Basic Bread

In the SCA, bread is important. During the medieval era, bread was served at almost every meal, and because it used whole grains instead of today's over-processed flours, it provided much of a person's daily nutrients in a very dense package. This is not a period recipe, per se. It's a beginner loaf that will give you some experience and confidence in baking. It's a great place to start!
Ingredients:
  • 2.5 cups warm water
  • 2 tbsp dry active yeast
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 6-7 cups flour
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Add together water, yeast, sugar and vinegar, and mix together gently. Let sit until bubbly (about 3-5 minutes). Add the salt and oil, and begin adding the flour one cup at a time. The dough should be soft, but firm enough to mold into loaves.

Knead for 2-5 minutes, and then put in the oven with a small pot of boiling water (this keeps the dough moist). Watch the dough and punch it down every time it gets to the top of the mixing bowl. You can do this many times, but at least 2-5 times. Longer is fine.

Put the dough on a greased counter top and divide into three sections (for three small loves, or two for two larger loaves). Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle a thin layer of cornmeal on the bottom of the sheet. Roll the dough balls into French bread shapes (slightly torpedo or long and skinny). Slash the tops of the bread diagonally 3-5 times and coat with a beaten egg. 

Let it rise 30 minutes (or until doubled) on the counter, or put into the oven at 170F and wait until they're the size you want to cook them at. Once they're the right size, set the stove to 375F (without opening it if the loaves are inside) and let them bake until done. If going from counter to oven, bake about 30 minutes; loaves risen in the oven may bake quicker.

Notes:
  • A packet of yeast from the grocery store contains about 2.25 teaspoons of yeast, and there are 3 teaspoons in every tablespoon. This means you need about six teaspoons of yeast, or about 2.75 packets. Packets of yeast are not the best way to get your yeast, though. It's much better to buy a small jar of dry active yeast. It will keep for months in the fridge, and years in the freezer.
  • If you mix the first step together and there are no bubbles, your yeast is probably dead. You can wait up to about ten minutes to see if it's just sluggish, but if you aren't seeing bubbles you should probably just go buy more yeast.
  • Your hands are going to get doughy. It's okay, honestly. It's okay not to like the feel of it, too. Be aware that it washes off pretty easily, but you may want a nail brush to get it out from under your nails when you're done. Once the dough is past the sticky stage, kneading will be very neat and easy, and should no longer stick to your hands.
  • The first time you make this, use "Better for Bread" or a specific bread flour, and you will have a success. Once you've got that success under your belt, pick a whole wheat flour and mix it half and half with the bread flour. Next time, switch to whole wheat entirely. If you make it this far, switch again, but this time to an ancient grain like spelt or einkorn. The spelt/einkorn loaf will be much more dense, and will also be a lot closer to period recipes for bread. 
  • If your house is cold (like mine), your dough may not rise well. There are a few things you can do to fix this. Rising your bread in the oven is a good start. You can warm it for a few moments prior to putting the dough in to rise, but make sure you don't make it HOT inside (your dough will bake instead of rising). Setting your oven to "warm" for five minutes when you begin your bread-making process, then turning it off and leaving it open a crack, will result in a warmed but not hot oven that is good for rising. Alternatively, you can let it rise on the counter, in a big bowl on top of a wire rack, under which you place a heating pad. You have to be careful not to allow the rack or the bowl to touch the pad (again, this will bake your dough instead of exciting the yeast into rising your bread); the heat should be low and indirect. I have used this method successfully several times (our house ranges from 55F to 63F in the winter, much too chilly for bread to rise). 
  • If your house is cold, definitely use the oven rise method in the last step. You will end up with a slightly chewier loaf, but it will rise better and your crumb will be nicer.
  • I use organic cane sugar when baking. Don't omit the sugar or salt; they help with the chemical reaction that makes the bread rise properly. You can switch to honey instead of sugar, but don't use Splenda baking blends or any other "fake sugar" during the baking process. You will be very unhappy with the results. You can, however, use a bit more or a bit less of the sugar and salt, without harming the recipe.
  • This recipe does not work well for gluten free bread. However, if you are like me and have a wheat allergy, check with your doctor. Some people (again, like me) can eat ancient grains even though they have a bad allergy to modern ones. I can eat spelt, and so when I make this recipe, I use spelt flour from Bob's Red Mill. The loaf is a bit more dense and dark than when you use white flour, but it's BREAD and it's yummy. And from an SCA perspective, your loaf will be more period!
  • Have you mastered this loaf and want to make it a bit more complex (but don't yet feel ready to try something more difficult)? Vary it! Add a bit of garlic salt and some oregano when you're mixing the dough together. During the final knead, incorporate some cheese and taco spices. Lower the salt and up the sugar ratios, toss in some cinnamon and raisins, and top with cane sugar before baking. Instead of making rounds or loaves, roll the dough into three long ropes and braid it together (remember to pinch the ends together, but don't worry about the middle parts). Don't be afraid to experiment!