Easy Homemade Bread

Blogging after a long long time...

Had been busy with my family and business, that i was finding very less time to write a blog post.

You all are aware that we are going through a tough situation now. Because of this critical situation, we all are forced to stay home. Some of you might be utilising this time to spend with your family, while some others might be feeling depressed. Whatever it is, please stay home and stay safe. Social distancing is very much needed. We can overcome this situation together, by staying separate.

Take this opportunity to brush up your hobbies, spend time with your family and learn new things.

To ease your boredom, i thought to write down an easy bread recipe, so that u can try at home and feed your family. This simple recipe doesn't have lot of ingredients, so as we have very limited resources now because of the lock down, we can try this one out. Baking is a stress buster, bread making is even more relaxing. Moreover, this will give your hands some workout 😊

Lets get into the recipe...

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour/ Maida - 225 gm (1 1/2 cup)
Warm Milk - 165 ml 
Yeast -1 tsp ( or 1 1/2 tsp of normal yeast)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Milk Powder - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Butter (room temperature, not melted) - 1 tbsp

Method

• Take a big bowl. Pour warm milk into it. Add 1 tbsp sugar and instant yeast into it. Mix well and keep it aside for 10 mins. This will bubble up a bit.
• Now, add milk powder, salt and the remaining sugar. Mix well.
• Now add maida, little by little, mixing in between, using a spoon. Use your hand towards the end to mix properly. It will be sticky. Mix for 2-3 mins. Cover and keep it aside for 10 mins.
• After 10 mins, add butter, mix well and take this slightly sticky dough out onto a clean surface.
• Now, you have to knead well by stretching and kneading method for minimum 15 mins. If you find that its sticking to your surface or hands, add little bit of maida, 1 tbsp at a time. Don't add too much of maida at this time, or your bread will become hard. (see video to see stretching and kneading)
• Don't skip this step. Kneading is the key to a soft and tasty bread. This activates gluten which is very crucial in bread making.
• After kneading for 15 mins, your dough will be very soft and not sticky. 
• Now grease a bowl with little oil and place this dough into it. Cover and keep it in a warm place for 1 hour or till it becomes double in size.
• Once its double, take it out onto a clean surface. Dust little bit of maida and just knead for 1 min. We just want to knock out the air trapped in the dough.
• Take a rolling pin and roll the dough till it spreads nicely. Now, from one end, start rolling inwards tightly. Pinch the dough when it reaches the end. Tuck in the sides too. The dough will look like a log now. (see video for reference)
• Place this log into a greased loaf tin, pinched portion downwards. Cover with a damp cloth and keep it in a warm place for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour, when the dough rises, place it in a preheated oven at 160 degree Celsius for 40-50 mins till its brown on the top and cooked completely. When u hear a hollow sound on knocking on the top of the bread, then u can make out that its cooked completely.
• Every oven temperature is different, so bake according to your oven.
• Once its baked, take out and place the tin on a wired rack for 5 mins. Smear some butter on top of the bread.
• After 5 mins, overturn the tin and take out the bread and let it cool down completely. Don't let the bread cool down completely in the tin itself as it will become soggy.
• Slice the bread only after it is completely cool down.
• Enjoy!!