Who bakes homemade bread?

[Allen]

I've been baking bread for a few years in dutch ovens outside and in the electric oven.
Sometimes even in a DO in the electric oven like this one:

IMG_0090.JPG

I use the Jim Lahey and the Artisan Bread in 5 mins a Day no-knead recipes.
Good stuff!

[Rader Sidetrack]

All my bread and rolls for several years has been homemade. I often use a bread machine to do the mixing and first rising, then move the dough to a load pan (or form rolls) for the final rise and then oven bake. 50% whole wheat, Mmmm, good!

[Allen]

Kewl.
I forgot to mention about a dough-only cycle on our bread machine. that comes in handy.
The nice thing about no-knead bread is that you just need a spoon to roughly mix the ingredients and you're finished.

[MichaBees]

I built a large Adobe Horno -or outside mud brick oven at one of the orphanages we volunteer at. The inside diameter is 36" and the walls are 16" thick, the floor is backed brick, sitting on top of 3 layers, the bottom is clay with crushed glass, the second is manure mixed with ashes, and the 3rd one is rock salt. This allows for a minimum need for firewood.
It works so great, I am about to build one in my home.
We bake lots of different breads in it, my wife has all the recipes she gather from the local Tarahumara Indian bakers. I participate at eating the bread and pretending I am keeping the fire going and pulling the bread when ready.
They use some kind of yeast that is generated by some part of a cow? That particular part of the cow is called "pan" or -bread. I do not know where exactly the "pan" is located at the cow's anathomy; they do buy it a the local butcher shop. Crazy but it tastes good. They also buy something similar called "cuajo" and it is used in the fabrication of cheese - for cheese, specially the "asadero" type, they also use the fruit of a plant called "trompillo", this plant is abundant on parts of the southwest and gives a nice tasting honey . They also use dry yeast for something that looks like french rolls but they taste a lots better than the frenchies. The orphanage now includes baking lessons to boys and girls, twice a week, utilizing all the native formulas that the old ladies want to share with us. Our instructor is a 70 year old widow we have employed for baking and crafts lessons.

[mgolden]

Picture of bread fresh out of the oven. 50 - 50 white flour and whole wheat flour and of course, honey for the sweetener. We have a Bosch mixer and it mixes 5 loaves at a time.

The small surface holes are left by the skewer and minimuze air pockets in the bread.

P1010316.jpg

[psfred]

LOL, I've been baking my own bread for nearly 40 years now, most of the time.

King Aurthur bread flour, recently I've been adding some durum flour, a Kitchen Aid K5 almost as old as I am (my Aunt got it for us, and the small model she used and we now have, when they first came on the market), SAF or RedStar yeast.

It's funny, if I'm baking and my brother stops by on Saturday, that first loaf never seems to cool completely before it's gone.

My recipe for white bread is quite simple: two cups of warm water (more or less, depends on the size loaf you want), a heaping teaspoon of dry yeast (I buy it a pound at a time), half teaspoon or so of salt, and a tablespoon or so of butter.

Dissolve the yeast in the water, add the salt and butter and about 2 or three cups of flour, enough to stir in with the dough hook to make a rough, soft dough. Allow to stand until it's obviously rising, 15 to 20 min.

Mix in enough more flour to make a dryish dough and start the mixer on low speed. Gradually add flour until the dough is picked up for the side of the bowl and only adheres at the bottom and the surface doesn't immediately stick to you finger when tested (with the mixer OFF, please!).

Increase speed on the mixer to medium and knead until the down is satiny and smooth, takes about 10 min.

Remove hook and cover bowl with a damp towel. Allow to rise until well doubled, shape gently into whatever loaf you want, allow to rise until just double, then bake.

Without a mixer, one should make the "autolyze" soft initial dough, then mix in flour by hand until it's close to the right texture, and knead for at least 10 min. It's easy to tell when it's ready -- no tears, it's springy, and satiny smooth. It will also make a "windowpane" if you gently stretch a small piece -- you should be able to pull it out into a sheet thin enough to see light through.

You can add other flour (rye, whole wheat, etc) instead of all white, but put it in first, especially pumpernickel or other coarse, whole grain flours to allow them to absorb water correctly, otherwise you tend to end up with dry bread.

I don't know why more people don't do this, it doesn't take much actual time (even less with a mixer or bread machine) and it's far better for you than the fake white foam sold at the grocery.

Havent tried a clay oven yet, but I do bake on the grill in the summer, I have an ancient 1980 Kenmore with a large capacity. Set the burners to maintain about 375, works great and I don't have all that heat in the house.

Peter

[mgolden]

My recipe for white bread is quite simple: two cups of warm water (more or less, depends on the size loaf you want), a heaping teaspoon of dry yeast (I buy it a pound at a time), half teaspoon or so of salt, and a tablespoon or so of butter.

Did you forget the HONEY? lol We use a cup for 5 loaves.

Can agree more about that most bought bread doesn't compare for taste and body.

[psfred]

No, I didn't forget the honey, I stopped adding sugar to bread long, long ago. Don't care for sweet bread unless it's sweet rolls, doughnuts, etc.

Then I use honey!

Peter

[PAHunter62]

I've been making bread since I left home, about 30 years now. The last couple of years, I make mostly whole grain breads over white. I bought a Bosch Universal Plus because my Kitchen Aid just could not do the job.

Some of my favorites:

Challah (the best french toast bread, or bread pudding):
http://chaitimeblog.wordpress.com/20...mayas-challah/

Straun (Fantastic Toast):
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/struan

America's Test Kitchen Multigrain (A no-fail great multigrain recipe):
http://redsilvia.typepad.com/knitblo...rain_bread.pdf

My Grandma's Dinner Rools (A good general purpose sandwich roll ... under review, should be available to public soon):
http://allrecipes.com/personalrecipe...ls/detail.aspx

Now that I have hives, suger is replaced by honey in pretty much any bread I bake.

Awaiting a couple Pullman Pans today, will try my first Pain De Mie loaf today/tomorrow.

Happy Holidays!

[traisch]

Great thread!! Below is my favorite recipe for cinnamon raisin bread:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cinnamo...e7=Home%20Page

Of course, the sugar is replaced by honey. We love to use this bread to also make french toast. I'm also a King Aurthor Bread Flour fan.

[Allen]

Hi Traisch, welcome to the Hood!

Glad to see there are a bunch of bakers on here.
We are KAF fans also and have started using their white whole wheat. Good stuff.

[WWW]

If I may join the group, I have been baking bread for forty years and really enjoy it, my favorite is my Grandmothers egg bread and short cake recipes, next best thing to being in Heaven, I raised my kids on this bread. Sorry but I have no pictures at this time.

[Rick 1456]

I have Celiacs or Gluten Intolerance. Recipes and flours have improved greatly since I was diagnosed in 1992. Got back into making my own GF bread recently since I retired and have the time. I missed pizza the most.

[bhfury]

I missed pizza the most.

Rick - My daughter is glutin and celica too.. over the last couple of years there are lots more foods available that is GF. If you like pizza, there is a pizza chain called Red Brick Pizza and they have a GF Pizza. Also, a mexican food chain called Costa Vida and they off GF mexican food.

[Rick 1456]

Thanks
Poppa Johns around here has GF pizza. I've started making as much on my own as possible. Salt has become an issue since I went off the blood pressure meds. My bp was just in the "red" and I decided to try and control it with diet and exercise and avoid potential med side effects.. So far so good Sauce shouldn't be an issue. I can make that, but finding so low salt cheese could be fun. May only get to have one slice a day. We shall see.
Rick