The Bread Thread!

[Theo]

duplicate post

 

[Theo]

You can make focaccia with that AP flour. Here's a link to a basic recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-focaccia-bread/detail.aspx. You can top it with anything or eat it plain. I like to put sea salt, rosemary and chopped garlic on mine. It can be split for sandwiches or topped like a thick crust pizza. It is very versatile and delicious! I don't poke holes in it with a spoon, per the recipe, I just use my fingertips. If you have a pizza stone it makes a nice crust, but a cookie sheet works fine.

 

[Wannabefree]

Looks like a good recipe, thanks Theo!

 

[nachoqtpie]

Mmmm!! I like focaccia bread too!! It's nummy!

 

[k15n1]

When I have made bread before, I have made it with all purpose. Maybe I should use bread flour, we got a big bag at sams club our last visit.........

I usually use all-purpose flour. In the US, it's pretty high in protein, so it make good-enough bread flour.

If you don't have enough gluten in the flour, the bread will not rise well, it will not have a nice elastic feel when handling it, and it will bake into a dense loaf. Same problem can happen with flour that hasn't been "bleached" or aged. Has to do with end-to-end stickiness of the individual glutelin molecules. Several of the people on the forum are grinding their own flour... I wonder what their experience is.

 

[Homemaker]

Mmmmmmm! This sounds AMAZING! Fairly simple bread as well.
Is it good for sandwiches? That's my husbands biggest complaint is that my bread isn't good sandwich bread. I think it's mostly because I'm using AP flour and not bread flour tho. He likes to just eat the bread, but not for sandwiches.

My husband is the same way. I think your right, they are just use to the store bought stuff. I have yet to find a recipe that duplicates "bread" in a bag Although I am use to it now and I actually prefer it. Since the recipe makes two loaves sometimes we will eat one fresh. Then I let the other sit for a day or two. I just wrap it in a linen towel. Then it is easier to cut into thin slices. Which I then put toppings on and stick in the oven. Or I use it to make "adult" grill cheese sandwiches (no not X rated. I just don't use "singles". I use real cheese and sometimes a slice of meat or ham.) I will try what PP have said and I will try adding more oil to my recipes. I'm curious to see what that will do.

I am interested in learning more whole grain recipes. I have a bobs red mill cookbook. So, far I have only tried the piecrust recipe out of it. It was very good though. I would also love to start some sourdough. I have a couple of "starter" recipes. But, they all seem very different from one another. I'm not sure which way to go with it.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Mmmmmmm! This sounds AMAZING! Fairly simple bread as well.
Is it good for sandwiches? That's my husbands biggest complaint is that my bread isn't good sandwich bread. I think it's mostly because I'm using AP flour and not bread flour tho. He likes to just eat the bread, but not for sandwiches.

My husband is the same way. I think your right, they are just use to the store bought stuff. I have yet to find a recipe that duplicates "bread" in a bag Although I am use to it now and I actually prefer it. Since the recipe makes two loaves sometimes we will eat one fresh. Then I let the other sit for a day or two. I just wrap it in a linen towel. Then it is easier to cut into thin slices. Which I then put toppings on and stick in the oven. Or I use it to make "adult" grill cheese sandwiches (no not X rated. I just don't use "singles". I use real cheese and sometimes a slice of meat or ham.) I will try what PP have said and I will try adding more oil to my recipes. I'm curious to see what that will do.

I am interested in learning more whole grain recipes. I have a bobs red mill cookbook. So, far I have only tried the piecrust recipe out of it. It was very good though. I would also love to start some sourdough. I have a couple of "starter" recipes. But, they all seem very different from one another. I'm not sure which way to go with it.

Homemaker- I have an excellent recipe for bread...whole grain. I just have to locate the book it is in. I used to make it all the time. I will post it later today.

 

[nachoqtpie]

I told hubs I was going to start making bread again and that I wanted to get a couple bags of bread flour when we went to the store. He looked at me like I had sprouted a 3rd eye in the center of my forehead. I then said "It's less expensive to buy a bag of bread flour for $3 (which I don't know if that's really what it costs... LOL) and get 3 loaves of delicious bread from it than $2 per loaf of the premade, full of crap stuff that's in a bag." He looked at me again and said "Well, I guess you're right."

Can you have too much gluten in bread? I do have a recipe that is supposed to be made in a bread machine that I usually just make the dough in the bread machine and then transfer it to a loaf pan. You "master breadmakers" tell me what you think

2 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup +2 Tablespoons water

Mix together in machine on dough cycle

This is where I deviate sometimes. Sometimes I knead it on the counter, then tuck it under and put it in a loaf pan and let it rise for another 30-45 minutes and sometimes I just put it right in the loaf pan and let it rise for a few minutes.

Then bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

 

[k15n1]

Well... I guess we will go back with the bread flour, even thou it's a little bit more expensive. But not as expensive as a loaf of bread! I have a couple of sacks of AP flour as well.

Right. Bread is cheap!

Especially if you take it easy on the yeast (most expensive ingredient), like 1t per 4 loaves.

AP flour, in SE MN is about 0.5 $/lb. Salt is 0.5 $/lb. The cost of heating up the oven and hot water are also low.

Even if you splurge for better flour, home-made bread is still usually cheaper than the weird-smelling stuff that comes in a bag.

 

[Beekissed]

The yeast that you can buy in bulk is so good and so inexpensive compared to the package of three that a person used to have to buy.