RecipesHow to Make a Basic Bread Dough That Has Many Options
This is a basic bread dough that has many uses. This is a buttery-flavored dough that you will decide is a basic in your house. Use this dough to make a basic loaf, dinner pan rolls and herb-cheese bread.
BASIC BREAD DOUGH
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1/2 cup warm milk " " "
1/4 cup Butter Flavored Crisco Shortening
1 egg
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast and water. To the mixture, add the milk, shortening, egg, sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Beat on low speed of an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Gradually mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
On a well-floured board or flat surface, knead dough for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Add additional flour to the board as needed during the kneading process. Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Place in a greased bowl and turn dough over completely. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This will take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough and form into desired shape. (When making the dinner rolls, you may omit the kneading if you wish.)
TO MAKE A BASIC LOAF: Form into a loaf. Place in a well greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Yield: 1 loaf
TO MAKE PAN ROLLS: Thoroughly grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Divide dough into twenty pieces and shape pieces into balls. Place the balls in the prepared pan. Cover again with a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush tops of rolls with melted Butter Flavor Crisco. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan while warm. Yield: 20 rolls.
TO MAKE HERB CHEESE BREAD: 1 recipe of the basic dough above, 1 to 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves or dill weed, 1 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese. Mix the herbs and cheese into the dough with the last addition of the flour according to the main recipe. After kneading, shape the dough into a round shape. Place in a well-greased 1-quart round casserole dish. Turn dough over. Using a sharp knife, slash an X in the center of the top. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. This variation only lets dough rise once. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a deep golden brown.
Enjoy!