What is your best recipe for a simple bread?

I am thinking ahead. I just entered in a bread contest and lost to croissants. What are your basic, simple and delish recipes for bread?





Anything from white bread, beer bread, whole grain bread etc....





I want to start making and practicing now, can you please share any recipes you may have?What is your best recipe for a simple bread?
PUMPKIN NUT BREAD





1 Duncan Hines nut bread mix


1 egg


3/4 c. water


1/2 c. canned pumpkin


2 tsp. cinnamon


3/4 tsp. nutmeg


1/4 tsp. ground cloves





Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour bottom only of a 9';x5'; or 8';x4'; loaf pan.


Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Stir with spoon about 60 strokes until all ingredients are moistened. Pour into prepared pan.





Bake 45 to 55 minutes. Bread is done when toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.





Cool 15 minutes, remove from pan. Let bread cool completely before slicing or wrapping. Store wrapped bread in refrigerator. To freeze bread, cool for 3 hours, then wrap securely and keep in freezer for up to 3 months.





For gift giving, bake 3 loaves, since 1 (16 oz.) can of pumpkin will yield 3 1/2 cups. If you do not choose to bake 3 loaves at once, the extra pumpkin can be pre-measured and frozen for later use.





SOURDOUGH POTATO BREAD





1 package active dry yeast


6 cups flour


1/4 cup sugar


2 tsp. salt


Instant mashed potatoes (enough for 2 servings)


milk


butter


salt


3/4 cup milk


1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled


2 eggs


1 cup sourdough starter, room temperature


1 egg white beaten with 2 Tbsp. water





Preheat oven to 350掳F.


In large bowl of electric mixer, combine yeast, 2 cups flour, sugar, and salt. In pan, prepare the mashed potatoes according to package instructions.





Then to the potatoes add 3/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup butter, eggs, and starter; stir until blended. Add potatoes to dry ingredients and beat at medium for 2 minutes, scraping sides. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and beat at medium for 2 minutes. With a heavy mixer or wooden spoon, add enough of remaining flour to make a stiff dough.





Knead dough on floured surface until smooth and elastic (5-20 min.) adding flour to prevent sticking. Place dough in greased bowl, turning over to grease top. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled (1 1/2 - 2 hrs.)





Punch dough down. Knead briefly to release air. Divide in half.





Shape each half into a smooth ball and place each on a lightly greased 12x15'; baking sheet.





With a sharp floured knife, cut 1/2'; deep slashes in the tops of loaves in a tic-tac-toe pattern.





Cover loaves and let rise until almost doubled (45 min.)





Brush loaves with egg white mixture.





Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 35 min. or until loaves are richly browned.





Let cool on wire racks.





Makes 2 large loaves.What is your best recipe for a simple bread?
Here is a simple recipe:





* 1 陆 cups of lukewarm (75掳 - 90掳 F) water (If temperature is too high the yeast will die; if it is too low the yeast works very slowly.)


* 录 cup honey


* one packet dry yeast (2 录 teaspoons or 录 ounce)


* 录 cup mild-tasting vegetable oil (like canola)


* 2 teaspoons salt


* 3 cups whole wheat or white bread flour


* 陆 cup of whole wheat or white bread flour put aside for sprinkling on your work surface and dusting your hands.
This is REALLY REALLy good and delicious white bread;





2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)


2/3 cup white sugar


1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast


1 1/2 teaspoons salt


1/4 cup vegetable oil


6 cups bread flour





In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.


Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.


Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.


Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Serves 24.


================
1 pkg yeast (2 - 1/4 teaspoons)


3 cups of bread flour


1 tablespoon sugar


1 teaspoon salt


1 tablespoon oleo, butter or vegetable shortening


1 tablespoon powdered milk (optional but it makes a nice, soft bread)


1 cup of water no hotter than 120 degrees F





Mix and knead the dough by hand, mixer or in a bread machine set on the dough cycle 鈥榯il you鈥檝e made a soft, smooth dough. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it and let it rise for 1 hour. Punch dough down and divide into portions and place on greased cookie sheet. Let rise 30 to 45 minutes or until puffy.


Bake at 375F for approximately 11 minutes.





Makes 1 loaf or 8 sandwich buns, 12 dinner rolls or 24 tiny rolls
try this:


http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make鈥?/a>


and check out http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make鈥?/a> to go with it.
I've entered some contests and I've found that the judges usually like sweet breads, not French breads. They also seem to like quick breads, since they frequently don't understand what is involved in making breads.





With that in mind, here are two.





First, my adaption of a classic French sweet bread.





Second, a classic Ukrainian Maky bread, which is a babka with a poppy seed filling.





Check the source for a series of pictures of these being made. These should be show stoppers no matter who the judges are.


I've also included a series of making a set of breads for a contest, just for fun.





This recipe for Pogne de Romans is adapted from one in Breads of France by Bernard Clayton, Jr., and several others. It's a very rich bread, really almost a cake. It's similar to a lot of other enriched breads, such as Challah and the Greek breads here.





The orange flower water is available from The Greek Store.





Make a Sponge


Ingred Ounces Grams


HK Flour 4 1/2 130


Water 4 115


Dry Yeast 1 1/2 Tbsp 15





Mix up, put in covered container and let sit on counter for 1/2 hour. Then put it in the refrigerator overnight. The original recipe says to let the sponge rise for 1 1/2 hours, then make the dough. I prefer to make the sponge on day 1, rise it for 1/2 hour, then put it in the refrigerator and make the dough and bake on day 2.





Ingredients in addition to the sponge


Ingred Ounces Grams


HK Flour 31 880


Large Eggs 6 eggs


Rum or brandy 2 57 or water


Sugar 1 cup 200


Salt 1 Tbsp 22


Orange Water 2 57 or water


Butter 1/2 lb 227 grams broken out





For the glaze


One egg


1 tablespoon 15 ml milk


whisked together








Method


Add all the ingredients except the salt to a large mixer bowl and mix for a minute or two, until the mixture begins to come together.





Shut off the mixer and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.





Add the salt and continue mixing for 5-10 minutes, until you have a soft, fairly dense dough.





Put the dough in a large pot, or just leave it in the mixer bowl, cover, and let ferment at room temperature for one hour.





Remove the dough from the bowl and fold or roll it several times. Put the dough back in the bowl.





Let the dough ferment for one hour more, then fold or roll again. Put the dough back in the bowl.





Let the dough ferment for 30 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on the counter.





Knead for a minute or two and divide into two pieces. Flatten each piece and punch a hole in the center of each with your finger.


Gently expand the hole until it is at least 4 inches / 10cm in diameter, but better 5 or 6 inches / 12.5 to 15 cm.





Place on buttered paper or parchment paper, cover lightly and place in a draft-free place to rise at room temperature and let them rise for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.





Brush with the glaze after one hour, then leave uncovered.





Heat oven to 360 F / 180 C.





Brush just before baking.





With a sharp knife or razor blade, make three connecting cuts on top of each pogne to form a triangle. Each line will be curved to allow the ends of the cuts to overlap. The picture in the book shows four triangles cut into the side of the bread, one on each of the four points of the compass, with the base at the bottom.





Bake for 20 minutes, then check the loaves and turn them to equalize baking.





Finish baking until the loaves are a deep, rich brown.





Remove the loaves from the oven, let them cool and then place them in plastic bags overnight








Ukrainian Maky Bread in Words and








Discussion


This is a recipe for Ukrainian Maky, an enriched bread with a poppy seed filling. There are many breads that are made up of a sweet, enriched bread rolled around fruit or nut filling. I have used my Ukrainian Babka recipe for the bread; I think this works well. The filling is my own invention, based on the input of my good friend George, whose parents were Ukrainian. George called this Maky, so that's what I'm calling it. There may be another name for this bread, and there may be other recipes for both the bread and the filling, but this one is really delicious, so I'll just use this.





The bread part is easy to make, in fact it's so easy that it would be a good recipe for children or beginners. The only problem that children might have is the sheer size of the recipe. If this seems too large for a child to handle, just cut the recipe in half and make it, work with part of the dough at a time or get a whole passel of kids to work on it, sort of like what happens at some birthday parties for children. The filling relies on poppy butter, which is available in eastern European delis or in grocery stores.








Dough


Ingred Ounces Grams


HK Flour 36 1020


Milk 16 455


Dry Yeast 2 1/4 tsp 15 ml


Butter 8 225


Sugar 1/2 cup 110 g


Salt 2 tsp 10 ml If using salted butter, use 1 tsp, 5 ml


Eggs 3


Vanilla Extract 2 tsp 10 ml





Fill