Becky's Best Bread

When I got my first bread machine I just used the recipes that came with it. We loved it all, and I have to say, that machine came with THE BEST recipes of all the machines (5) I have owned. Eventually I started looking for the perfect bread recipe. James really likes the texture of European breads: chewy, thick crust, crunchy outside, so I started working on it.

Well, lets just say that if he wants the thick hard crust, we have to go to Panera! I have not even come close to conquering that one!

But I did find a good recipe that I "messed with" until it became a great recipe. At least WE think so! So do most people we eat this, so it is my basic everyday recipe. Since we make this ALL THE TIME, I cannot imagine why I have taken so long to put this here!

1 1/2 cups warm-hot tap water
2-3 T sugar
1 scant T salt
4 c all purpose flour (I don't mess with bread flour!)
1T yeast
Butter (optional, more on this later)

Place ingredients (except for butter) in bread machine in order listed. Run dough cycle. Shape. Rise. Bake 350 degrees for 25-40 minutes (I do 30 for my oven). Remove from oven, place on cooling rack, rub/brush with butter for soft (delicious!) crust.

My favorite shape (my boys claim it even tastes better) is a basic French bread, baked on a pizza stone. This recipe is a little big for a normal bread pan (and a little small for the huge ones I stole from Mom : ) ), so I would use a quarterish of it for rolls or a mini loaf along with the regular size bread pan. My experience was that it is a little heavy if I put it all in a loaf pan.

If you use the butter it makes the crust turn a beautiful deep golden color, whereas if you leave it out the bread may be quite pale. The butter also gives you a soft/chewy crust rather than dry/papery, as homemade bread can have. I think that buttering the crust is what really MAKES this bread. However, if I am baking for dairy free people, it is still outrageously good.

I use this dough for everything. EVERYTHING. Want a list? OK!

Bread (duh)

Pizza crust (makes 1 very thick large or one decently thick large and a small pan of bread sticks, 2 medium, 8 small [good size for grilling!], to make 2 large crusts, increase water to 2 cups and flour to 5 cups)

Bread sticks (smoosh out on pizza stone, allow to relax 10 minutes, cut with pizza cutter, bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, rub/brush with plenty of butter, sprinkle with garlic and/or parmesan in desired)

Rolls (plain, crescent, knots, clover leaf, etc. follow cookbook suggested times)

Pizza bites/rolls (smoosh out dough into a large and thin rectangle, allow it to relax for 10 minutes, cut into squares [I do fairly small appetizer sized ones, so 7 squares by 7 or so, you can do big ones too], place pepperoni/ham/sausage/bacon and cheese cube on each square, wrap and pinch together, place in/on baking pan, bake at 350 for 15-25 min, butter tops, sprinkle with garlic and parmesan, can dip in pizza sauce or ranch)

Pizza pockets (these are great for travel [on a Friday night, of course!], cut the squares bigger: 4 squares by 4 squares is good for us, spread a spoonful of pizza sauce in the middle of each square, add pizza toppings, fold into a triangle, pinch edges to seal, bake at 400 for 12-18 min, brush with butter, sprinkle with garlic and parmesan)

Pigs in blankets ( one batch does a 16 oz package of mini smokies, which they no longer sell: theye are all 12 oz now, so you will have a little extra [we use it for a few pizza bites], 12-16 regular hot dogs, or ??? medium sized sausages

Garlic bread ( divide dough into 2 pieces, shape each in a long French bread shape, bake, cool, slice open, spread with garlic butter mixture, toast, we also do "Texas toast" for our beloved "Open Face Texas Burgers" by baking a shorter, fatter French loaf, cool, slice, brush with garlic butter, pan or griddle fry until golden)

Replacement for almost any dough in recipes: (crescent roll, frozen dough, roll mix, etc and so on and on)

Mexican pinwheel dough (we need to get this recipe on here!)

Cinnamon bread/cinnamon raisin (roll dough out flat about as wide as your bread pan is long or freestyle for french bread style, aim for dough about 3/4 inch thick, spread with softened butter, sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, raisins, rise, bake 350 for 30 minutes, drizzle with powdered sugar glaze if desired)

Emergency tortillas : ) (roll out small balls, cook in dry frying pan briefly on each side)

Flat bread (small: divided dough into 12-16 pieces, smoosh into flat rounds [have the kids do this], place on baking pans/stones, bake at 400 for 10-18 minutes OR smoosh out whole batch on large pizza pan, cut with pizza cutter into squares, bake at 400 for 15-20 min)

Cheese bread (smoosh out on pizza stone, sprinkle with cheese and herbs if desired, bake at 400 for 10-20 min)

Navajo tacos (basically fried mini flat breads see link for details)

Monkey bread (tear off small pieces, roll in melted butter, roll in cinnamon sugar mix, place in well coconut oiled bunt pan, sprinkle any remaining cinn/sugar mix on top, bake at 350 25-30 min)

Bubble bread (tear off little pieces, roll in melted butter, sprinkle with herbs if desired, place in a well coconut oiled bunt pan, bake at 350 for 25ish min)

Elephant ears (getting lots of animals on this list!)

Bread bowls (I divide it into 8 parts, smooth, flatten slightly, bake 25-30 min for a crustier exterior)

Giant pretzels ( divide dough and shape as desired [spelling out a kids name for their birthday is fun!],brush with water or beaten egg, sprinkle with kosher or pretzel salt lay in baking stone/pan, bake at 400 for 6-15 min depending on size. If you are serious about giant pretzels, use a boiling water bath before baking)

French bread buns (for sturdier bun needs, such as french dip)

Ummmm, there have to be more! You add yours!