Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

There are a couple of words to live by when it comes to baking bread.

You must be patient. You can't rush bread - bread is having none of it. You point to your loaded Palm Pilot, bread says, "Too bad." Decide what bread you want to make and embark on it early enough to complete it.

You must know your environment. You will be at Sundance, at high altitude? Get the altitude measurement because you'll have to factor this in to make yeast-risen or chemical-risen bread. I lived at 7,000 feet and I mean to tell you, mix your yeast dough the night before whenever possible. Let it slow-rise in the fridge, punch down, form, rise again in its desired shape on the counter, then bake.

Use a bench scraper to assist in folding and kneading the dough. Resist the temptation to add flour to a sticky dough. A tiny sprinkling of flour while kneading will not hurt a bread product but huge shovelfuls of flour will create a dry bread. All you'll be able to do with it is make French toast. Maybe.

You can't properly knead bread from the wrists to the fingertips. Knead from the knees up. Gather, push, pull, gather, push, pull, using your full range of motion. If the dough doesn't resemble a baby's tush, keep kneading. If it resembles a cottage cheese butt - keep kneading.

Don't knead by squeezing all the air out of the dough which is the reason you added yeast in the first place. Either large, peasant bread style holes, or small delicate holes - you want some air holes in the resulting bread.

Garbage in/Garbage out so make sure your ingredients are fresh and of high quality. The most readily available "better" flour is by King Arthur. Grab some bread flour and some White Whole Wheat if you can find it.

Most recipes for yeast bread worth their salt will give a temperature reading which the bread must meet before being done. Don't rely on the "thump" test because it's not fool proof - but a thermometer never lies. Get a cheapie, instant read thermometer and use it. I have a bunch of those needle thermometers all over the kitchen. It doesn't have to be high-tech, just accurate.

Unless you can do some test runs beforehand, this is not the place to experiment so follow the recipe. If you are not a baker, this should give you comfort. Cooking is an art, baking is a science. While "outside the box" thinking is revered in cooking, a certain attention to detail and close following of the recipe is duly rewarded in baking.

I'd make sure I had...

KitchenAid Stand Mixer
2 or 4 Half Sheet Pans
Parchment Paper
Instant read thermometer
A Good Serrated Bread Knife
Recipes
Fresh Flour (Bread, White Whole Wheat, Whole Wheat Bread Flours)
Fresh Yeast
Salt
Whatever other flavoring ingredients called for in the recipes*
Nice spreads for the bread

*You might consider measuring these out and putting them aside in "packets" to be added to your bread recipes as you create them.

All of this "rule oriented" proselytizing aside, I have no doubt if you sufficiently arm yourself with equipment, ingredients, recipes, and PATIENCE, you will take some enjoyment in this exercise. I hope you and your coworkers enjoy loaves of delicious bread - the product of your hands.

Since you'll be in Sundance, this type of healthy bread will go over like gangbusters. The ease of making this "batter bread" will show itself when you watch the KitchenAid go and go - no kneading by you necessary. Have plenty of natural peanut butter and honey to slather on it. When you slice into this bread, you won't believe how such a nasty looking goopy dough could result in such a gorgeous, hearty loaf.

I developed this recipe out of a need to use up a bunch of flour and grains I had leftover from Christmas Baking.

Seriously Multi Grain Bread

6 Cups Hot Water
2 Cups Bob's 10 Grain Cereal
1/2 cup Polenta
1 Cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup Flax Seed
2/3 cup Honey* (see note below)
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup applesauce OR 1 coarsely chopped peeled fresh apple
2 tbsp. Salt
2 Pkgs. Dry Yeast
8 1/2 cups flour - I used a mix of whole wheat and A/P

Mix first 9 ingredients together and let stand for five minutes. Combine the flour with the yeast and add to the grain mixture with the mixer running. Once all the ingredients are in, beat this mixture 10 minutes with the mixer. Dough hook - paddle, it doesn't matter. Don't wait for it to gather, because it never will and it will look absolutely hideous.

Pour batter into 3 greased large loaf pans set on a half sheet pan or jellyroll pan for easy transfer to the oven. The batter should fill the pans nearly 3/4 full. Sprinkle a small amount of flour on the tops of the "loaves" to prevent anything you use to cover the loaves from sticking. I used a clean cloth. Plastic is OK as long as you have the flour dusting. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

About halfway through rising time, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bake the loaves on the sheet pan for 20 minutes at 400, then lower the temp to 350. Bake 40 minutes more OR until an instant read thermometer reads 200 degrees when plunged into one of the loaves. If the thermometer reads less than 200, continue baking in 10 minute increments until 200 is reached.

Do the no knead thing. It is easy and all you need to bring is your ingredients and a covered dutch oven.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html
This makes a great loaf for about 4-5. Crust is very good.
Just butter and fleur de sal. OMG good.

Personally, I'd go with Cooks Illustrated's No Knead Bread 2.0 and just make several of their variations included with their recipe. I really like their cranberry pecan (or I use walnuts) and I make it whole wheat.

Otherwise, I'd be sure to practice ahead of time, perhaps even freeze and take the bread with me since I've never baked at altitude.

Cooks Illustrated also has great cinnamon swirl bread, and very detailed pics on how to assemble, if you want an easy breakfast/dessert bread.

Last year I made everyone loaves of bread for christmas. This is my go-to recipe come hell or highwater:

BEER BREAD:
3 cups self-rising flour*
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 (12-ounce) can of beer (really good with PBR or light microbrews, not so good with really dark beers)

1. Preheat oven to 375*F (190*C). Lightly grease or spray a 9 x 5 x
3-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine all ingredients, mixing well.
3. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes.
4. MOST IMPORTANT PART: Pour a whole stick of melted butter over the top and continue to bake for 10 minutes. (makes the best end pieces known to man)

Makes 1 loaf.

*Or you may substitute with 3 cups all purpose flour, 3 teaspoons
baking soda and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.

Sometimes in the past I have patted or rolled out my bread dough into a rectangle and schmeared it with a mixture of butter, olive oil, roasted garlic, mince thyme and parmigiano reg., leaving a 1 inch border bare. Then roll it up jelly roll/cinnamon roll fashion, seal the seam and tuck the ends under and seal those too. Much loved by family and friends.

@chiff - Wow, that is some fantastic tippage right there. Thanks! I'm actually excited to start delving into baking in the next year now.

I think I might try a couple recipes out in the next week to see what I like. And if I can I'll post a follow up while we're in Sundance. At the least I'll do a week in review of the food consumed during the trip on my blog.

thanks again to everyone for the great tips. Now I understand why everyone says the Talk section of SE is one of the best places to get cooking and baking tips.

You could bake a very simple, no fuss Irish Brown Bread. This recipe does not require yeast, eggs or butter/oil. It's good with jam and soup too.

http://www.egglesscooking.com/2008/04/20/eggless-irish-brown-bread-without-yeast/

Great advice already! The only thing I would add is to bring an oven thermometer. You don't want to do all that work, throw in the loaf to bake and then find out your oven was off my 25 degrees! So I would check the oven first.

I made a yummy Cinnamon-Raisin Bread recently that was part cinnamon rolls, part bread. It will make your condo smell divine too! Here's the recipe - enjoy!:
http://cookiepiebklyn.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-2009-how-about-some-cinnamon.html

Hearty Cinnamon-Raisin Bread
Makes 1 9-inch loaf

1 cup raisins (plus boiling water to cover, if necessary)
3/4 cup warm water (100 to 110ºF)
1 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup warm milk (100 to 110ºF)
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. old-fashioned oats (optional) OR 1 Tbsp. turbinado sugar (optional)

1. If your raisins are hard, place them in a bowl and cover them with boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes, until softened, then drain and press down to extract any excess water. Set aside. (I also tossed an orange teabag in the bowl with the raisins and water while they soaked -- not sure if it added anything or not.)

2. In a large bowl, mix 1/4 cup warm water and yeast. Let the mixture sit until yeast is foamy, about 10 minutes. Add both flours, 2 tsp. sugar, salt, 4 Tbsp. melted butter, remaining water and milk. Mix with a wooden spoon or with an electric mixer on low speed until a sticky dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead for 10 to 15 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Knead in raisins, a small handful at a time.

3. Lightly mist a large mixing bowl with cooking spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turn to coat with spray, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

4. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Butter or lightly mist a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and press or roll it into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Brush with 1 Tbsp. melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture, and drizzle with another 1 Tbsp. melted butter. Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to mush the butter and cinnamon-sugar together, so all of the cinnamon-sugar is lightly moistened. Carefully but tightly roll up the dough, pinching together at the end to seal. Roll the dough on the countertop a few times, then pinch the ends to seal. Transfer loaf to the prepared pan, seam side down. Cover loosely with plastic wrap that’s been lightly misted with cooking spray. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, 45 to 50 minutes. Twenty minutes before the second rise is done, preheat oven to 425ºF.

5. Brush top of loaf with remaining 1 Tbsp. melted butter and sprinkle with oats or turbinado sugar, if using. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 400ºF and bake 15 minutes longer. Let bread sit in pan on wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then turn out loaf onto rack to cool for at least 15 minutes longer before slicing. Enjoy it warm from the oven, or let it cool completely, then wrap it in plastic and foil. Bread will keep at room temperature for up to 4 days.