How To Make Your Own Bread
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Stop Buying Bread, Save Your Dough And Bake Your Own

Save some money and treat yourself to some homemade bread!

Alex Michalski
Sep 18, 2018
University of Dayton
41
Stop Buying Bread, Save Your Dough And Bake Your Own
Alexandra Michalski

One of my favorite meals as a little kid was the freshly baked bread my mom would make but then our bread machine broke and that was the end of that. Until I discovered that you could make bread without a bread machine. Crazy right? Homemade bread, something so delicious is surprisingly easy to make on your own and can end up saving you money in the long run. Chances are you already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen so what are you waiting for? Let's get cooking!

Gather your ingredients

Make sure you have all the ingredients before you start.

Alexandra Michalski

What you'll need for this recipe is: 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (you can buy this in bulk and save a lot of money when compared to those tiny overpriced packets), 1 cup warm water (think bathtub temperature because if you make it too hot you'll kill the yeast), 1 1/2 teaspoons Splenda or sugar, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 1/4 cups flour, and 1 teaspoon of salt.

​Stir yeast, warm water, Splenda, and olive oil together in a bowl​

It should look something like this.

Alexandra Michalski

You want to mix everything until it is incorporated into each other.

Let it sit for ten minutes

If your water is the correct temperature your mixture will look something like this.

Alexandra Michalski

Dont bIe alarmed when your mixture begins to foam or form bubbles, that means the yeast in being activated. Resist the urge to poke it and let it rest for ten minutes. If your mixture doesn't foam that means the water was too hot or not hot enough. Dump it out and try again.

Add in the flour and salt to the yeast mixture

The mixture halfway through the mixing process.

Alexandra Michalski

This is when your concoction goes from a weird looking pile of mush into a dough. Make sure you add the flour a little bit at a time to make mixing everything together just a little bit easier.

Knead the dough

Make sure to flour your surface before you start kneading or your dough will stick to the counter.

Alexandra Michalski

Make sure you properly flour the surface you plan to knead on and adding a little bit of flour to your hands too isn't a bad idea. When you are kneading the bread pull it up towards you, squish it in on itself, and then push away. Continue kneading the dough until the dough looks like everything has been mixed in properly this should take about 3-5 minutes.

Let the dough rise

You can go to class and let the bread rise while you are gone.

Alexandra Michalski

You've done all the hard parts, now for the easy one! Simply leave the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with a dishtowel or plastic wrap for an hour. Once that time is up, your dough will have doubled in size, so give it a punch to release those gases that have built up over the last hour. Let it sit for five to ten more minutes to complete the process. I like to prep the dough before I leave for class and when I get back the dough has completely risen!

Tin Time

If you don't have a bread tin you can just put it on a cookie sheet instead.

Alexandra Michalski

Throw that dough in a bread tin or on a cookie sheet. Cut a couple silts into the top of it, let it sit for ten more minutes.

Egg Wash (Optional)

Apply it with a fork or brush if you have one.

Alexandra Michalski

You can skip this step if you want but it adds a wonderful crust to your bread if you decide to do so! Crack an egg in a separate bowl and add a pinch of salt to it. Mix with a fork and apply a thin layer to the top of your bread.

Bake it

Your kitchen should start smelling amazing.

Alexandra Michalski

Bake at 375 for twenty minutes or until the crust is a golden brown color.

Enjoy!

Viola! You just made a loaf of bread!

Alexandra Michalski

If you followed the recipe correctly your roommates should start to come in the kitchen to ask what you're making because your kitchen is going to smell absolutely amazing by the end of this process. If you're lucky you'll manage to get a picture of your bread before it's inhaled by yourself and all your friends!

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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