Do you bake your own bread?

[Loves Vintage]

I have not, yet. I am planning to start baking my own bread, but only want to bake simple whole wheat loaves. I don't have a bread machine and don't plan to get one.

Tips? Thoughts? Recipes?

 

[Maisie]

Build up your upper arms! I was once kneading dough and I got a massive spasm in the muscles in one of my upper arms! So painful!

I have baked bread before but I don't do it so often. If i'm making homemade soup I will bake bread. Otherwise I buy it. I wish I had the time to do it every day. The kids love it.

 

[vc10um]

LV, some things I've picked up from DH over the years:

1) Get good yeast. He's had the best luck with Bob's Red Mill.
2) If you're planning on using Whole Wheat flour, be sure to mix it with some white flour...otherwise the flavor may be too strong.
3) Rye flour is also a tasty and healthy alternative to white flour...give it a try!
4) Kneading takes a lot of effort...if you have at KA mixer, using the dough hook takes less time, but isn't nearly as stress-relieving!
5) Bake on a pizza stone if you have one...the crust will be amazing!

Good luck!!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Maisie - Ohhh, homemade soup and homemade bread sounds yummy! I'm planning to use a mixer. I've been splitting firewood all weekend, so no more upper arm work for me!

vc10um - Thanks for all of the tips. We have the standard yeast (Fleischman's (sp?)). Hoping it will be good enough as I don't want to go out the store! I will use the KA mixer. Hoping that makes it all seem effortless. I did find a recipe that asks for white and wheat flour. It makes 2 loaves. We do have a pizza stone, but I was hoping for formed loaves (like a sandwich bread). I don't have metal loaf pans. Do you think I can use the clear glass (pyrex)??

 

[bee*]

I make homemade brown bread and soup once a week-it's delicious. The recipe I use is so easy and doesn't require much kneading at all. I can write it out for you if you need it. I made 4 loaves of it for a dinner party on Friday night and every last slice was eaten. I find it you use a good quality flour the taste is amazing.

 

[Lottie]

LV when you send off the warranty for your KA you should get a big cookery book through the post which has some lovely bread recipes, including a great one for a Granary, Walnut and Honey loaf. If you don;t already have the book I would be happy to post a couple of the recipes from it for you.

 

[Hera]

I plan to eventually. I have a book saved on my Amazon list that a lot of people like that promises no kneading and no bread attachments(and can be used to make whole wheat bread). Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-ebook/dp/B000XPNUPY/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1?_encoding=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

 

[Lottie]

Apologies - have just seen that you want to make a plain wholemeal, I should have read your original post more thoroughly

 

[Maisie]

I make homemade brown bread and soup once a week-it's delicious. The recipe I use is so easy and doesn't require much kneading at all. I can write it out for you if you need it. I made 4 loaves of it for a dinner party on Friday night and every last slice was eaten. I find it you use a good quality flour the taste is amazing.

Please share your recipe!!

 

[AGBF]

I have not, yet. I am planning to start baking my own bread, but only want to bake simple whole wheat loaves. I don't have a bread machine and don't plan to get one.

Tips? Thoughts? Recipes?

I am not only planning on taking out my old bread machine, but doing what I refused to do for decades: upgrading to a Zojirushi! Since I loved my old machine and it absolutely refused to break down (it still hasn't) I wouldn't buy a Zo. But after years of not using it, I decided if I was going to go back to using a bread machine, I was going to get the Zo!

You may not want to hear this, but get a bread machine!!!

This is coming from someone who has baked bread all her life from scratch. Believe me, when I was a teenager and started into bread baking, there certainly were no bread machines!!! I turned out many loaves a week when I was in the right mood. I would have huge porcelain bowls of dough rising in a warm bath tub. (That's the method that I found worked best for me.)

The great thing about a bread machine is that it will do all the basic work on the dough for you and you can still do the shaping and baking in your own oven if you want. But you don't have to. It's a tool. You don't have to use it. But nothing is nicer when you want a loaf of bread in the morning the way you want a cup of coffee and all you have to do is throw in the ingredients; press the timer button; and go to bed!

Th dog just came in. I have to see what he needs. But believe me, I'll be back to this thread. Bread is my thing!!! I was into bread long before I discovered high karat gold! (I also used to buy and make my own sourdough cultures.)

Deb/AGBF

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I just started with no knead dough, and pizza dough. I just burnt out my KA making pizza dough .

I talked to a women who makes 100% whole wheat bread regularly. I have had her bread and it is wonderful. I have not got gotten the full recipe out of her but I know she uses King Author's white whole wheat flower that is "fresh" (vs flower that has been sitting for a long time) and a Bosch mixer (which from reading reviews is a great mixer for whole wheat bread). She actually recommended the Bosch after my KA burnt out. Her bread pans are also made of baking stone material. The mixer is crazy expensive, so I would maybe experiment with a lower cost mixer first and see if you like making bread. But if you do so, mix it in small batches and stop if the mixer makes a funny noise.

I just ordered the Bosch yesterday. I am hoping to make bread with it in 2 weeks or so. If you can wait that long, I will let you know how it goes.

 

[bee*]

I make homemade brown bread and soup once a week-it's delicious. The recipe I use is so easy and doesn't require much kneading at all. I can write it out for you if you need it. I made 4 loaves of it for a dinner party on Friday night and every last slice was eaten. I find it you use a good quality flour the taste is amazing.

Please share your recipe!!

No prob-

200g / 6oz plain white flour
300g / 11oz course wholemeal flour
3 tbsp bran
2 tbsp wheatgerm
2 heaped tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 dessertspoon treacle
600-900ml of milk (usually I use about 720ml)

mix all the dry ingredients together in bowl, add treacle and stir in enough milk to make it moist but not sloppy. Place in a prepared 2lb loaf tin and bake in preheated oven for 20 mins at 200 degrees C / 400 F and then reduce heat to 170 C / 325 F and bake for a further hour. Remove if from loaf tin and it's ready to eat. It's so delicious with some butter on it and served with some soup.

 

[AGBF]

I just started with no knead dough, and pizza dough. I just burnt out my KA making pizza dough.

Now, you see? I never in a million years would have thought of putting bread dough in a mixer! (I am assuming that "KA" stands for "Kitchen Aid".) I have now upgraded from my mother's old mixer to a Kitchen Aid, but I do bread dough by hand unless I use a bread machine. I would only use a kitchen mixer for cookie dough or cake batter!

Deb

 

[MichelleCarmen]

One tip: Do laundry the same time as you're letting your bread rise. You can put the dough in a bowl and place it on top of your dryer to help it puff up.

 

[AGBF]

I went to my set of four bread machine recipe books by Donna Rathmell German to see if, in the Cookbook IV, which is all whole grains and natural sugars recipes, there were any recipes I had marked as favorites. These recipes are tailored for bread machines, mind you!

I found two which appeared to be well loved, one for a basic sour cream bread, made with whole wheat flour and the other for a banana bread made with whole wheat flour and oats. In terms of the request by LV: obviously neither is a "simple" whole wheat loaf. If anyone else uses a bread machine; doesn't already have these recipes; and wants them; let me know and I will post one or both!

Deb/AGBF

 

[Jennifer W]

Yay! Bread! Love baking bread - my best chance at weightloss would be to cut the plug off my kitchenaid.

I make bread two or three times a week, there's nothing quite like the smell of fresh bread baking. I have had several bread machines over the years, and none of them really impressed me much. I personally don't much care for them. The kitchen aid is the way forward! I love mine, and use it for bread every week.

I don't use a recipe anymore exactly, just the usual stuff, give or take, that I throw in, but this is more or less what I do, if it's any help:
The mix:
the day before you bake, put 1 cup of strong white breadflour (or all purpose flour, ok at this stage) a half teaspoon of dried yeast and a half cup of lukewarm milk or water in the KA, with a small pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Knead this, then put the lid on the bowl and either leave it in a cool place or just sling it in the fridge over night. This is the sponge.

Next day (24 hours later is best, but anytime after the sponge has risen will be fine)
Put 2 cups strong flour in the KA bowl, on top of the sponge (knock it back a little if you need to , to fit the rest of it in)
Add a generous pinch of salt (more or less, to taste) and some sugar, maybe half a tablespoon.
Add a chunk of soft butter if you like a slightly richer flavour.
Add a cup of lukewarm milk or water
Add a heaped teaspoon of dried yeast
Combine, then knead for 10 minutes or so. You can finish kneading by hand if you feel like it.

Rise and Prove:
Cover with oiled film, foil or a damp cloth. Let it rise in a warm place for a few hours, or until doubled. If you need to go out, put it in the fridge to slow the rise.
Shape it, or put it into a tin, then let it prove (rise again).

Bake:
Have the oven as hot as it will go, and put an old oven tray in the bottom- throw some water into it and throw the bread in as fast as you can, so it has steam for the first few minutes. That keeps the crust soft for a little bit longer, so it can keep rising a little bit longer than it would otherwise be able to.
After about 10 minutes, turn the temp down to around 400 degrees. It's done when it's just over 200 degrees in the centre (I use my la pavoni milk thermometer, but you can buy an instant read probe). I have never been able to judge from the hollow sound or the appearance of the loaf.

You can use any mix of wholewheat / white / rye / multigrain etc flour - just keep the same basic proportions. It's a 50% hydration mix, so half the volume of liquid as flour,in the sponge and the dough. My preference is total 1.5 cups strong white breadflour, 1.5 cups of a random mix of multigrain and wholemeal flour, plus a generous handful of mixed seeds.

 

[TravelingGal]

Well, I obviously cheat by using a breadmaker, but I love it! I have the Zojirushi one pound breadmaker and it has the footprint the size of a coffee maker so I leave it on the counter next to my canisters of flour, sugar, etc. Takes 5 minutes to get a loaf going and I often set the timer so we wake up to fresh bread.

The key for me is it has to be easy so that I'll do it consistently. I wouldn't do this without a breadmaker. Not worth it to me. I got the breadmaker because in August/Sept we went to Oz and I forgot to throw out a commercial loaf of bread before I left. 2 weeks later, we got home to see it survived 90+ degree temps and was in perfect, soft condition.

 

[chemgirl]

I just started making my own bread last week. I use a bit of regular flour, but most is wheat flour. I also used honey instead of sugar when activating the yeast. Honey makes it yummy!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I just started with no knead dough, and pizza dough. I just burnt out my KA making pizza dough.

Now, you see? I never in a million years would have thought of putting bread dough in a mixer! (I am assuming that "KA" stands for "Kitchen Aid".) I have now upgraded from my mother's old mixer to a Kitchen Aid, but I do bread dough by hand unless I use a bread machine. I would only use a kitchen mixer for cookie dough or cake batter!

Deb

Yes, KA is a kitchen aid. It actually works great with the dough hook. It can make enough dough for 2 small pizzas no problem. Much more than that....well that is where I got into trouble. I would never use my 600W KA for whole wheat bread after what I experienced. I am going to replace my Kitchen Aid and continue using it for cookies and cakes. From what I understand, it is still a wonderful mixer for those tasks.

 

[yellowducky]

this is my favorite recipe for a nice, crusty loaf: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

what i like about it: 1) it requires minimal working of the dough, 2) very easy to make -- no food processor or mixer required, 3) recipe works with very little to no adaptation required, in my experience, for high or low altitude baking, 4) crust and air holes will rival any loaf you can buy from a bakery!

 

[Saoirse2]

I can't agree more with vc10um's post.
Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour is king, do not bother using Gold Medal WW- while it tastes great, the bran cuts through the gluten strands in the dough; preventing a good rise.
I use SAF-instant yeast to add with other dry ingredients--no need to dissolve in water.
If you can't drink your tap water, don't use it for baking
Milk- [dry or scalded] improves texture and flavor while keeping the bread freah longer.
Fats- butter, olive oil, canola or grape seed oil can be used interchangeably.
Vital Wheat gluten, helps ww bread rise and stay risen. I add 1-2 Tb in a recipe, depending on the grain being used.
Even though I bake 2 loaves of WW bread weekly and do not mind starting up a dough with a wooden spoon and a bowl, I'm a lazy baker... I often use the KA mixer on speed 2 [ never longer than 8 minutes] knead and rise. I'm considering a new Zojirushi as my bread machine is now dead, do miss ready- to shape-dough-in 1 1/4 hours!
Here's our weekly bread, will post the recipe if there's any interest.

 

[KittyGolightly]

this is my favorite recipe for a nice, crusty loaf: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

what i like about it: 1) it requires minimal working of the dough, 2) very easy to make -- no food processor or mixer required, 3) recipe works with very little to no adaptation required, in my experience, for high or low altitude baking, 4) crust and air holes will rival any loaf you can buy from a bakery!

+1

It doesn't get any easier than this recipe.

 

[Jennifer W]

I just started with no knead dough, and pizza dough. I just burnt out my KA making pizza dough.

Now, you see? I never in a million years would have thought of putting bread dough in a mixer! (I am assuming that "KA" stands for "Kitchen Aid".) I have now upgraded from my mother's old mixer to a Kitchen Aid, but I do bread dough by hand unless I use a bread machine. I would only use a kitchen mixer for cookie dough or cake batter!

Deb

Yes, KA is a kitchen aid. It actually works great with the dough hook. It can make enough dough for 2 small pizzas no problem. Much more than that....well that is where I got into trouble. I would never use my 600W KA for whole wheat bread after what I experienced. I am going to replace my Kitchen Aid and continue using it for cookies and cakes. From what I understand, it is still a wonderful mixer for those tasks.

Oh no! It burned out? I'd contact KA before replacing it, their customer service is really good. Mine came with a 10 year guarantee, so I'd ask about that before paying for another one. I do use it to make a substantial amount of bread, including wholewheat and it's been fine. I also use it to run the icecream maker attachment, which is awesome, but that's a whole other thread!

 

[Joolz]

I plan to eventually. I have a book saved on my Amazon list that a lot of people like that promises no kneading and no bread attachments(and can be used to make whole wheat bread). Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-ebook/dp/B000XPNUPY/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1?_encoding=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

I love this book! I bake bread everyday based on their master recipe, it is so easy. The authors have come out with another book that uses wheat flour.

I use SAF instant yeast and I find it to be superior and less expensive than the packets from the grocery stores.

 

[TC1987]

If you just want a bread machine to use as a mixer, an old DAK Turbo Baker http://stevebottorff.com/DAK.htm or the Wellbilt ABM-100 both have strong motors, better than what you'd get in today's bread machines. They are the ones with the glass dome lid. I find them in thrift stores rather frequently for anywhere from $4 to $10, and they still work and bake. They make good bread, too, but it's a cylindrical loaf. There are recipes that came with the machines, but cut the yeast back to 1 tsp for 3C flour , and not more than 2.25 tsp per 4 cups of flour. That gets rid of the heavy yeast taste but should be enough to make dough rise.

The 750 watts or 600w or whatever watts the bread machines state on their labels is the heater wattage, not the motor. But those old DAK and Wellbilts were made in Japan of good long-lasting parts.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Hi Everyone,

First, I'd like to thank everyone for their replies. A few days ago, I started a LONG reply, but lost it (computer just shut off!) So, now, I am finally back, but with a short reply!

We did bake two loaves of wheat bread last weekend. I say "we" because my DH is apparently very interested in baking bread! He even has a book on the topic of baking bread, which I hope to delve into, but have not yet. One day, I will make brioche!! Anyway, this is the bread we made: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/honey-wheat-bread-ii/ I chose this recipe because we had all ingredients on hand. It is more of a white wheat, but it was very very good. Thank goodness my DH was here because I just plopped the two loaves into the baking dishes as if I were making cookies! The recipe said to shape the dough into loaves. I didn't realize that meant you actually work the dough into a loaf shape! I figured the shape of the baking dish was all it took. So, they turned out to beautiful loaves indeed! I should have taken pictures. Oh, and the glass pyrex worked just fine for baking real bread.

Very happy with this new endeavor. DH says he wants to bake bread every weekend. That is A-OK by me! One less thing for ME to do. We are both primarily motivated to do this so that we can feed our daughter good bread. He stated this independently. It's amazing how we sometimes agree on things like this. So, she had some absolutely gorgeous french toast and grilled cheese last week. Two more loaves are underway this morning.

I may get a bread machine, but for now, this seems to be working.

Deb - We have a zojirushi coffee maker, which I adore. If we went with a new machine, I'd get a zojirushi on your recommendation alone! Did you bake this week?

TC1987 - Thank you for the information on the DAK and Wellbilt machines! Your post was so informative. That is information I can't imagine I would have come across on my own! I am definitely in thrift mode these days and am now motivated to find one of these machines, though I have to say, I am not sure I am ok with cylindrical loaves! Were these early bread machines, and they all came in cylindrical shape then? Is there another reason for the shape? In any event, I still really like the idea of finding a bread machine in a thrift store.

Saoirse2 - That is a beautiful loaf of bread!! I would love to see your recipe if you have the time to post it. I have King Arthur bread flour and wheat flour. I need to go to another store to get Bob's Red Mill. DH also wants some rye flour, so I will make my way over to that other shop soon.

Jennifer W - You're amazing! Hope to have your confidence in bread baking one day too! So far, we are using the KA. The pin that holds the machine together (not sure how else to describe it) does start coming out after it's been going for a while! Have you had that happen?

Anyone else baking bread today? More photos do seem to be in order.

 

[Jennifer W]

LV, there's a Pricescope equivalent for breadmaking, and it has some really helpful tutorials, with photos and a lot of shared expertise. Have a rummage down the back of the internet!
Yes, the pin works loose on my KA when it's working harder. It never seems to come so far out as to be a problem though, although I do push it back in whenever I notice it off-centre.

 

[Ninna]

LV, the recipe you made sounds delish! Looks like you guys are having a ball
Bakers & Cooks here have their own site now, hopefully someone will link you to it.
In the meantime I'm sharing this old recipe, first pic has been in my laptop for ages

Whole Wheat & Cinnamon Swirl
2-9 x 5 loaves

2 C warm water
2 ts salt
3 Tb honey
3 Tb canola oil
2 1/2 ts instant yeast
16 oz whole wheat flour [about 3 C]
9 oz bread flour [about 2 C]

Swirl:
2 Tb butter, softened
1 Tb ground cinnamon
1/4 C brown sugar

In a large bowl, soften the dry yeast in the water, add honey, oil, salt and whole wheat flour; beat well.
Add half of the bread flour to make a moderately stiff dough.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining bread flour to make a velvety dough [10 min or so].
Shape into a ball. Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease surface of the dough. Cover; let rise until nearly double in size about 1 1/4 hours.
Deflate the dough and turn out onto floured surface. Divide in half, fold on thirds as an envelope and cover; rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grease loaf pans.
In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon, set aside.
Roll one piece of dough to 9 x 12 rectangle.
Spread 1 Tb of butter; sprinkle with sugar cinnamon mixture. Roll up, jelly roll style, starting from a short side. Seal seams and place in a prepared pan, seams side down.
Roll second piece as a loaf, seal seams and place in a prepared pan, seams side down.
Cover with plastic and let rise until nearly double in size or at least 1 inch above the pan top.
Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 24-30 minutes; do not over bake. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.
-If you chose not to swirl, brush with 1 Tb melted butter as soon as bread comes out of the oven.

 

[Clairitek]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Bread Bible. So many recipes and her instructions are quite clear. I like the descriptions of how the dough should be after each step. She also suggests alternatives to various bakeware if you don't have what she initially recommends or steps you can add/substract if you want to improve on the flavor or are short on time.

http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bible-Rose-Levy-Beranbaum/dp/0393057941/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326729122&sr=8-1

I've been using recipes from that book for almost a year. I do use a KitchenAid stand mixer for kneading which really cuts down on the time necessary to make the bread. Perhaps one day I will knead by hand.

I've been using Fleishmann's yeast (I buy large jars of it and keep it in the fridge). But since a lot of people have recommended it I might try the Red Mill stuff. I've never had a problem with the regular grocery store yeast.

Instead of spending money on an expensive pizza stone I went to Home Depot and found some tile that wasn't filled (sometimes tiles have a filler to make them smooth, even if the base is natural stone) and was 100% stone. I keep them in the bottom of my oven and they cover the whole rack. I keep another small pan on the rack beneath that and when I am about to bake I put a 1/2 cup of ice in there to add steam and increase the oven rise (this is something that the author of that book suggests, pro bread ovens in bakeries often have steam injection for this purpose). The tiles I use were $5 total, as opposed to many times that for a pizza stone. Either way, I think some sort of stone down there is a must. I also high recommend parchment paper on your pans.

ETA: I should have read through to the end! Didn't realize that you already baked some bread. Glad it turned out well and that your DH is into it too!

 

[stepcutnut]

I can wholeheartedly say I am a bread nut(or was)!!! I used to make several loaves of bread a week...until about 5-6 years ago, when I went gluten free for some health reasons. I have yet to find any GF bread recipes I love, so I do not make much bread these days. This thread has lit a spark in me to again try and find a good GF bread recipe.

Does anyone have any good, GF bread recipes that they have tried?