The Bread Thread!

[luvinlife offthegrid]

Certainly! All-purpose flour has been the staple flour of bread making ladies for many a long year. Bread flour is overpriced hooey. APF, sugar, salt, oil, water and yeast are all you need for whipping up a quick loaf of bread.

Exactly!

Sometimes it's nice to knead in some other stuff just before you let it rise, like sunflower seeds, fresh herbs, etc. it doesn't take much t make an already wonderful plain homemade loaf into something really splendid.

 

[Bettacreek]

Well holy balls... I made BREAD!! It tastes basically like something I'd buy at the store. I very quickly learned not to cut it RIGHT out of the oven though, as it crumbles and smooshes some of it together, making very dense "crumbles". Anyways, it tastes just perfect for my spicy bread. George is at the store now picking up celery seed and crushed red pepper, so right now, there's only garlic butter and italian herbs, but it's still pretty darned good! Looks like I'm going to have to start making up dough to freeze!

 

[the_whingnut]

well the other day i tried an experiment with AP flour and Bread flour both made good Italian bread but there was a noticeable difference in taste and texture.

then i tried to make Loaf bread with bread flour and it did not turn out good. does anyone have a good loaf / samich bread recipe. i'm not getting good results i have never made loaf pan bread before but i can pull off french, Italian and biscuits.

 

[Jo-Ann]

well the other day i tried an experiment with AP flour and Bread flour both made good Italian bread but there was a noticeable difference in taste and texture.

then i tried to make Loaf bread with bread flour and it did not turn out good. does anyone have a good loaf / samich bread recipe. i'm not getting good results i have never made loaf pan bread before but i can pull off french, Italian and biscuits.

I found this recipe here for a great sandwich bread. It's in post #9. I use all water, skip the molasses and add that amount honey, and use white bread flour.
http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9895

I was also going to try the recipe in post #8, but this one was so good that I never got around to it. I use my bread machine to do the mixing, kneading & 1st rising, and then transfer it to a pullman loaf pan for the final rising & baking. We just love it!! I no longer buy any bread.

 

[Bettacreek]

I've become a bread making machine! I pumped out three loaves of Italian bread, two loaves of rye (though it doesn't taste as good as store bought... Not sure what went wrong?) and I have enough dough in the freezer for one more loaf of Italian. I'll have to hit Sam's Club soon to buy the 25lb bag of flour, because we devoured the first loaf within half an hour of it being out of the oven. The second loaf went today and now there's only one loaf left. The rye is hardly touched. I wanted it for breakfast, because rye is amazing with breakfast eggs, but my bread just doesn't taste anything like the rye bread I buy. The only thing I'm not super fond of is the harsh crust on the Italian. It's softened up a good bit with storage in the fridge, but when it first comes out, that crap is pretty hard!

 

[Jo-Ann]

Bettacreek, How do you freeze your bread dough? After the first, but before the 2nd rising? Do you let it thaw before baking? Inquiring minds want to know.
Jo-Ann

 

[Beekissed]

Grinding some red turkey wheat tonight to make some fresh bread. This is wheat that was grown and stored back in the 70s, but grinds up as fresh as if it were harvested yesterday. The bread practically makes itself it's so quick to rise and so springy to touch!

I usually don't bake much bread in the summer due to heating up the house too much(we don't use AC much here...just have a little window unit in Ma's bedroom), but I have a working tomorrow and will be providing some good food for the "crew". It's a cool evening, so I figured I'd go ahead and heat up the house...going to be in the low 50s tonight anyway.

The house is gonna smell so GOOD!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh man, nothing better than fresh baked bread! I've been considering trying to do a sour dough starter/bread because sourdough bread is supposed to be better for diabetics. Maybe I'll give it a try - eventually.

 

[Beekissed]

Oh man, nothing better than fresh baked bread! I've been considering trying to do a sour dough starter/bread because sourdough bread is supposed to be better for diabetics. Maybe I'll give it a try - eventually.

My mom used to do sourdough all the time and I started some once but never followed through on it, but I've always heard it's much, much better for you than regular breads. I love the flavor of it!

 

[Beekissed]

One thing I thought I'd mention...I've found the perfect thing to put over the bread bowl as the dough is rising. A disposable shower cap! They have enough room to allow the bread to expand but fit nicely over the edges of the bowl to keep the warmth in and to keep the dough ball from drying out any.

I use them for large bowls/basins that I don't have lids for during canning season also. They are much cheaper than the version that make for such things and they fit larger bowls too.