and I made it during the pandemic a lot. I never had a stand mixer, so here are your answers:

1. Yes, just cover it and leave it on the counter out of drafts.

2. Of course you can knead it by hand, what do you think Grandma did? You knead it until it feels like the consistency of your earlobe, if that makes sense. It won't be sticky any more and it will feel just "right". I think you'll know. And by the way, that recipe sounds yummy!

It may take a little longer, but will work just fine.


The important thing to remember when you are new to working with yeast is this:
If it's too cold, it will take longer to rise.
If it's too hot, the yeast will die and it won't rise at all.

if you give it enough time. your recipe looks like it would be a great starter recipe since it is more like a cinnamon roll and thus more forgiving of "rise" than a plain loaf of bread.

Last edited Mon Dec 16, 2024, 09:17 PM - Edit history (1)

Always by hand. Have baked since I was 12.

The 1940s cookbook I've used forever recommends temp 90-110. Bread machine yeast will tolerate temps to 120. I used to proof the yeast, but trust it's reliability, so I've switched to making a sponge, and letting it rise in a warm oven. A sponge is, for me, 1 cup of flour, all of the liquid, warmed to about 100 degrees, all of the fat, salt, yeast . After it rises an hour, I add 2 cups of flour and an egg, then turn it out on a board with a cup of flour to knead in. I do what you do-turn the oven on to get the oven barely warmer than room temp, and use the oven light to keep it cozy.

The old cookbook says to knead your dough (by hand) on a floured board, until it isn't sticky. Old time was about 20 minutes. I knead for about 10 and it does fine. When you knead, dust your hands and fingers with flour and turn your dough onto the flour. Knead by pushing the dough away from you, folding toward you and turning a quarter turn. Repeat the moves until all or most of the flour is absorbed. As you work the dough, you will notice that the surface will stop feeling sticky. It'll feel smooth. You might have some flour left on the board, or you might have to add a little more. If there isn't enough flour, the dough will be sticky and your bread might be gummy. If there is too much flour, the loaf is likely to be dry. No worries, bread is very forgiving. Not called the staff of life for nothing!

The more fat and sugar you add, the more tender your bread will be. If you let it rise 2 times before kneading, it'll have a finer texture. If you want the crust to be soft and chewy, butter the top when it comes out of the oven and cover the loaf, in its pan, with paper towels or a clean cloth. The steam will soften the crust.

Let us know how your bread turns out

after wrist surgery. The key to good bread is, knead until you think you've done enough, then knead for ten more minutes. With practice, you'll start to feel when the dough is ready - it shouldn't be sticky, and should have some give but bounce back when you stick your fingers in it.

I proof my dough on the spot on the stove where my mother's stove had a pilot light, but that's just superstition. Keep it in the warmest spot in the kitchen, and cover it with either plastic wrap or a cloth to keep it warm - the advantage of the plastic wrap is that you can see it dome when the dough rises. Some people like to rinse a bowl with warm water and put that over the dough while it rises - it's largely a matter of preference. Dough behaves differently in different weather conditions: it's hard to quantify, but with practice you get to know when it feels "right"

If it's warm months, I can cover with a loose cloth and let it rise on top of the stove.

Cooler/drier kitchen months, I have microwaved a glass container of water to a boil, put it in my oven near the bottom and then put my loosely covered bread on a rack to rise. You have to make sure NO ONE turns the oven on.

I have also done that by warming the oven just a hair first.

Depending on the size of your container, I have proofed it in the microwave as well.

It just takes longer if it's cold and dry. You should be fine with 70.

I don't use a stand mixer at all for bread. Just knead it on the counter

Have fun!