You can make very good yeast bread even if you’ve never made it before — really. If you have a food processor, you can be pulling it from the oven two or three hours from now. And it’ll be good, very good, better than what is served to you in most restaurants. This is not to say that there isn’t technique and judgment involved, or that you won’t get better: I’ve been baking bread for almost 50 years, and I’m still improving all the time. (And my bread is infinitely better than it was in 1970.) But the basics — flour, water, yeast, salt — are consistent, and the proportions don’t change much.
One myth to dispel right off the bat: Bread is not hard work. Making it is simple, and once you have a favored technique, you can make it happen fast, slowly, or in between — at your pace. Just master the basics, a whole world will open up to you and, unless you’re living in a city with a great bakery (there aren’t many), you’ll soon be making better bread than you can buy.
How you mix up bread dough is up to you — in a food processor, a stand mixer, or by hand — all three methods yield good results. I prefer the food processor, so that is how the directions are written. If you are going to mix the dough by hand or using a stand mixer, please read “Mixing and Kneading Dough for Yeast Breads” on page 578.
Once cool, wrap breads in wax or parchment paper and store at room temperature; they will keep for several days, though they taste best enjoyed fresh or within a day. Don’t use plastic wrap; it will make the baked product soggy. Breads also freeze well: Wrap loaves in a couple of layers of foil, then wrap that in plastic, and freeze. Use them as soon as possible, within days is best: Thaw either on the counter or in the fridge, then recrisp them, unwrapped, in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes or so. Or unwrap and reheat while still frozen in a 400°F oven for about 20 minutes.
You can also freeze bread dough. After the first rising or after shaping, wrap tightly in foil or plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag; freeze for up to 3 months (but expect long-term freezing to negatively affect the quality). Thaw in the refrigerator, then finish any additional shaping and/or rising at room temperature. Bake as directed.