How to make bread with yeast

• Baking bread is something that can seem intimidating to even the most seasoned home chefs, but it doesn't have to be.
• The recipe for bread is pretty simple, but it does take a lot of practice to get it right.
• If you're hoping to make your own loaf at home, Jeff Mahin, president and co-founder of Split Nutrition, shares an easy recipe for you to follow.
• See more: The best bread machines

Even if you cook at home every night of the week and have mastered every basic recipe you can think of, baking bread can seem like an intimidating next step. And it makes sense why — it's typically a long process that requires exact measurements, attention, and focus.

But baking bread is actually something that everyone can master, according to Jeff Mahin, president and co-founder of Split Nutrition. That's because it requires a lot of practice to get right and so many things can affect how it tastes. "You're probably not going to get it right on the first try," Mahin says. "But the more you touch bread, and the more you make it, the more you're going to start to see what needs tweaking."

The most important thing you need to keep in mind is that nobody's bread is ever going to taste exactly the same. That's because everything from the humidity in your kitchen to the bowl that you let the dough rise in affects the outcome of your loaf. But since the recipe is so simple, it's easy to make little changes — whether it's the brand of yeast you use to how long you let the dough rise — to get it to where you think it's delicious, something that Mahin has spent years perfecting.

Mahin studied at the California Culinary Academy and UC Berkeley, which led him to work in some of the best restaurants in the world such as The Fat Duck in Bray, England, Nobu in NYC, and Millennium in San Francisco. He's appeared on Forbes' and Zagat's "30 under 30 lists," hosted numerous shows on the Cooking Channel, and is currently a partner at the restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) in Chicago.

Mahin's recipe, as follows, can either be made the day you want to eat it or ideally, the day before. "Letting it rest overnight helps to develop the flavors a bit more, so you get a more intense-tasting loaf," he says. This is called retarding the loaf, and you'll see where it's noted in the recipe. You don't have to let it rest overnight, but it's definitely recommended.

What to keep in mind before baking bread

Before you get started, there are a few things to keep in mind before you get to baking.

Bread is measured in grams, not cups, so it's important to have a kitchen scale on hand. If you're using a bread maker, it's important to read the directions. Most machines will have recipes or instructions on use, and the majority of them actually mix the ingredients in the pan for you.

This recipe also makes two 850-gram boules (French for ball and usually shaped like a squashed ball), and you'll see where the recipe tells you to split the dough in half. You can cook them at the same time or one right after the other – just leave the boule you aren't cooking on the counter at room temperature. According to Mahin, the boules freeze really well, so you can wrap the second one in plastic wrap after it's fully cooled down and pop it in the freezer. When you're ready to eat, just let it defrost in your fridge overnight, and then pop it into a 350-degree oven for 3-5 minutes. Let it cool, and dig in.

Mahin suggests baking in either a cast iron pan or a Dutch oven with a lid. The lid is important because it helps steam your bread, which is important to its taste and texture. If you only have a cast iron pan, Mahin suggests adding a cookie sheet with a thin layer of water to the bottom rack of your oven while your bread cooks to help keep things humid.

But most of all, remember that learning to bake the perfect loaf of bread is a marathon, not a sprint. So even if you don't get it right the first time, try again. You'll be eating delicious, homemade loaves in no time.

How to make bread

Ingredients

• 800g white bread flour
• 200g wheat flour with extra on the side to sprinkle over the cutting board and proofing cloth
• 6.5g fresh yeast
• 22g salt
• 750g water, cooled to about 60 degrees F

What you'll need

• A stand mixer (optional)
• Three large mixing bowls
• A cloth or dish towel for proofing
• Parchment paper
• A cutting board
• A Dutch oven or cast iron pan
• A sharp knife or razor blade for scoring
• A cooling rack

How to make bread

1. Mix the white bread flour with the whole wheat flour in a large bowl or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast, followed by the salt. Stir until just combined and it looks like a rough, shaggy dough.
2. Let dough rest for 20 minutes, covered.
3. Uncover and mix again until to create a uniform dough. If you're using a stand mixer, mix 1-3 minutes on the lowest speed, 2-4 minutes on the next speed, and then 15-30 seconds on the next. You'll know you're done when you hear the dough slapping against the wall of the bowl.
   
   If you want to rest your bread overnight to build flavor, cover the dough and let it sit in your fridge overnight, or for about 14 hours. Let it come to room temperature before handling it, and then continue with the following steps. If you'd rather eat today, immediately proceed to step four.
4. Place your dough on a cutting board with just a sprinkling of flour to keep it from sticking. Fold the right side into the center, followed by the left side, and then the front and the top — almost like you were folding a pillowcase.
5. Place the dough, seam-side down, into a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for two hours until the dough has about doubled in size.
6. Turn the dough out onto your lightly-floured cutting board again. Divide the bread into two portions with the knife or razor. Repeat the folding process, and then return the dough, seam-side down, to another lightly greased, covered bowl for one hour.
7. Turn the dough out onto your cutting board one last time. Repeat the folding process. Then shape your dough into a boule by pushing it slightly toward you. Here is a great video on how to properly shape the boule by pulling it. Let it rest for 10 minutes out on your counter, and then repeat the process of folding and pulling. Make sure your seams on the bottom are smooth.
8. Place a clean cloth into a bowl and dust with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Add the dough, seam-side up, to the bowl. Cover and let proof for an hour.
9. While your bread proofs, place your Dutch oven or cast iron pan into your oven and preheat to 500 degrees. You want the pot to be hot when you place the dough in.
10. Once the bread is done proofing, lay a piece of parchment paper over the top of the bowl and flip the dough out onto it. (It doesn't rise during this step, so don't worry if it doesn't look larger.) The top of the dough should be smooth and feel slightly leathery to the touch.
11. Using a very sharp knife or a razor blade, add a few cuts to the top layer of your loaf, just to where the dough gets sticky again. This is called scoring and it helps the bread expand evenly as it bakes.

    While you can get creative with it, four simple cuts coming out of the center like a flower or a compass are all you really need. This video has a few more ideas.

12. Place your loaf in your Dutch oven or cast iron pan. If you're using the Dutch oven, make sure the lid is on before putting it back into the oven. Reduce the heat to 450 degrees, and bake for 30 minutes, removing the lid of your dutch oven after 10 minutes. You want your bread to be golden or amber-colored, and to sound hollow like a drum when you tap it.
13. Remove your bread from the oven and place it on a cooling rack, allowing it to cool completely before serving. To cut the bread without squishing it and undoing all of your hard work, try a serrated bread knife.