Homesteadmom
Frugal Homesteader
Karen, have you tried adding honey instead of sugar? It would eliminate the sugar taste, but still be sweet. And honey is a lot healthier for you.
Bread
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FarmerChick
Super Self-Sufficient
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I will definitely try that HM....some reason I taste that sugar strong??? Hmm...
Honey would be the same right....it said 1 tablespoon of sugar so I guess 1 Tbl. of honey also?
Honey would be the same right....it said 1 tablespoon of sugar so I guess 1 Tbl. of honey also?
pioneergirl
Wannabe Pioneer
Oh wow, I never thought of honey...BUT....using that I think we'd have to adjust the water/moisture, since sugar is a dry ingredient.
Beekissed....the recipe I have says to knead the dough, cover and let rise for 2 hours, punch down and let rise again for another hour, then bake for 30min....what is yours? I wonder if it would be better? Heck I love trying new recipes!!
Beekissed....the recipe I have says to knead the dough, cover and let rise for 2 hours, punch down and let rise again for another hour, then bake for 30min....what is yours? I wonder if it would be better? Heck I love trying new recipes!!
Homesteadmom
Frugal Homesteader
I have not had to adjust the water, but now that I think of it I usually do have to add more flour, so maybe I will eliminate a little bit of water in my next batch.
I also use agave sometimes too, in place of sugar. Yes it is measure for measure in honey to sugar.
I also use agave sometimes too, in place of sugar. Yes it is measure for measure in honey to sugar.
keljonma
Epicurean Goddess
Honey is added as a wet ingredient. Sugar is a dry ingredient.
When using honey, reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe.
When using honey, reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe.
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
Pioneergirl, I posted it on here somewhere...it was a wheat and honey (or brown sugar if having no honey) recipe. We let ours rise until its "big enough"pioneergirl said:
and then shape it into loaves or flat bread. If loaves, I let it rise again before putting it in to bake...if flatbread, it rises to the desired height while baking. We add honey without lessening the liquid measurements in our recipe. Since we add our flour by the cup, while kneading, we don't necessarily follow a set recipe, I guess. Making bread the old fashioned way seems to call for a pinch of that and a dash of this and kneading until it "feels" right!
Guess that's what makes it so much easier than all this trying to get some recipe to work the same in all ovens, all altitudes, all humidities, with all flours. I couldn't even begin to tell you the total cups of flour that I use and I'm sure it varies each time! 
Zenbirder
Frugal Vegetarian Farmer
Yes, Yes, Yes.Beekissed said:Since we add our flour by the cup, while kneading, we don't necessarily follow a set recipe, I guess. Making bread the old fashioned way seems to call for a pinch of that and a dash of this and kneading until it "feels" right!
I have met so many wanna-be bread makers who got or were given a bread machine and couldn't make a good loaf of bread from it. They tell me they followed the receipes EXACTLY and still were not happy with the result. I ask them if they open the machine while it is mixing and kneeding and test the dough with a finger... they look at me like I am crazy. "But the bread machine is supposed to do all the work and I followed the recipee... whine whine". So they sell the bread machine and go buy bread.
We are at high altitude, we usually have no humidity and who knows what type of flour they were working with. I sometimes make a specialty loaf entirely by hand, but for the day to day sandwich bread I shortcut with a machine. The key is that me myself and I am still making the bread just with mechanical help, I test the dough and keep hands on for proper moisture content. I just don't have enough hours in the day to get everything done from scratch without machine help. My hat is off to those of you who do it all by hand.
pioneergirl
Wannabe Pioneer
Thanx Beekissed....I know that it seems tuff initially when I'm mixing/kneading, and I usually add more water. I guess I need to start a 'bread lab' and try a different technique with each loaf, and label them, lol. I know its hard to tell someone how it should feel, especially over the net. I guess I'm either not kneading it long enough, or something...I just need to experiment I guess.
Homesteadmom
Frugal Homesteader
Zenbirder, evidently those people don't know how to read all the directions. I am on my second bread machine & both instruction books say to check moisture level of dough & to add flour if needed. When I have forgotten to do this I get short heavy loaves that are really good if we are having soup or stew or chilli for supper. I also use it for pizza dough & when I am making hot dog & hamburger buns too.
