5 Ingredient Homemade Bread
It seems that carbohydrates are the most feared food group out there. Anytime bread comes up in a nutrition consultation, I’m always curious where a person’s fear and misconception about bread has come from.
Aside from being delicious, good wholesome bread can provide:
thiamin, or vitamin B-1
riboflavin, or vitamin B-2
niacin, or vitamin B-3
folate, or vitamin B-9
In my home, I love to make this easy homemade bread to compliment any breakfast or lunch. Combining a mix of bread flour and whole wheat flour gives you nice blend of texture and flavor!
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 and 1/2 cups water, close to room temperature at about 70°F (21°C)
Directions
In a large un-greased mixing bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together. Pour in the water and gently mix together with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. The dough will seem dry and shaggy, but keep working it until all the flour is moistened.
Keeping the dough in the bowl, cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and set on the counter at room temperature. Allow to rise for 2-3 hours. The dough will just about double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and have a lot of air bubbles.
You can continue with step 4 immediately. For the best flavor and texture, it is best to let the risen dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. Place covered dough in the refrigerator for 12 hours – 3 days.
*The dough will puff up during this time, but may begin to deflate after 2 days. That’s fine and normal—nothing to worry about.
Place parchment paper into a small to medium size dutch oven. Turn the cold dough out onto a floured work surface. Loosely cover and allow to rest for 45 minutes.
During this 45 minutes, preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C).
Place the dutch oven on the preheated oven on the center rack. Allow to bake for 45 minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
