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Post by Granny Smith on Apr 5, 2008 11:46:49 GMT -5
Basic Bread Recipe 1 cup warm liquid (water, milk, juice, potato water, etc) 1 T. yeast (or about half a cup of sourdough that you saved from the previous batch) 1 T (or more) sweetening (sugar, brown sugar, syrup, molasses, honey, etc) 2 T. grease (shortening, lard, butter, oil, etc) 1 t. salt 1 pound flour (more or less. Use any kind to make a dough that isn't sticky)
Mix liquid, yeast, and sweetening in big bowl. Let it sit until foamy. Add remaining ingredients. Knead, rise, punch down, shape, let rise, bake at 350 - 375 till done.
Most of the time I throw in a couple of handsful of instant potatoes and a couple of scoops of powdered milk. They make a nice texture and a soft crust.
If you don't think you will eat the bread within a couple of days, add a small slug of vinegar to the liquid or use honey for the sweetener. The both act as a preservative.
For bagels: put a hole in the middle of each one, let rise, cook for 2 minutes in boiling salted water, then bake. You can brush them with beaten egg and sprinkle with seeds or salt first, if you want.
For pretzels: shape dough into pretzel shapes. After they rise, bring 10 cups of water to a boil. Add 2/3 cup baking soda, then boil the pretzels for about 30 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon, onto a baking pan. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 375.
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