skills in this step, they end up looking gorgeous after baking]
Place on parchment paper.
Brush oil on top [optional] and then sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Bake for 15 minutes (or until golden brown on top) at 425 degrees.
Using half the dough will yield approximately 9 bread twists.
With Earth Balance melted on top…
Perfect.
Enjoy with some fancy extra virgin olive oil or nothing at all.
Try using infused oils in the dough. Or some cheddar and garlic.
Maybe you want parmesan melted on top. Or you could go the sweet route with cinnamon and sugar.
The options are truly endless…Kyle has already requested cheesy garlic knots next.
Leftovers won’t last long.
But there’s still half the dough…
Waiting for my next baking project. 🙂
***Edited*** The remaining dough was used in making these pizzas.
Can you use gluten free flour?
Yummy! These look great- I love bread knots/twists.. for whatever reason that twisty part is always my favorite- and the best!
love your ideas! i am def going to try!
Those look absolutely delicious. I could eat one right now. Would love to have a savoury one followed by a sweet one!
I am scared to death to try my own bread recipes, but you make these look pretty easy. I’ll have to give the a try!
These look like so much fun! Is that weird?
(I hope you got he ID/airport thing figured out!!)
Elise, when you let the dough rise the first time, didn’t you cover the bowl? I find that if the dough or bowl isn’t covered, the dough develops a dry “skin”. Then I can’t shape the dough.
i didnt cover it and yes, i did get a kind of “skin” but it wasn’t too dry or that big of a deal once i re-kneaded it. i had saran wrap on it for the second rise and refrigeration time, so you could probably do that for the first rise as well? previously i have used a damp towel, not saran wrap, and ive had problems in that it doesnt rise as well. this time i put it in a very warm place though (whereas before ive just left it where ever) and didn’t cover it, hoping the warmth would really make the rise happen. so basically, im not sure if covering it in either a towel or saran wrap would affect the rise, but i just wrote the recipe as i did it. let me know how yours turns out and what you tried though.
the flight from lax to dc was fine. the flight home from dc was a disaster. they questioned me and my mother in law separately about our relationship and my birthday and my heart was going a million beats a minute. i could never be in the secret service. i sweat a year or two off my life – its like i didnt even believe myself. helloooo, im actually elise, this is not that hard to prove!
i agree. both is better than one or the other. 🙂
do it!
sure but i dont know how it will turn out or what other things you may need to add (ie xanthan gum?). in my experience, gf baking isnt as easy as just swapping the flours, but feel free to experiment and let me know how it goes.
i agree, soft pretzels are next on my list.
I am so intimidated by making bread. There are just so many things that can go wrong! Your instructions make it look so easy, I might just try it this time. I am a definite carb-aholic and fresh bread is my favorite. I guess the best way to enjoy fresh bread is to make it yourself!
me too but i promise this one was easy. yeast is scary at first, but if you err on the side of over-rising (giving it too much time as opposed to too little) its gonna be fine.
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