Back to Basics in the kitchen. A personal experiment!

[Overmind One]

Okay, I have been looking at my shopping cart app and the patterns, and I see several places where I could easily change it. I already cook most all my own meals, but there are things I still buy that I could also be making at home instead. The biggest by far is my bread products. I buy whole wheat sandwich bread, and I usually eat them in single slices as the basis for a melt or as toast with butter (and sometimes cinnamon and Splenda). Why am I buying bread? These are my excuses:

1. Cause I don't know how to make it.
2. Cause I don't have a bread machine.
3. Cause I am afraid it won't come out right.
4. It won't be as good as storebought bread.
5. It's too much work.

Looking at those, all of them were answered by simply answering the first question: "I don't know how to make it.". Once I had read enough online recipes, along with the reviews for them, the same basic recipe keeps coming out over and over:

Ingredients
2
packages regular active dry yeast
1/4
cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1/2
cup honey
1/4
cup butter or margarine
3
teaspoons salt
2 1/2
cups hot water
4 1/2
cups whole wheat flour
2 3/4
to 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I chose bread flour)

Steps

• 1 In small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In large bowl, mix brown sugar, butter, salt and hot water; cool 5 minutes.
• 2 To cooled brown sugar mixture, beat in 3 cups of the whole wheat flour with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. Beat in remaining 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and the dissolved yeast. With spoon, stir in 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 cups of the all-purpose flour until dough pulls cleanly away from side of bowl.
• 3 On floured work surface, knead in remaining 1/2 to 1 cup all-purpose flour until dough is smooth and elastic, 10 to 15 minutes. Grease large bowl with shortening or cooking spray. Place dough in bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80°F to 85°F) 30 to 45 minutes or until light and doubled in size.
• 4 Generously grease 2 (8x4- or 9x5-inch) loaf pans with shortening or cooking spray. Gently push fist into dough to deflate; divide in half. On lightly floured work surface, roll out each half of dough with rolling pin into 18x8-inch rectangle. Starting with one 8-inch side, roll up dough tightly, pressing with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal; press each end with side of hand to seal. Fold ends under loaf; place seam side down in pan. Cover; let rise in warm place 30 to 45 minutes or until light and doubled in size.
• 5 Heat oven to 375°F. Uncover dough; bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from pans; place on wire racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

So...I HAVE NOT DONE IT!

I just got back from the market and I have all of these ingredients and now I am ready to try this for the first time in my life. I do not have a bread machine, and I am going to knead my own dough by hand. I will use the mixer as the recipe calls for.

Wish me luck!

 

[Bluce Ree]

I LOVE homemade bread but I have neither the patience or the time to make my own. Also, I don't really eat bread that much.

 

[Overmind One]

I LOVE homemade bread but I have neither the patience or the time to make my own. Also, I don't really eat bread that much.

Baking bread is going to ruin my "lower" carb diet plan! But wait...I already buy bread, so why not make my own cheaper (and more controlled)? I can start experimenting with almond flour which does not make good baked goods on it's own, since I literally have pounds of it from making almond milk (it's a by product). I can make my own pizza crusts with it too, as well as pancakes and whatever other goodies I want. No more donut runs!

Perhaps, if I have to actually bake the things I want, I might not indulge in those quick snacks I see at 7-11. I refuse to buy granulated sugar and have not done so in years. But I have been consuming it in those "treats". Rockstar drinks do not contain sugar or have carbs so I love them. It's just that it means going to 7-11 to get them and there is the window of weakness.

I will likely take some pictures.

 

[shavedape]

I've made tons of bread over the years. First thing you need to know is that it will be heavier and more dense than commercial bread because it won't have all the conditioners and dough enhancers like corporate bread does.

As for ingredients and mixing, well, I've gotten it down to just flour, yeast, salt and water. You don't need sugar (or honey) to get the yeast to grow as it does just fine with eating the flour (especially white flour). I've also streamlined the mixing/kneading process. Basically what I do now is put the dry ingredients (flour, yeast, salt) into a food processor, then pour the (warm) water in thru the feed-tube until the dough begins to ball on the blade. Then I take it out and give it a few turns (knead) on a floured cutting board. Then I just put the ball of dough into a bowl that I've sprayed with PAM (or oil), cover it with plastic wrap (or a kitchen towel) and let it rise for an hour. When it's good and puffy (usually in an hour or less if I've used warm water) I punch it down, cut it in half and put it into two "oiled" loaf pans. Let it rise for a little while then toss it into a 375 degree oven. It's done in 40 - 45 minutes.

Couple things: I don't crank the temperature t 500+ the way most "artisan" recipes call for. That's a bunch of hipster nonsense. 375 is more than enough to make a nice loaf of sandwich bread. Also, I don't put a pan of water in the oven to create steam. More nonsense. Same with pizza stones. They are useless crap. (If you must do a free-form loaf do it on a piece of cast iron. It works far better than a stupid stone that will only take up room in your oven and will stink to high heaven after you've used it a couple times.)

I do recommend warming the water in the microwave before adding it to the flour mix. This is where an "Insta-Read" thermometer comes in handy. The yeast package will say to heat the water to 110 degrees but yeast can easily withstand up to 120 no problem. In fact I usually do it at least at that temp or a few degrees higher. Just don't get too crazy with the heat or you'll kill the yeast. But on the other hand don't be squeamish about temperature to the point that your yeast takes forever to grow.

I have added things sometimes like wheat bran or oat bran or even psyllium. Adding like half-a-cup of wheat bran was okay but it affected the gluten formation a little bit. Oat bran did the same thing plus it made the bread a little bit "gummy". Psyllium is weird in that it sucks up a ton of water and makes the dough rubbery. All three types of added fiber made okay loaves of bread though. Not amazing, but okay.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[Joelist]

I've baked basic French breads before, but my favorite to make is pumpernickel rye.

 

[shavedape]

I've baked basic French breads before, but my favorite to make is pumpernickel rye.

I've always wanted to make that authentic rye recipe, the one that is comprised of only rye flour and you bake it for like 12 hours. It sounds interesting.

 

[Joelist]

It is a project to so, especially because you cannot use a pre ground rye flour. It needs whole rye grain that you then break up but don't powderize.

 

[shavedape]

It is a project to so, especially because you cannot use a pre ground rye flour. It needs whole rye grain that you then break up but don't powderize.

I'd probably be more apt to try the recipe if I knew what to expect in terms of results as I've never tried this bread myself. (At least I don't think I have.) It sounds interesting though so I'm intrigued.

 

[Overmind One]

I've made tons of bread over the years. First thing you need to know is that it will be heavier and more dense than commercial bread because it won't have all the conditioners and dough enhancers like corporate bread does.

As for ingredients and mixing, well, I've gotten it down to just flour, yeast, salt and water. You don't need sugar (or honey) to get the yeast to grow as it does just fine with eating the flour (especially white flour). I've also streamlined the mixing/kneading process. Basically what I do now is put the dry ingredients (flour, yeast, salt) into a food processor, then pour the (warm) water in thru the feed-tube until the dough begins to ball on the blade. Then I take it out and give it a few turns (knead) on a floured cutting board. Then I just put the ball of dough into a bowl that I've sprayed with PAM (or oil), cover it with plastic wrap (or a kitchen towel) and let it rise for an hour. When it's good and puffy (usually in an hour or less if I've used warm water) I punch it down, cut it in half and put it into two "oiled" loaf pans. Let it rise for a little while then toss it into a 375 degree oven. It's done in 40 - 45 minutes.

Couple things: I don't crank the temperature t 500+ the way most "artisan" recipes call for. That's a bunch of hipster nonsense. 375 is more than enough to make a nice loaf of sandwich bread. Also, I don't put a pan of water in the oven to create steam. More nonsense. Same with pizza stones. They are useless crap. (If you must do a free-form loaf do it on a piece of cast iron. It works far better than a stupid stone that will only take up room in your oven and will stink to high heaven after you've used it a couple times.)

I do recommend warming the water in the microwave before adding it to the flour mix. This is where an "Insta-Read" thermometer comes in handy. The yeast package will say to heat the water to 110 degrees but yeast can easily withstand up to 120 no problem. In fact I usually do it at least at that temp or a few degrees higher. Just don't get too crazy with the heat or you'll kill the yeast. But on the other hand don't be squeamish about temperature to the point that your yeast takes forever to grow.

I have added things sometimes like wheat bran or oat bran or even psyllium. Adding like half-a-cup of wheat bran was okay but it affected the gluten formation a little bit. Oat bran did the same thing plus it made the bread a little bit "gummy". Psyllium is weird in that it sucks up a ton of water and makes the dough rubbery. All three types of added fiber made okay loaves of bread though. Not amazing, but okay.

Let us know how it goes.

This is incredibly helpful! I am going to do this over the weekend and I was wondering about several of the things you just mentioned. I do not have a pizza stone, and was planning on just using my glass loaf baking dish (I have been told to lower the temp when using glass). I also never understood the water in the oven thing. I found sooo many hipster-written articles on baking bread that I had to reject. I am prepared to have a dense loaf (I like dense bread!). I know I can control some of the lightness by allowing the bread to rise longer or by adding varying amounts of baking powder. I have been baking cakes and rolls and other non-bread stuff for years, but never anything requiring yeast. I have the yeast, bread flour (more gluten), whole wheat flour and the other stuff I need. I did buy honey too (because I refuse to spend a dime on sugar). I also do not plan to use any cornmeal in the crust coating.

 

[Overmind One]

It is a project to so, especially because you cannot use a pre ground rye flour. It needs whole rye grain that you then break up but don't powderize.

This seems advanced to me....I'm not ready for specific types of bread yet! I am going to start with whole wheat sandwich bread because I can use it in many other ways than sandwiches (which I only occasionally make). I generally eat a single slice at a time as an open faced melt, or folded (like a taco). I love pumpernickel bread! I like rye too.

 

[shavedape]

This is incredibly helpful! I am going to do this over the weekend and I was wondering about several of the things you just mentioned. I do not have a pizza stone, and was planning on just using my glass loaf baking dish (I have been told to lower the temp when using glass). I also never understood the water in the oven thing. I found sooo many hipster-written articles on baking bread that I had to reject. I am prepared to have a dense loaf (I like dense bread!). I know I can control some of the lightness by allowing the bread to rise longer or by adding varying amounts of baking powder. I have been baking cakes and rolls and other non-bread stuff for years, but never anything requiring yeast. I have the yeast, bread flour (more gluten), whole wheat flour and the other stuff I need. I did buy honey too (because I refuse to spend a dime on sugar). I also do not plan to use any cornmeal in the crust coating.

Honey is fine to use if you want. It will feed the yeast. As for the glass pan, that should be fine too. I've found keeping it simple works best. All those other tricks and gimmicks that recipes call for just complicate things and make the experience more frustrating. And the bread doesn't come out any better in my opinion.