Bread

It is a joy to make bread.
So simple, easy, a treat for all.
You may mix almost any flour you like, make it as simple as for pizza or as sophisticated as Brioch bread... may keep your sourdough for years, may do bread from any culture... we have been making and eating bread since we learned to grow corn, wheat and other grains. Just make it into flour, add water... and there, in the low fire...
I have made bread for years. Here I will include some of my favourites, Fernando, thinking of you...

Basic white bread.
Good for empanadas, pizza or plain breakfast bread, any shape.

6 cups of white, unbleached flour
1 teaspoon fresh bread Yeast or 2 teaspoons of dry yeast. Check the date is ok
1 teaspoon of any sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
warm water, about 3 cups.

In a bowl place 1/4 cup warm water with the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top
let it stand for 10 minutes, while you get the flour ready

Flour. May be all unbleached white flour, or 2/3 white and 1/3 whole wheat.
Or 2/3 white and 1/3 rye, rice, corn flour.

Mix well with salt, and add the yeast and some of the water. Mix in the bowl, once it has blened well, place it on the table and start kneading. If necessary, add bits of water, if sticky, add a tablespoon of more flour. It should end up being not sticky, elastic, maleable. Let it rise for a couple of hours, cut in pieces, form the pizzas or small breads, let rise again.

Pizza: flaten the dough, as thick or thin as you wish. paint each with olive oil. Place fresh or dried or mixed tomatoes and your favourite garnish, add a bit of cheese.
cook in a hot oven (450 F) for 6 to 9 miniutes.

For breakfast bread: Cut into small balls, as a golf ball. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Let them rise. These ballas may be shaped into sticks, flattened, made into any shape. If you srinke them with cornmeal and put some on the cookie sheet, they will not stick and have a nice crust.
Bake a cookie sheet of small bread at 375 for 8 to 10 min. or until cooked. You know the bread is done by looking at the sides, you see the growth of the bread an see it is cooked. Otherwise it looks stick or raw. Place it back in the oven for a few more minutes.
If you like the bread look golden, shiny, paint the bread with beatten egg mixed with a bit of water. no drops on the cookie sheet, they may burn.

Next time, try a loaf of bread, making the same dough, adding 1 egg and 4 tbspoons of soft butter when starting to knead. This dough is grat and you may do many types of bread with it. Once you feel confortable with this mix, try changing some of the flour, add dryed fruit, herbs, nuts, almonds, pinenuts, sesame, poppy seeds. Let me know...