Steve Kroll
Wine Guy
First, I want to say that I bake a lot of bread. I can count on one hand the number of times I've purchased a loaf in the store in the last five years. I started making my own bread for a couple of reasons. First, I hate paying a lot of money for something I can do cheaply myself. Why pay $3-4 a loaf in the store when you can make it for less than a buck? Also, I'm very leery of chemicals in food and wanted more control over what my family was eating. Lastly, there's just something wholesome and satisfying about the whole process of bread baking. I think I'm a lot like my grandmother in this respect. She made her own bread until well into her seventies, when arthritis finally put an end to it.
For a long time I only made bread by hand. Once a week, I'd make a couple of loaves of artisan style bread. Baguettes, Jewish Rye, Pumpernickel, Sourdough, Focaccia - I've tried it all at one time or another. By the time I finished, the kitchen was trashed and everything covered in flour, myself included.
About two months ago, I finally broke down and bought a nice food processor. It's a 14-cup Cuisinart. One of the reasons I bought it is because it had settings and attachments for making dough. I was doubtful at first, but after spending some time playing with it, I have to say that it makes a decent loaf of bread with minimal fuss and mess. I would say it's not quite as good as a completely hand made loaf, but it's certainly good enough for everyday fare and sandwiches.
Below is a very simple recipe that I devised for my FP that makes a single loaf of bread. It literally takes 5 minutes or so of prep time, and is so easy you could make bread everyday. The best part is that it's driven by proportions and is flexible enough to act as a base recipe for many different types of bread. You can make Rye, White, Whole Wheat, or a healthy Oat Bran loaf just by varying the dry ingredients a bit. The ratio of dry ingredients to wet is about 2-to-1. Note that if you use all white flour, you will use less water. I go entirely by visual cues when making bread. Just follow the instructions below.
My recipe calls for three cups of flour. You can use all white flour, if you like, but at least one cup of the flour used should be all purpose white. White flour has a good amount of gluten, which I think is especially important for food processor dough, since it helps the dough stick together and form a ball. The remaining two cups can be pretty much anything else. The important thing is that it adds up to three cups. Here are some examples:
The oil can also be of any type. I like olive oil, but it could just as easily be butter, canola, or even nut oil. Same with sugar. I normally use evaporated cane juice, but honey, molasses, brown, or white sugar works as well. Feel free to experiment.
The water should be warm. I don't really measure the temp, but use warmer than lukewarm - maybe 120-130°. If you use quick rising yeast, it can handle more heat than standard active dry yeast. If you use standard yeast, then lukewarm us fine. It will just take a little longer to rise.
Lastly, I encourage you to be as creative as you wish. I've added cheese, chopped jalapenos, olives, and herbs to this base recipe, and it mostly comes out great. I'd love to hear about variations that people come up with.
Recipe for Basic Food Processor Bread Dough
Makes 1 loaf
1. If your food processor has a dough attachment, use that. Otherwise a chopping blade is fine. The bowl should have at least a 9-cup capacity to allow for movement of the dough.
2. Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, yeast, sugar) to the food processor bowl and pulse several times to mix.
3. Combine the warm water with the remaining liquid ingredients (oil and honey, if using) in a large measuring cup with a spigot.
4. Turn on the food processor and slowly add the liquid ingredients through the food chute. Occasionally pause to allow the FP to catch up. You may not need to use all of the liquid! Once the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the bottom and sides of the bowl, do not add any more liquid. Allow the food processor to run for another minute to "knead" the dough.
5. Turn the dough out onto a cutting board that has been lightly dusted with flour. It should be sticky and pliable. Quickly knead the dough for about a minute and form it into a log shape. Lightly coat the surface with oil and set it in a loaf pan coated with non-stick spray. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about an hour, or until the surface has risen about an inch above the top of the pan.
6. Bake in a 350°F oven for 25-30 minutes. Once pan has cooled enough to handle, turn it upside down and give it a quick shake it to release the loaf. It should come out easily.
Enjoy!
For a long time I only made bread by hand. Once a week, I'd make a couple of loaves of artisan style bread. Baguettes, Jewish Rye, Pumpernickel, Sourdough, Focaccia - I've tried it all at one time or another. By the time I finished, the kitchen was trashed and everything covered in flour, myself included.
About two months ago, I finally broke down and bought a nice food processor. It's a 14-cup Cuisinart. One of the reasons I bought it is because it had settings and attachments for making dough. I was doubtful at first, but after spending some time playing with it, I have to say that it makes a decent loaf of bread with minimal fuss and mess. I would say it's not quite as good as a completely hand made loaf, but it's certainly good enough for everyday fare and sandwiches.
Below is a very simple recipe that I devised for my FP that makes a single loaf of bread. It literally takes 5 minutes or so of prep time, and is so easy you could make bread everyday. The best part is that it's driven by proportions and is flexible enough to act as a base recipe for many different types of bread. You can make Rye, White, Whole Wheat, or a healthy Oat Bran loaf just by varying the dry ingredients a bit. The ratio of dry ingredients to wet is about 2-to-1. Note that if you use all white flour, you will use less water. I go entirely by visual cues when making bread. Just follow the instructions below.
My recipe calls for three cups of flour. You can use all white flour, if you like, but at least one cup of the flour used should be all purpose white. White flour has a good amount of gluten, which I think is especially important for food processor dough, since it helps the dough stick together and form a ball. The remaining two cups can be pretty much anything else. The important thing is that it adds up to three cups. Here are some examples:
- Healthy oat bran loaf: 1 cup white flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup oat bran, 1/4 cup wheat germ, 1/4 cup ground flax seed.
- Whole wheat loaf: 1 cup white flour, 2 cups whole wheat flour
- Caraway rye: 2 cups white flour, 1 cup rye flour. Add two teaspoons caraway seed.
- Herb bread: same as whole wheat, but add a tablespoon or two of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, basil, and marjoram. You can also add 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic.
The oil can also be of any type. I like olive oil, but it could just as easily be butter, canola, or even nut oil. Same with sugar. I normally use evaporated cane juice, but honey, molasses, brown, or white sugar works as well. Feel free to experiment.
The water should be warm. I don't really measure the temp, but use warmer than lukewarm - maybe 120-130°. If you use quick rising yeast, it can handle more heat than standard active dry yeast. If you use standard yeast, then lukewarm us fine. It will just take a little longer to rise.
Lastly, I encourage you to be as creative as you wish. I've added cheese, chopped jalapenos, olives, and herbs to this base recipe, and it mostly comes out great. I'd love to hear about variations that people come up with.
Recipe for Basic Food Processor Bread Dough
Makes 1 loaf
- 3 cups flour, at least 1 cup should be white (see notes above)
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp dry yeast, or one packet
- 1 tbsp sugar, honey, or other sweetener (see notes above)
- 1 tbsp oil or melted butter
- 1 1/2 cups very warm water
1. If your food processor has a dough attachment, use that. Otherwise a chopping blade is fine. The bowl should have at least a 9-cup capacity to allow for movement of the dough.
2. Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, yeast, sugar) to the food processor bowl and pulse several times to mix.
3. Combine the warm water with the remaining liquid ingredients (oil and honey, if using) in a large measuring cup with a spigot.
4. Turn on the food processor and slowly add the liquid ingredients through the food chute. Occasionally pause to allow the FP to catch up. You may not need to use all of the liquid! Once the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the bottom and sides of the bowl, do not add any more liquid. Allow the food processor to run for another minute to "knead" the dough.
5. Turn the dough out onto a cutting board that has been lightly dusted with flour. It should be sticky and pliable. Quickly knead the dough for about a minute and form it into a log shape. Lightly coat the surface with oil and set it in a loaf pan coated with non-stick spray. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about an hour, or until the surface has risen about an inch above the top of the pan.
6. Bake in a 350°F oven for 25-30 minutes. Once pan has cooled enough to handle, turn it upside down and give it a quick shake it to release the loaf. It should come out easily.
Enjoy!
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