Bread Recipe

Here is my basic bread recipe:

1 pkg yeast
1 cup warm water
1-2 Tbls yeast food: sugar, honey or molasses (maple syrup would work, but I've never used it)

3-4 cups flour
2 Tbls olive oil

Mix the yeast, water and food together in a bowl. Let the yeast proof or get foamy. Add the flour and oil. Mix the flour in a cup or so at a time. Add enough that you can kneed the dough with your hands without wearing it. Kneed until dough is all mixed then kneed 10 more times.

Let the dough rise in a bowl placed in a warm area. The oven is fine if it is off. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel. When the dough has doubled, you can make it in to buns, pretzels or bread sticks. Bake at 400' for about 15 minutes or so. Watch carefully if you've done the shaping with the kids - sometimes the thinner spots can burn quickly. You can cover with foil or remove when that piece is done and bake the rest.

If you want bread, punch this down and shape in to a loaf or press into the bottom of a pan. Let rise again until loaf shaped. Bake at 400' for 20 minutes or until the smell makes you crazy and the bread is hollow sounding when tapped.