2009 NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF BREADS: Bread Baking Contest

Ingredients

• 2 tbls butter or vegetable oil
• 2 tsps salt
• 1.5-2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour

Instructions

For Dough: With a dough hook or by hand, mix butter or oil, salt and additional 1 ½ cups flour (unbleached all-purpose or bread flour) into the sponge on low speed to form a rough dough ball. Begin kneading (or use mixers dough hook) with flour sprinkles from the remaining ½ cup flour, until the dough is smooth, moist and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Dough should clean the bowl or counter. Form a rounded smooth-surfaced dough ball, place in an oiled bowl, turning the dough so pinched side is down, smooth side is up. Cover bowl loosely with oiled or pan-sprayed plastic wrap or lid.

For Dough: With a dough hook or by hand, mix butter or oil, salt and additional 1 ½ cups flour (unbleached all-purpose or bread flour) into the sponge on low speed to form a rough dough ball. Begin kneading (or use mixers dough hook) with flour sprinkles from the remaining ½ cup flour, until the dough is smooth, moist and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Dough should clean the bowl or counter. Form a rounded smooth-surfaced dough ball, place in an oiled bowl, turning the dough so pinched side is down, smooth side is up. Cover bowl loosely with oiled or pan-sprayed plastic wrap or lid.

Ferment ("raise) dough at 80F.until doubled in size, about 40 minutes. (Or, instead of fermenting at room temperature, spray or oil a large food bag or storage container and refrigerate the dough for 2-24 hours. Punch dough down when doubled in size, about 1 hour, and re-shape into a smooth ball. Shape dough, or return to refrigerator until ready to shape.)

To "punchdough: Fold dough into middle and turn to form smooth ball. Turn smooth side up. Let dough let rest 10 minutes, covered, while preparing baking pans.

Shape two loaves (round, or oblong for 8 ½ X 4 ½-inch pan). (Dough also makes great dinner buns, breadsticks or braids.) Place the loaves in greased pans or on a sheet pan. Cover with a barely damp, clean non-terry towel or plastic food wrap sprayed with pan spray. Proof ("raise) loaves until doubled in volume, in warm (95-105 F.) draft-free place, 40-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 360F. Slash round loaves on surface. Bake loaves 30-35 minutes until golden and the internal temperature is 190-200 F. Cool bread on wire cooling rack; wrap when cooled to 90-100 F. interior temperature. Freeze baked bread wrapped in freezer plastic food bags or store at room temperature (70-90F.) (Don't refrigerate.) Makes 2 loaves/16 (1.4 oz/40g) slices per loaf.

Option: Mix bread straight through or break up the steps to fit busy schedules. *Option: In place of 2 cups of water, ½ cup water plus1 ½ cups scalded and cooled milk may be substituted. **Option: For hearth bread, use a hard white or red whole wheat flour.

Nutrition Information: Made with 75% whole wheat flour, dry milk, butter). One slice (1.4 oz/40g) provides 100 calories, 10 calories from fat; Protein, 3g; Total Carbohydrates 19g; Dietary fiber 2.25g; Total Sugars, 1.3g; Total fat, 1g; 0 Trans fats; Sat.fat, 0; Cholesterol 0mg; Folate, 11mcg; Calcium, 2%; Iron, 6%; Potassium 34 mg, Sodium 155 mg Recipe for Everyday Bread prepared by Sharon Davis, Family & Consumer Sciences Education, Home Baking Association, www.homebaking.org.

Added Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009