I used to be terrified of making bread because working with yeast, kneading dough for over 10 minutes, and waiting for the dough to rise sounded like a lot of effort for something that costs 40 cents at the grocery store. But there is an indescribable sense of gratification that comes with pulling your own bread out of the oven. The breathtaking aroma is also something I don’t think I’ll ever tire of.

Researchers have actually shown that the smell of freshly baked bread conjures up the kindness in people. Don’t believe me? Check it. You can’t make this shizz up!

I’d say bread making is something that requires a bit of patience, but it’s nowhere near as difficult as I thought it’d be. I think this might be the start of a (pretty healthy?) addiction. I’m starting to round up a pretty impressive collection of baking paraphernalia. I even scoped out baguette pans yesterday and just purchased my first rolling pin. So long, days of rolling out dough with wine bottles!

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Recipe

Add 2 cups flour, oil and salt to the yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hooks) until a shaggy dough forms. Once you reach this consistency, flip the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, adding the other half cup of flour in small amounts until a soft, smooth, elastic dough forms.

Shape dough into a ball and flip in a bowl lined with a bit of olive oil until evenly coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a towel) and allow it to rise for about 1 hour.

Deflate the dough (by kneading it on a floured surface) and shape it into a large loaf (or smaller buns).

Place on baking pan lined with parchment paper (with a light dusting of flour) and cover with a tea towel. Give the bread another 30 mins - 1 hour to rise. Preheat oven to 400F.

Score the top of the bread with a serrated knife and bake for about 20 minutes until golden.

Cool bread on a cooling rack, slice and enjoy!