First time bread maker questions.

[hennypenny9]

So I've made a couple of loaves, and I must say that although they are yummy, they aren't what I was looking for. I'm looking for a plain white sandwich bread. The recipe I used only had sugar, yeast, salt, oil, and flour. I'd like to stay away from the breads that have tons of ingredients like eggs and such. The first loaf was fairly flat, which I corrected in the second batch by proofing the yeast PROPERLY. I also cut the sugar in half. It was good, but still sweet and quite dense.

So what would all you baking experts recommend for a light sandwich bread? What can I do to make the bread rise more? Some magic kneading technique? I'd like to replace store bought bread with homemade but I want to get the basics down, and for me that's plain ol' white sandwich bread.

Thanks in advance!

 

[freemotion]

The ingredients you used are for a basic French or Italian bread, very yummy hot from the oven with butter!!! You can get a crispy crust by putting a shallow pan of hot water on the bottom rack and by brushing the loaves with water and don't bag them until they are 100% cooled.

For the texture of a sandwich bread, you need eggs, IMO. And understand that home-made bread is going to be denser and chewier than store-bought. Why? Look at the ingredient list on store-bought. It takes a few nasties to get that texture, that is why we make our own. Eggs will change the texture for you.

If you have a really good bread knife, with practice, you can cut the slices VERY thin. That helps a bit. It is easier to slice it very thin when it is a day old, too.

How dense is your bread? It may be the weather, your kneading technique and time frame (how much flour you are working into the dough, maybe too much) or it can be as simple as the batch of flour you have or the batch of yeast. Never bake on damp, humid days.

I find the big bag of yeast works better than the packets, and they cost about the same. Even if you end up tossing some of the big bag because you can't use it up in a timely fashion.

Lots of bakers here, I'm sure you'll get more tips. I am going from memory, since I haven't made bread in a while. I made most of the bread for the family when I was a teen, and for myself for some years after. I now use the MEN artisan bread recipe for pizza dough only, using freshly ground wheat, and that recipe is very different from what you are trying to achieve. I am getting inspired to get back into it, though!

 

[keljonma]

I agree with Free, your homemade bread won't be an exact replica of manufactured stuff called bread. But yours will be healthier. There are a number of bread threads, with recipes that might help you. The recipe I use for our daily sandwich loaf is my Egg Bread recipe. I've posted it before, but I know it has more ingredients than you are looking for... I think after you spend more time working with dough, you'll actually get a feel for a loaf that will be excellent in every way. Keep at it, and try not to get too frustrated. Bread loaves that don't turn out as planned, make good croutons, bread crumbs, bread puddings, and French toast...

I find these two are good recipe for beginners...

This one is from King Arthur Flour Company
The Easiest Loaf of Bread Youll Ever Bake
1 T sugar
5 1/2-6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 T (1 packet) yeast
1 T salt
corn meal
2 cups warm water (not over 110F)
boiling water

MIX IT
Add sugar and yeast to warm water and let dissolve. Gradually add salt and flour to liquid and mix thoroughly until dough pulls from sides of bowl. Turn out onto floured surface to knead. (This may be a little messy, but don't give up!)

KNEAD IT
Fold far edge of dough back over on itself towards you. Press dough away with heels of hands. After each push, rotate dough 90. Repeat process in rhythmic, rocking motion for about 3 minutes. (Lightly sprinkle flour on board to prevent sticking.) Let dough rest while you scrape out and grease mixing bowl. Knead dough again about 3 more minutes until bouncy and smooth.

LET IT RISE
Place dough in bowl and turn over once to grease the top. Cover with damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk (1 to 2 hours).

SHAPE IT
Punch down dough with fist and briefly knead out gas bubbles. Cut in half and shape into 2 Italian or French-style loaves. Place on cookie sheet generously sprinkled with corn meal. Let dough rest 10 minutes.

BAKE IT
Quick Method: Lightly slash the tops 3 or more times diagonally and brush with cold water. Place on rack in cold oven. Bake at 400F for 35 to 40 minutes until crust is golden brown and sounds hollow to the touch.

Traditional Method: For lighter, crustier bread, let loaves rise 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 450F for 15 minutes. Pour 2 to 3 cups of boiling water into roasting pan. Carefully place on oven bottom. Place bread on rack above pan and bake 20 minutes. Turn oven off and allow bread to remain for 5 more minutes. Remove, cool and devour!


This one is from the book, Country Life- A Handbook For Realists And Dreamers by Paul Heiney. While it isn't a true recipe, it gives some great advice.

Bread Ingredients
For a basic loaf, you need only three ingredients: flour, water, and yeast. You can also add spices, seeds, fruits, nuts, and herbs. Put in a little oil if you want to make the loaf easier to slice. Tired flour that has sat in a bag for months, prone to moisture or heat or any of the other things that destroy its quality, will never make a good loaf. Yeast, too, has to be alive to work. If fresh yeast has not been kept cool or has been allowed to dry out, it will be dead, and expecting your loaf to rise is asking for a miracle.

Plain Whole-Meal Loaf
1. Milling Flour: If you have grown your own cereal, you might like to mill it by hand. It takes 15 minutes to grind the 3 cups (340 g) of flour needed to bake a large loaf. The drier the cereal, the easier it is to mill.

2. Activating Yeast: Use fresh or dried yeast. Fresh yeast gives a firmer loaf. Dried yeast is activated by adding lukewarm water and sugar. When it froths, it is ready.

3. Mixing Dough: Add the activated yeast mixture to the flour and oil in the bowl; start mixing, gradually adding water until you have a dough that can be grasped but does not stick to your hands. Getting the texture just right comes with practice.

4. Kneading: This process ensures that bread will rise. Insufficient kneading gives flat, dense bread. Too much gives a loaf with large holes in it. Using your fingers, thumbs, and palms, work the dough rhythmically until it has changed from a soggy mass into a stretchy one. This takes about eight minutes.

5. Leaving To Rise: Do not put the dough in too warm a place to rise. If you do, it may not rise at all. Cover the bowl with a cloth to keep the dough clean, and find a cozy place where drafts will not chill it. It should rise to no more than twice its original volume, or it might collapse when baking.

6. The Finished Loaf: Knock back the risen dough to flatten it. The give it a second, lighter kneading, and roll it into shape by hand or place it in a bread pan. Let it rise again before baking. The loaf is done when tapping its base produces a hollow sound.

Bread Flours
Most flours will make some form of loaf, and it is fun to experiment with mixtures of flours. Remember that it is the gluten content of the flour that makes the most important difference. Gluten combines with water to make an elastic, sticky substance that makes bread rise. When you knead the dough, you activate the gluten. Flours low in gluten will always make flat loaves, however much yeast you add to them.


edited for spelling

 

[gettinaclue]

FM is right IME. You're not going to get that same texture.

As far as the slices, you can go on ebay and get bread slicers on the cheap!

Basically, they.are a wooden or plastic platform with 2 sides. The sides have notches in them that guide you to make thin slices for sandwiches. You still need a good bread knife though or you'll just tear up the bread. Or you can skip it and free hand the slices. ...and waiting until it is a day old does help.

Also, again agreeing with FM, the big bags of yeast really do work better. I just bought two 1lb bags of Fleischmann's Instant dry yeast from BJ's wholesale for 4.00 and I have noticed a big difference.

I get a much better rise out of this yeast than I did out of the little packets and it's sooooo much cheaper. I just treat it like I did the packets. I got some ziplock baggies, measured 2 1/4 t into each one, put some in the freezer to keep, and some in the pantry to be at room temp and ready to use.

If you are interested in going a bit healthier, try using unbleached white flour. I've been mixing my regular white flour and this for a while and yesterday was at 80-20 ratio.

I'm not one to love a crunchy crust on sandwich bread so I don't bother with the water. Take the bread out of the pan and cool on a rack immediately after it comes out of the oven so it doesn't get soggy or the texture goes off.

Also, after you make your loaves, let them rise in the bread pan for a while 20 to 30 minutes, makes a lighter loaf.

Good luck!

 

[hennypenny9]

Thanks everyone! Yeah, I want to make bread at home to get rid of the preservatives and such that you find in store bought. And I'll keep it in mind that it won't be the same as from the store, it'll be different, but better! From your comments many things could be messing up the bread:

-humid damp day. I live in Washington state. 'Nuff said.

-kneading. I will try the press and rotate 90 degrees one.

-yeast. I only have the packets, since I was just starting, and that was cheaper. But I will look at Costco for bulk.

-recipe. This is the one I used.

* 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 1/3 cup white sugar
* 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 3 cups bread flour

I reduced the sugar to less than 1/4 cup on the second try. This is half of the original recipe, since I didn't want to ruin two loaves at once! The egg thing wont be as bad once I move and get chickens, then I'll have lots, and won't worry about cost like I do now.

-"knock" on the loaf to hear if it sounds hollow. I had no idea!

Thanks for the ideas for using mediocre loaves! I'm thinking either bread pudding or bread crumbs. I will not give up until I do this right! It's actually pretty fun, and although it takes time, most of it is letting the dough rise. So you're not working straight for hours.

The "Traditional Method" from the King Arthur Co. sounds intriguing

 

[gettinaclue]

Isn't Keljonma great!

She is the baking Guru of all time!

So knowledgable!

 

[hennypenny9]

Isn't Keljonma great!

She is the baking Guru of all time!

So knowledgable!

You're all very helpful!

I talked to my mom about it, and she said that she has never liked making bread because "it's an art that I've never managed to understand. I'll make you pastries if you want..." She likes deserts like cakes, pastries, ice creams, and such, lol.

I want to make more bread right now, but I have a whole loaf left.

 

[freemotion]

Most bread that is too dense for sandwiches makes great toast.....and french toast! Serve it up for supper as french toast!

Also, my mother used to make this wonderful thing with stale bread...cut it into sticks, french fry size maybe, and saut'e them in butter, then turn up the heat and add scrambled eggs and cook them quickly so the bread stays crisp. Have a veggie on the side and that could be supper, too. Eggs are a cheap protein for any meal.

 

[hennypenny9]

Most bread that is too dense for sandwiches makes great toast.....and french toast! Serve it up for supper as french toast!

Also, my mother used to make this wonderful thing with stale bread...cut it into sticks, french fry size maybe, and saut'e them in butter, then turn up the heat and add scrambled eggs and cook them quickly so the bread stays crisp. Have a veggie on the side and that could be supper, too. Eggs are a cheap protein for any meal.

That all sounds great! I made a grilled peanut butter sandwich, and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on the buttered sides. Yummy! But probably going to kill me someday...

 

[gettinaclue]

There isn't much of anything that won't kill you these days.