Cookbook:Basic Bread Dough

| Bread

This recipe makes a little more dough than enough for a 1-pound loaf of bread. It is intended to be kneaded in a bread machine, and baked in an oven.

Procedure

 * 1) Add ingredients to a 2-pound capacity bread machine in the order listed, select dough cycle, and press start.
 * 2) Remove when cycle is complete.
 * 3) Preheat oven to 400 °F (200 °C)
 * 4) When dough is finished, form into desired shape on a floured surface, and place on baking sheet or pizza stone.
 * 5) Bake until lightly brown and firm. Cooking time will vary with altitude (20–40 minutes).
 * 6) Cool and enjoy.

Variations

 * To make a twist loaf, roll dough into a cylindrical shape with your hands, but make one end of the cylinder thicker than the other. Then divide the cylinder with a knife down the center of the thicker end, creating a ring with a protruding cylinder. Braid and bake.
 * Brush loaf with an eggwash (1 egg + a scant amount of water) or egg white, melted margarine or butter, or olive oil for a crisper crust.
 * Sprinkle brushed loaf with minced garlic, chopped herbs, ground spices, grated cheese, ground pepper and/or kosher salt for flavor.
 * Toss or roll into a flat disc and top with tomato sauce, olive oil, chopped meat, vegetables and/or grated cheeses to create a pizza (bake until cheese is melted).