How to Make Homemade Bread

For those out there who find the thought of making bread by hand to be overwhelming, take heart. I felt the same way at one time. It's actually not that difficult--or time-consuming--to make your own bread. If you have a bread machine, it's even easier. But if you don't have a bread machine, or you're unhappy with the results you're getting from the bread machine, try this recipe. I did find it off the internet, but I don't remember where I got it. It's a pretty basic recipe. I have tweaked it a bit to make it my own.

Homemade Bread

1 Tbsp yeast (or one packet)
1 c. hot water
3-5 tsp butter, melted
1/4 c. milk (I use raw milk, which is whole milk, so I don't know how it turns out with low-fat varieties.)
5 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2.5-3.5 c. flour
5 tsp vital wheat gluten

In a large bowl, mix the yeast with the hot water until the yeast has dissolved.
Add the butter, milk, sugar, and salt to the dissolved yeast and mix well.
Add two cups of flour and the vital wheat gluten and mix well. Continue to add more of the flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough is not sticky. (I end up mixing the dough with my hands as the dough gets tougher to mix with a spoon.)
Rub some flour between your hands and flour a clean place to knead the dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. I do this by punching it, karate-chopping it, or squeezing it with my hands. Just remember to put it back in a ball every so often while you're kneading.
When you're done kneading, shape the dough into a ball. Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray. Put the dough in the bowl in cover it with a towel. Set the bowl in a WARM, draft-free area for about an hour.
The dough should have risen at least by double. As long as it rises some, you will be okay. Punch the dough two or three times to bring it back to its original size. Knead it a few more times.
Shape the dough into a loaf. You can do this by either spreading the dough out and rolling it up like a jelly roll. Or you can just shape it with your hands and tuck the short ends under. The seam will go down on the bottom. Tuck the ends under, so it looks like a mini-loaf. It should still be about as long as the bread pan.
Grease and flour the pan and place the loaf in the pan.
Cover it with a towel and let it rise for another hour in a warm place. It should double again with the second rise.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 25 minutes. A lot of the timing is going to depend on your oven, so check it after 20 minutes. It's done when the pan sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom.

A few notes:
I use raw milk, which is whole milk, so I don't know how it turns out with low-fat varieties.
I don't bother with temperature when I'm measuring out the hot water. If it's a little hotter than I can handle, then it's good.
I use parchment paper for all of my baking. I usually just throw a piece of parchment in the loaf pan, and then I can lift the bread out when it's done baking.