Bread!

I made bread for the first time!! I'm not totally sure why I've never made bread before, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I LOVE bread and I was worried that I would make bread and eat the entire loaf in a day...this almost happened. However, it's fun, easy, and cheap! I know a lot of people get scared by the time commitment baking bread requires, but it's really not that bad because most of the time is spent waiting for it to rise. It's a great thing to do one day when you have a lot of little errands to run or housecleaning to do since you can get everything done but you'll still be around home enough to punch the bread down, etc.

I got the recipe from The Wednesday Chef and barely adapted it at all. It's delicious but dangerously addictive. Here it is with my adaptations for your baking pleasure:

Ethiopian Honey-Spice Bread
Makes 1 loaf

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger (at least, I used more)
1 large egg
1/2 cup mild honey
1 tablespoon ground coriander (or cardamom as I didn't have any coriander)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (at least)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

*I added a few shakes of pumpkin pie spice since I had it on hand
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup whole milk, warmed
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Combine the yeast, water, sugar or honey, and ginger in a small ceramic bowl and set in a warm, draft-free place until it bubbles vigorously/looks all foamy on top

2. Combine the egg, honey, spices and salt in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Add the milk and butter. Mix in 1 cup of the flour.

3. Add the yeast mixture and beat until all the ingredients are well blended. Add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time, using only enough to make a soft dough. Use your hands, if needed, to work in the last bit of flour...I definately needed my hands for the end of it, it got really sticky.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the bread by folding it end to end, pressing down and pushing forward several times with the heel of your hand. (The dough will be sticky. Use a dough scraper to clear the board and turn the mass of dough. Avoid adding more flour.-->I don't have a dough scraper, but I warm sponge works just fine.)

5. In about 5 minutes the dough will become smoother and more elastic. Shape into a rough ball and place in a large oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise until doubled in bulk...which took about an hour--maybe 45 min.

6. Heavily butter a 3-quart round baking dish that is 3 inches deep, such as a casserole or an enameled Dutch oven. Punch down the dough with a single blow of your fist. Knead the dough for a few minutes, shape into a rough ball, and place in the prepared pan. (Press the dough down so that the bottom of the pan is covered completely.) Cover and let rise again until the dough has doubled and reaches the top of the pan. I don't have a 3-quart baking dish, round or otherwise, so I just formed it into a loaf and put a towel on glasses on either side of it (so the towel wouldn't stick so much) and let it rise about 45 min or so. This worked just fine.

7. At least 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

8. Bake for 60 minutes, or until the bread is nicely rounded on top and a light golden brown. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and transfer to a rack to cool completely before slicing. Since my oven is hot I cooked it for about 45 min maybe, so check it after about 40. Eat it while warm with butter and honey. Oh man. This stuff is good and SO easy.