Add liquid ingredients to dry mixture; blend on low speed. Beat 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed. By hand, stir in enough remaining flour to make a firm dough. Knead on floured surface 5 to 7 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Baker’s Note: Refer to Lesson 1 for a pictorial description of kneading. To determine if yeast dough is kneaded enough, break off a small walnut-sized ball of dough and begin to stretch it. If dough is kneaded enough, it will stretch easily and a translucent membrane will be visible. This is known as a gluten window.

Add liquid ingredients to dry mixture; mix with paddle or beaters for 4 minutes on medium speed. Gradually add remaining flour and knead with dough hook(s) 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent air from drying out the top of the dough; let rise. Rising improves the flavor and texture of breads.

The oven is an ideal place for dough to rise. For an electric oven or a gas oven with electronic ignition, turn oven to the lowest setting for one minute, then turn off. In other gas ovens, the pilot light will provide enough warmth. Place a pan of very warm water towards the back of the oven to provide moisture. Place bowl of dough on center rack and close door.

Rising times can vary with the temperature and relative humidity. In warm humid weather, dough will rise faster than when temperatures are cooler. Yeast dough is considered "ripe" when it has risen enough. Push two fingers into the dough up to the second knuckle: if the holes remain when taken out, dough is "ripe" and ready to be punched down. If not, cover and let rise longer.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; punch down to remove air bubbles. Divide dough into two parts; roll or pat each into a 14- x 7-inch rectangle. Starting with shorter side, roll up tightly, pressing dough into roll. Pinch edges and ends to seal. Place in greased 9- x 5-inch or 8- x 4-inch loaf pans. Cover; let rise until indentation remains after touching.

Bake in preheated 400ºF oven 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan; cool on rack.

Baker’s Note: If you are in doubt about the doneness of your bread, you can check it with a thermometer. Bread is completely baked if the thermometer reads 190º to 195ºF when inserted halfway in the loaf.

Using the same technique present in this lesson, you can make Burger Buns, English Muffin Bread, Fat Free Yogurt Bread, Good Old American White Rolls, Grandma’s Cinnamon Rolls, and Miniature Orange Coconut Rolls found on the RED STAR® Yeast Web site or Apple Cinnamon Walnut Bread, Chocolate Bread and Perfectly Easy White Bread found on the SAF® Web site.



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