The Matyi/Whittaker recipe box.
Let's all meet up in the kitchen.
Trial and error; I learned to make bread but wanted a specific consistency. After a number of batches, I refined my recipe to come out soft and sturdy every time.
1.5 tbsp active dry yeast; INSTANT or “Rapid-Rise"
WATER: 100mg to every cup of flour – Which is around 1 1/2 to 2 cups total
(sometimes you need a little more, sometimes less; a couple practices and you’ll get good at it)
2 tbsp sugar (you can go up to even 4 or 5 to taste; just watch the browning in the oven! More sugar means the crust darkens faster)
4 cups (plus a little bit over) flour
1 tsp (little over, but not much) salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter (You can even go 5 or 6 tbsp, but it will change your kneading)
1. Preheat oven to 350. If the oven runs hot, a little under (Maybe 325)
2. Put ingredients in a BIG bowl in THIS order:
1. yeast
2. sugar
3. flour
4. butter
5. salt
* Dense salt KILLS yeast. You want the salt to get dispersed a little prior to yeast coming in contact. Hence, keeping them separate in the bowl.
* Yeast LOVES sugar. I find you give it a good help by loading them side by side. Could be superstition, but I’m sticking with it.
* TEST POINT: Look at the ingredients in the bowl. The bowl should be able to manage three times that capacity. If your bowl doesn’t look big enough to handle three times the volume, SWITCH TO A BIGGER BOWL>
3. Dump in the water and STIR
* It will take some time for the dough to stop being a sticky mess. Just deal with it.
4. Once it forms, dump it onto a CLEAN surface.
5. Knead for 5-7 minutes.
* It will be sticky and just getting everywhere. STAY WITH IT.
* In time, the gluten will form and it will start sticking to itself more than your fingers.
* If it just is too gooey, knead in more flour in 1/4 cup increments
* DO NOT ADD ANY FLOUR UNTIL YOU’VE CONSITENTLY KNEADED FOR 4-5 MINUTES
* It is deceptive; it will very suddenly and quickly stop being super sticky.
* Dough is always going to be a little sticky. Don’t make it too dry. Air on slightly sticky, but doesn’t pull away from the board when you lift it up.
* The dough will form a manageable ball. It will be softer and squishier than play-doh, but still can form into a complete ball that you can manage without it pulling off onto your fingers
6. Spray the original bowl with oil. (Or just coat it with oil). Be GENEROUS.
7. Plunk the dough ball in the greased bowl then GENEROUSLY spray the dough ball with oil. Some people just pour a light coat of oil over the top. Don't be afraid if it seems greasy.
8. Cover the bowl loosely.
* If the bowl has a lid, DON’T seal it air tight. You want some air to seem in and out.
* I have used plastic wrap and a tea towel, but my favorite is actually waxed sealing paper. NOT wax paper, but that eco-friendly reusable wrap stuff. It’s pricey, and you prolly don’t have it around, but if you do, it’s the best situation.
9. Let it rise for 45 to 60 minuets.
* You will get the hang of how long you want the first rise to be as you get used to the recipe. Honestly, It varies almost every time for me.
* The second rise is the more important one. And that one should always be longer.
* I find total rise time, combined between both rises, is 90 minutes at the QUICKEST (don’t recommend) to 3 hours at the longest (no more than that or it begins to deflate and bakes shitty).
10. After the first rise it should be 2 to 3 times in size. Now it’s time to shape.
1. I do ALL my bread baking on PARCHMENT PAPER. It is the best result of all options. In a pinch you can use LIGHTLY greased surfaces, but parchment is the best. And it’s cheap and somewhat recyclable.
2. For a loaf, line a loaf pan. You will get two loaves out of this recipe. (Prolly should have mentioned that up front, huh? Woops.)
3. I actually prefer mini loaves. That way they can be stored easier, and they don’t seem to go stale as quickly.
1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment
2. You will probably need two cookie sheets. You want to leave space between the rolls to expand, so more batches is better.
4. HERE’S HOW TO SHAPE FOR SANDWICH ROLLS:
1. STRETCH the ought into a big square on the counter. Bigger is better. DON’T ROLL IT. Just pull it into a giant square. Approx 18” to 22” per side
2. ROLL IT UP. Like literally, Roll it into a tube.
3. Adjust it so the tube is uniform width. Feel free to even stretch it a little bit.
4. Cut it into segments to make sandwich roll mini-loaves
* Bigger rolls you will get around 8 to 10
* Regular rolls 12 to 14 (MOST RECOMMENDED))
* Teeny dinner rolls 14 to 18, but I DON’T recommend going that small. Because at that point you might as well go for 2 dozen dinner rolls.
5. Pull the edges under for each roll to make sort of a dumpling shape. There should be no evident creases anywhere but the bottom.
* This step is PURELY cosmetic, but I like the rolls to look nice and uniform smooth.
* If this gets annoying, just put them on the tray.
6. Space on parchment lined cookies sheets LEAVING APPROXIMATELY 5 to 7 INCHES BETWEEN EACH BALL.
* Trust me on this one. Leave that space.
* Not only will they double (or even triple) in size, they will expand SIDEWAYS more then upwards.
* For backing, I get best results when air can flow between the rolls, and they end up at least an inch apart.
* You will NOT be able to respect them after this step, so air on the side of more space rather than less
* You’ll get the hang of it over time and know intuitively how much space to leave. For now, air larger spaces.
5. HERE’S HOW TO SHAPE FOR A LOAF:
1. STRETCH the ought into a big square on the counter. DON’T ROLL IT. Just pull it into a giant square. Approximately 14” to 16” per side.
2. ROLL IT UP. Like literally, Roll it into a tube.
3. Adjust it so the tube is uniform width.
4. Cut it in half.
5. Fold the ends (where you can see the spiral roll) underneath so you can’t see them.
* This is purely cosmetic, but it makes the end result prettier.
6. Plunk each loach into it’s own parchment lined loaf pan.
* Feel free to moosh it about to make it evenly dispersed
* It’s always better for it to all be at one level. It’ll come out fine either way, but more even is always better.
11. Second rise: Usually 60 to 90 minutes
1. It is better to cover these, but I find you can just let them rise right out in the open just fine.
1. Unless they are in a very cold place. At room temperature they will rise appropriately, but if it’s below like 65, you may want to cover.
2. The problem with covering is the tops sometimes get stuck. The only way to do it is get a big plastic bag, puff it with air, and let them proof in that. But it’s wasteful, and frankly unnecessary.
2. They should get to 2-3 Ames the size. Sometimes even quadrupling!
12. Into the hot oven!
1. Rolls: 14 to 18 minus per sheet.
2. Loaf: 25 to 35 minutes per loaf
13. Watch them! They will brown a little darker than you might expect, but should NOT get burnt.
14. Out of the oven BRUSH WITH BUTTER. At least the tops. I find this last step makes the crust stay soft and pliable for longer. Less crumbly.
15. It will be hard to resist, but let them cool. If you want them warm, give them at least 15-20 minuets of cooling anyway.
It may not come out perfectly the first couple times. While bread is easy to make, years is super senstive to it's environment. As such your version of the recipe – with little tweaks as tyouy get it right – will be slightly different from this one. However, this is a great starting point.
The bread can last 1-3 days at room temperature in warm, humid weather, 3-5 days in cooler, drier weather. Refrigerated the loaves can last upwards of 2 or evenr 3 weeks.
