This is fool-proof and really easy. I make this at night and bake the next morning without a second rise! This makes a lot, so you can freeze what you don't use.
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 Tbsp. yeast
- 5 cups flour
- 1 or 2 Tbsp. salt
Directions
Mix water and yeast with a whisk or wooden spoon well, then add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing VERY well after each addition. Pretty soon it gets too hard to whisk or stir, so get your hands in there and mix it up good. Shape into a ball. Put into a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place.
I let it rise over night and then shape it how I want and bake it for an hour in the morning before anyone gets up. The smell is yummy!
If you DON'T let it rise, you can press it into a flat pan, and make focaccia bread. Spread it out and cover the pan and dough with lots of olive oil, then top it with garlic (or powdered garlic and herbs) Italian herbs, sun-dried tomatoes jack or mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese and bake until done.
Tips: Add gluten for softer bread. You can use any type of flour, you can add in anything you want. I add seeds, oatmeal, nuts, raisins, eggs, sugar; the list is endless.
By Linda from Eustis, FL
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