The Bread Thread!

[Beekissed]

Gonna make bread tomorrow....

We've got a lot of new folks on the board now days and I was wondering....do you all make your own bread? For pleasure or for frugality and health? What types?

I just use a simple recipe we've been using for years now but soon I want to get a starter of sourdough back up and going on the counter.

 

[Britesea]

My daughter posted this.... her first attempt at homemade bread.....
" Oh the bread came out Gre--- DEAR GOD!"

 

[baymule]

Bee, you would have been proud of me this weekend. 11 year old grand daughter and her friend wanted to make bread. She had saved some recipes on my husbands phone, but ran it down so far that it took a looooooong time to recharge. She was at a loss for what to do. I said, what about a BOOK? A COOKBOOK? And I handed her a bread book. She shrugged and they found a recipe for ciabatta bread. I got out the grain mill and some white wheat, we milled the wheat and made flour. They enjoyed that. Then I walked out of the kitchen and let them have at it. They made a good bread and had fun doing it.

I use a Family Grain Mill. I have the hand crank (never used, but I have it if I need it LOL) and motor.

https://pleasanthillgrain.com/famil...IVBsNkCh30zQWWEAAYASAAEgJJ8fD_BwE#description

 

[Beekissed]

Today is a blustery day, with a little snow, a little rain and a little sunshine....perfect for bread and soup making. Will make our regular half whole wheat/half white bread and also some focaccia bread. Made some cream chicken soup filled with rice, broccoli, asparagus, onions, celery~made the cream from schmaltz, so particularly flavorful.

Also cooking down a chicken carcass along with veggie scraps I've been saving in the freezer for making stock. Been doing that off and on this year and really need to thaw out all the bags of stock and can them up or use them as a base for soups and can those.

LOVE these kinds of days....very restful, lots of good smells and flavors, and the best of all~I can listen to good Bible teaching while I do these little busy chores around the house. Bliss!!!!

 

[Britesea]

Saving some of the starter for the next batch of bread was pretty much how ALL bread was made until modern times. If you keep the starter cool, it doesn't need feeding as often. It develops a slight tang, but doesn't turn as sour as standard "sourdough." As a matter of fact, my mother (who was raised in rural France) told me that if their yeast culture got sour, her mother would throw it out because it had "gone bad"- Sourdough was not popular in France until quite recently. I suspect that sourdough came into being amongst the goldminers of California because they were living in tents and other rough housing that didn't provide much in the way of a cool environment like a cellar or springhouse, so they made do with sour yeast cultures and learned to like the flavor.

According to Jon Townsend (a historical reenactor focusing on 18th C America) a common practice was to pinch off a little bit of the risen dough and dry it for use when traveling. You just needed to add the dried dough to some warm water and let it sit for a bit, until it got foamy-- just like our modern dried yeast. That may even be where Red Star got the idea, lol.

There's your history lesson for the day, children.

 

[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.

 

[treerooted]

Wanted to share this the other day, but I couldn't find the bread thread lol!

Not worthy of it's own post because it's nothing special (and pretty wonky ), but I love the smell/taste of fresh bread from the oven.

I used to make sour dough, but I haven't had a starter for years now. The bread machine does a decent job, but it's the convenience that allows me to still make bread.
Just started to finish the bread in the oven if the timing works out. so much nicer of course.

Next year I think I'll put sourdough starter on my goal list.

 

[Beekissed]

Unless it's onion bagels, I can't really stomach much store bought bread...it just has no taste at all, let alone any texture. So, if I didn't make bread I'd not eat bread at all. Usually make it more through the winter months as we don't like to heat up the house with breadmaking in the summer, but when we get some cool nights it's perfect for baking.

We rarely make it into loaves, as they tend to dry out quicker and don't freeze as well. Usually we make it into a type of flattened roll, more like the shape and size of a hamburger bun. That way it can be sliced for toasting, can be used for sandwiches if needed and the crust covers most of the roll~all of it if I space them properly~which seals in the moisture well. They freeze great that way too...fits into the freezer bags great and we can get out just a few at a time as we need them.

They ain't pretty but they taste great and are very functional, which is even better!

.

 

[Calista]

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!

My Dad had a sourdough starter he kept going for years, and Sundays when he fixed his sourdough biscuits, served with butter and homemade jam, were a special treat.

 

[Britesea]

DH preferred making a long roll for his sourdough. It was easier than a bread pan and still made very good sandwiches and french toast. We discovered that if you use freshly ground whole wheat flour for your sourdough starter, it already has the yeastie-beasties present (the same as grapes have the yeast they need to make wine on the skins)-- no need to add anything but some water.