OK, the dough ball is in the fridge... let's take it out! Take off the plastic wrap (it should have risen quite a bit... and punch it down! That's right... put your hand into a fist and punch down! Did that feel good? I bet it did... let out all of that holiday stress that has you tied up in knots...
Now, do you remember how we kneaded the dough on the board yesterday? OK, then, you are going to do that again. Flour the board, turn the dough out, and push, turn, flour, push turn flour, etc. for about 10 minutes. Let the dough rest. (This gives the gluten time to relax so as to not resist...) Take out your favorite loaf pan and grease it (like yesterday... don't forget the corners...). Roll (or pat) the dough into a rectangle. Fold the dough over to allow the lengthy sides to touch. Now fold the shorter sides over a little bit, to equal the size of the bread pan. Flip it over into the greased bread pan. Cover it with a moist towel and put warm, draft-free area (the inside of your oven will suffice, provided the oven is turned off...) for about an hour. It should be doubled in size. When you give a slight push on the dough, the indentation from your finger should stay. Remove the risen loaf.
Turn the oven on to 350... let heat up. Bake the loaf for about one hour and check it for browning. If all things look beautiful... lightly brush the top with melted butter or milk for a beautiful glossy loaf and let it bake 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely. Voila! You have a yummy homemade loaf of bread ready for your dinner or gift-giving. Remember, you didn't use preservatives, so eat it fast! (That shouldn't be a problem....)
Stay tuned... tomorrow I'll give you the tamale episodes... Right now I have to go back to shredding meat!
Are you ready for Christmas? I'm not! For as early as I got started, I sure do not know what happened! Check out the poll, and let me know... Toodles for now! lisa
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Thanks for sharing the luv! Feel free to look around to other posts. I so appreciate you stopping by and commenting. Love to know you were here! Have a happy day!