lovely basic bread recipe*

Making bread from scratch made me go back to the time my dad made bread and pizza dough when I was a kid. I remember the aromas, the way he skilfully knedded the dough and how he always left it to rest and grow under the bed covers and blankets.

1. In a bowl mix: 2 tsps powdered yeast, 1 tsp sugar, 1 cup warm milk. Let it stand for 5 minutes in a warm spot.

2. In another bowl mix together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt and 1 Tblsp olive oil. (You can also add herbs at this point if you like) Add the milk mixture and beat a little. Turn the dough over a floured surface and knead until it is elastic and soft. Put it back in the bowl, cover it well and lay it on a warm place. Let it rest and rise for about an hour. It should double its size and look as pretty as this:

[about 15 minutes before using your dough, preheat your oven]

3. Now you can either shape smaller balls, use as is or put it in a loaf pan. Brush the dough with olive oil and put it in the oven for about 17 minutes or until the crust is nice and golden.

Can you smell it? It's lovely and warm and...

... perfect just with butter!

I think I'll be doing a lot of this...

*adapted from Blue Cooking #10


[note: it's been 8 months since the last post!]