How to make homemade bread

It's probably the most archaic food that has accompanied humankind since its origins. Bakeries are as common as a butcher shop or a grocery store. It's a staple on the Argentine table, but despite being very simple to make, it's not very common for city dwellers to bake bread.

It became somewhat trendy during the pandemic thanks to "sourdough," a method where dough is made with yeast harvested directly from the air (yes, there are yeasts floating in the air all the time). What I find most amusing about all of this is the process of extracting yeast from the air, but the truth is I've never baked sourdough bread: I only had a yeast starter in a jar for a while that my brother-in-law gave me, who is actually an expert on the subject. This type of bread is a bit more bitter and sour than "regular" bread, and also a bit harder to bake.

On the contrary, regular homemade bread is incredibly easy to make with ingredients you can find at any convenience store. It turns out delicious and is cheap, but above all it has a rather interesting spiritual effect: preparing something we'll consume throughout the week offers certain ritualistic qualities that — at least in my case — are quite beneficial. We're not only cooking for ourselves, but we gain a degree of autonomy from the consumption chain in general. It might seem silly to think about it in these terms, sure. But what can you do.

Easy and cheap homemade bread recipe

Anyway, the recipe for making a kilo of bread is quite simple, and I learned it from the back of the dry yeast packets I use to make it.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo of flour
• 1 packet of yeast
• 750 ml of water
• 50 grams of butter
• salt to taste

The preparation is very straightforward. First, dissolve the salt in the water, which should be slightly warm. Then pour half the flour into a bowl and add the dry yeast. Pour in some of the water and start mixing, aiming for a somewhat creamy consistency. Next, add the butter (I recommend melting it first), the rest of the flour, and whatever water is left, always making sure the mixture maintains that creamy-ish consistency.

I mix by hand, trying to avoid lumps, and then let the dough rest covered with a kitchen towel, near a warm spot. It could be the oven, the water heater, or a space heater. You shouldn't place it directly on the heat source, since it could cook the bottom, but leaving it near a heat source speeds up the rising process and makes the dough fluffier. Then we let it rest for about two hours.

When the dough has tripled in size, prepare one or two baking sheets with oil, and shape the rolls. Let them rest so they rise a bit more and preheat the oven. After about 15 minutes, score the rolls — you can sprinkle a little flour on top, or coarse salt if you prefer — and pop them in the oven.

A trick for getting a better crust is to put a baking sheet with ice in the oven at the same time as the rolls. I have no idea how it works, but someone gave me the tip and they turn out better. They should be in the oven for about 20 minutes on maximum heat, but you need to keep an eye on them.

In my previous apartment I had an electric oven that was great because it let me choose the heat direction, which allowed me to bake the bread while also forming a nice crust. Now, however, I have a regular gas oven, so I have to bake them in two steps. First, I let the rolls rise and bake through. Once they seem more or less done, I take them out and place them directly on the bottom rack, where they're exposed to the flame. This way, they finish cooking and develop a nice crust on top.

When they have a nice golden color from the heat, we take them out and let them cool. After trying several methods, I discovered that the best approach is to put them in the freezer once they've completely cooled down, and take them out as needed. For example, to make milanesa sandwiches with Lucho's recipe.

And that's it. In a process that takes about three hours total, you can make a kilo of homemade bread. Generally, I like to bake on Sunday nights, while I relax and mentally prepare to face a new week. Plus, it's a nice thing to do that doesn't involve staring at screens and connects us with the possibility of being self-sufficient — minus the small detail of buying all the ingredients at a convenience store, obviously. Highly recommended.