Do Everything Dough
Oh, my goodness! I am so excited, to finally be sharing my very favorite recipe! I have been experimenting with perfecting this bread recipe for at least 10 years. In my days of running an in home daycare, I was always looking for easy & healthy, homemade recipes for all my kids. I never liked to feed them out of a box and wanted them to enjoy eating at my house as much as playing there. So, a very dear friend gave me a homemade pretzel recipe to try. It had very minimal ingredients and seemed to be easy to make. I made these and the kids went crazy! It became a staple snack for my own family, as well as, my daycare kids. I made this recipe so many times that I didn’t even need to look at the recipe. One day, I wondered why this dough couldn’t be, pizza crust. (Recipe with my spices coming soon!) I added in a few spices and spread it in a 9 x 13 stoneware sheet pan. I added toppings and….BOOM, SO GOOD! Well, why stop there! I made a loaf of bread, cinnamon rolls, hot rolls, and a few other things. Through the years, I have changed this recipe to make it my own. I had to tailor it to work with different kinds of flour and dairy free milks.
The discovery of Spelt Flour has been huge for our family. We thought that Gluten Free flour was all we could ever use. If you all haven’t tried Spelt flour, I urge you to do so. I can’t keep expressing enough how much better it is for your health. Oh, did I mention it makes an absolutely scrumptious loaf of bread? It is lower in fat, helps to keep sugar levels stable, less gluten, and way easier to digest than All purpose flour. This dough works the absolute best with Spelt flour, but Bob’s Redmill Gluten Free 1 to 1 or my flour blend should work fine. It will taste great, but is just a little more dense than when using Spelt. I also recommend you split the dough in half and make two smaller loaves; if using gluten free flours. It will help to make a more light loaf. Well, with that said, I bet you are ready for this recipe. So, I will stop rambling and let you get to this super wonderful loaf of bread!
**Remember, Spelt flour does contain a small amount of gluten so anyone that has been diagnosed with gluten allergy, wheat allergy or Celiac Disease should talk to your Doctor before trying it. Each person and situation can be different and I want to make sure you are informed before trying anything new!**
“Do Everything” dough
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Coconut milk (warmed to 105-110 degrees) (Regular Dairy milk works fine)
- 1 Tbsp Fleischmann's Active dry yeast (1 package contains 2 1/4 tsp)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 4 1/2 `cups Unbleached White Spelt Flour or All purpose flour (Bob's Redmill Gluten Free 1 to 1 should work) If using Gluten Free, reduce amount of flour to only 4 cups)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and generously grease a standard loaf pan. In a microwave safe bowl (I use a glass measuring cup) heat milk or water in microwave until liquid is at least 105-110 degrees. Pour warm liquid into a mixing bowl, along with the brown sugar and yeast. Take a whisk and gently whisk together, making sure the yeast is all in liquid and there are no big clumps. Let this mixture set and proof, which means it will look like a "mushroom cloud" when it is ready. (Usually, about 8-10 min.) While waiting on this to proof, measure out all dry ingredients and put in a bowl; set aside.
- When proofing has finished, add dry ingredients to yeast mixture, along with the egg and olive oil. Using the bread hook, turn your mixer on low to get dry ingredients incorporated. Slowly, turn up on a higher speed and continue mixing until your dry ingredients are all mixed in and you have a sticky dough. This dough is a bit more sticky than others, so don't worry. If you feel it is too sticky to handle, add in another 1 Tbsp of flour.
- **If using Gluten Free flour, remember to use a paddle attachment to mix..NOT A DOUGH HOOK and you will want to really mix ingredients well!**
- Now, take a spatula and spray the end with cooking spray. (I spray and use my hands, they work just as good) Start scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl and clean off dough hook. I work this around until I have a ball of dough. You may need to spray your spatula, again if dough is still a little sticky. Once you have a dough ball, shape it and place in your (well greased) loaf pan. I always spray the top of my bread lightly with olive oil spray and place a piece of loose plastic wrap over the top. Set loaf pan in a warm place to rise. Usually, takes about 45-50 min or until the dough has doubled or is a little above the top of the pan.
- **If using Gluten Free flour, this is when you will split the dough into 2 loaves. It will bake much better and not be so dense. Also, your bake time might be extended just a bit. Check for an internal temp of at least 210-215 and make sure they sit in the loaf pan for at least 10-15 min before trying to remove them and placing on cooling rack**
- When dough is done rising, carefully, place loaf pan in the oven and bake for about 30 min. You will want the top to be golden brown and if tested with a thermometer should read about 168-170 in the middle. I have even taken a tooth pick to the center to see if it came out clean. When done cooking, take out and turn upside down on a cooling rack. Turn the loaf to sit upright and let cool at least 10 min before cutting.
