This can very well be called A BREAD FEAST ! Fresh breads from your own oven which fill your house with a very delicious and inviting aroma.
What is lovely about this blog post is that there is one dough recipe that can be used in a number of interesting ways; let your dough “rise”, flavor it, shape it, play with it, the way you want. I love this bread dough as its very easy-pezee and there is no great effort required.
I do call it my own Ichchhadhari dough (remember Sridevi ?). Call it a silly joke but its true. I made Garlic bread, Focaccia, and Sweet buns with the Same Dough which is fuss free.
As for the flavors, I used olives, sundried tomatoes, oregano, garlic powder, fresh garlic and tutti frutti. You can go with the flavors of your own choice and whatever you find in your kitchen cabinet – Balsamic onions, basil, cheese, rosemary, or even nuts; you can have a great play with toppings.
Now a couple of thing to keep in mind while making the bread.
Measure your ingredients correctly.
Preheat the oven, but make sure that the oven is not extremely hot as that might give you dense bread.
Do not keep adding the flour while kneading the dough to stop the dough from sticking. Flour take time to fully absorb moisture; leaving the dough for 10 to 15 minutes after combining will help reduce the stickiness.
The temperature of the water or milk is very important, it should be lukewarm. Extreme heat will kill the yeast, cold will take too long to rise.
If you add too much yeast, it will give a yeasty flavor to the bread.
Salt enhances the flavor but can also kill the yeast activity, so add it after proofing.
If you are kneading by hand, use the heel of your hand to bring the upper part of the dough over towards you, and then push it again away from you( ask me for a demo !) Use a bench scraper to lift the dough.
Also you can either use a bread machine or a hand mixer with hook attachment or a food processor to knead the dough.
Do not hurry the process of proofing, first rise or second rise. If you are in a hurry then you can prepare the dough a day before and keep it in the fridge, which will give it a slow rise. Don’t forget to cover the dough properly or it will dry out and make sure the container is big enough as it is going to increase in size.
Breads can be served with various sweet or savory spreads, Can be enjoyed with gravies or soups. Everyone here in my house loves Focaccia with hot tomato soup or just make a sandwich with it.
