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Bread!

It's one of our favorite things. Probably P's favorite thing to eat. So, let's talk about bread in this thread!
I think I found my favorite bread recipe. I'm ok at making different kinds of bread, but I've never been able to make a sandwich/loaf type bread that is light, rose properly in oven, and had perfect flavor. Well, this recipe: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=195 is possibly it. It says it can keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, so I did the recipe, came out with two bowls worth of dough, let them rise, and put in fridge. I baked the first loaf that same day at 350 for about 35 minutes (I didn't see in the comments where it says to bake at 450 for 30 until thhf told me). The loaf looked perfect on the outside, seemed done, but it was not done at all inside. I rebaked it, and toasted it like twice..so it was edible, but not done at all. Here's that loaf:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs461.ash1/25327_10150161694750533_507120532_12174935_7132378_n.jpg

So, I left the other dough in the fridge. I went to bake it today, and realized I should have more properly covered it! The edges were dried, the top was flat, and I guess the bottom had partially baked when it was rising on the preheating oven the first time. BUT I put it in the loaf pan, and baked it at 450 for about 35. It came out really flat, but looking ok. I got for a run, come back, and P tells me it's the best bread he's ever had!
I'm thinking if I can combine these two breads, it will be perfect. Hopefully next time!

I'm trying to get both books (Artisan and Healthy) at the library.  I love making bread and can't wait to get them.

Bryanna Clark Grogan had a recipe for a no-kneed bread on her blog that is awesome as is among my favorites.  Using a cast iron dutch oven, I was able to get the chewy texture that I really miss from CA.  People here in the Midwest only like soft, soft bread, so chewy breads can't be found.  I actually had a friend send back a sandwich on ciabatta bread several times stating that the bun was stale.  I don't like mushy bread!  Maybe its all the bad teeth around here.  Lol.

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Oo!  Bread is one of my favorites too.  My husband got the "Healthy bread in 5 minutes a day" book as a gift (I posted about it previously here), and I am so in love it with.  We also sometimes make the white recipe you posted.

I've found for the 5 minutes a day bread, it really helps to get big 6-quart plastic food storage buckets with lids - you can mix up the bread, let it rise, and store it in the fridge in the same container.  They're relatively tall and narrow, so they don't take up too much shelf space in the fridge.  You don't want to seal the lid because for the first couple of days gases will still be released, but you can set the lid on top and that will keep the dough from drying out too much on top.  If it does get a little dry, you can just sprinkle a little water on top and wait for it to absorb before making your next loaf.

I have a bucket of beer bread in the fridge right now - can't wait to bake a loaf!  ;)  Aside from many many regular loaves of bread, we've also used these recipes to make baguettes (with a baguette pan), cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, cinnamon bread, and pizza crust.

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I love bread, and want that book VR!  I have made many attempts at a baguette and after followng instructions from The New Laurel's Kitchen cookbook realized i was going about it all wrong.  I used whole wheat bread flour instead of the ww pastry I had been using and it helped the baguettes to rise btter.  I also used the "open the oven quick and brush w/ water" technique which had me all sorts of anxious, but it was just fine.  I like to make pizza dough and drool over the Kaiser rolls that Vegan Dad posted about http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2010/03/kaiser-rolls-baking-through-bread.html
but haven't yet made them myself!  Taj recently got me a bread maker and I am so excited to use it!!!

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I love bread, and want that book VR!  I have made many attempts at a baguette and after followng instructions from The New Laurel's Kitchen cookbook realized i was going about it all wrong.  I used whole wheat bread flour instead of the ww pastry I had been using and it helped the baguettes to rise btter.  I also used the "open the oven quick and brush w/ water" technique which had me all sorts of anxious, but it was just fine.  I like to make pizza dough and drool over the Kaiser rolls that Vegan Dad posted about http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2010/03/kaiser-rolls-baking-through-bread.html
but haven't yet made them myself!  Taj recently got me a bread maker and I am so excited to use it!!!

You should try the french bread baguettes Vegan Dad bloged about.  They are really good.  You can also put a bowl/pan of boiling water in the oven to create steam instead of brushing it with water.

I make pizza dough and pretzels and couple times a month for my family.  For a while I was making french bread twice a week because my parents like it so much.  I like baking the bread more then I like eating it but will sample a piece every once in a while.  I have experimented with sourdough bread baking but my starter was neglected and became too sour so I throw it out.  It is bad when you have about 30 pounds of flour in the pantry just to support my bread baking habit. :) 

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I go through phases where I really want to bake bread - and get good at it. I have a bread maker and a couple of recipe books. Maybe it's something I can attempt again, while I have more time on my hands during the summer...

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This recipe for Burger Buns worked very well for me! My best rolls, ever.

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That pic of your burger buns looks good, AC!  What kind of flour did you use?

My bread baking experiences have all been pretty shoddy except for quick breads.  I'd love to make an awesome, whole grain, thin and crispy pizza crust someday....I can dream ::)

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That pic of your burger buns looks good, AC!  What kind of flour did you use?

My bread baking experiences have all been pretty shoddy except for quick breads.  I'd love to make an awesome, whole grain, thin and crispy pizza crust someday....I can dream ::)

Just all purpose! I thought I was going to use some whole wheat, too, but I had enough AP. I was there with you, until my last two breads. These rolls are fluffy, and everything. Perfect bread texture. For thin and crispy pizza crust (not whole grain, I guess..), I always used the Easy, yummy, quick pizza crust. I haven't made that in a while, though. The VWAV dough is great, but I haven't done a thin one. Take that back. I did, and it was good.

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I haven't tried VWAV's pizza dough recipe yet.  That's on my list now though:)

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I haven't tried VWAV's pizza dough recipe yet.  That's on my list now though:)

Yes, you can make it thin by just pressing it out more, and not making a big crust. I mean, that's obvious..but you know.

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Ugh.  I just had my first "bread in 5" fail.  This is after many many successful loaves, so I guess I shouldn't be so down, but still..  I made the beer bread, and my first loaf from the bucket turned out great.  But, the bucket languished in the fridge (mostly since my husband refused to try it, since he hates beer).  So, it was nearing the end of its lifespan yesterday when I decided to bake the remaining 1.5-2 pounds.  I did the refrigerator rise for about 8 hours, then baked at 450 for 30 minutes.  The first slices were a little gummy, but the loaf was still warm so I didn't pass judgment.  This morning, though..the interior is really gummy.  I just can't eat it.  I'm not sure if it didn't rise enough (I hadn't done the refrigerator rise before), or if it is underbaked, or a combination of both.  ::sigh::

Do I bother trying to bake the remaining part longer, or do I just toss it?

I'll probably just mix up a new bucket and move on.

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Maybe it just got a bit gummier in the fridge, so needed some more baking time? I would try it. I'm still loving those burger buns. They've been good to make for a week's worth of bread.

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I'm still loving those burger buns. They've been good to make for a week's worth of bread.

you guys clearly don't love bread like we/my husband does. I made those on Friday night and there were none left by the end of the weekend.  Week's worth of bread, crazy talk!

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I'm still loving those burger buns. They've been good to make for a week's worth of bread.

you guys clearly don't love bread like we/my husband does. I made those on Friday night and there were none left by the end of the weekend.  Week's worth of bread, crazy talk!

I know, right? It seems crazy to me, too..but I guess we aren't eating as much bread as normal. Trust me. We did also have 2 baguettes in the week, though... we eat a lot of bread.

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I don't know whether I should mention or not that we buy a minimum of five loaves of bread a week as well as bread I make every weekend...

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I need to start making bread.  I've never really made any since I was a kid.  I used to make rolls with added food colouring to make freaking sandwiches for school.  Don't think I'll be doing that again.

What recipes do people recommend?  I don't currently have a loaf pan, only a baking tray so I'm thinking rolls or some such thing.

eta:  5 loaves a week PLUS making other bread. Woweee!  But then I've never been a really big bread eater.  We have to freeze our bread otherwise a loaf will go mouldy before we eat it all.  We go through about half to one loaf a week.  If I made bread though, that would be different.  Homemade bread is much better.

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What recipes do people recommend?  I don't currently have a loaf pan, only a baking tray so I'm thinking rolls or some such thing.

This recipe for Burger Buns worked very well for me! My best rolls, ever.

You could also make the recipe from my first post in this thread, and make it into rolls.

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Well, I composted the failed loaf.  After sitting overnight, it was even doughier in the center.  Yuck.  I think the main problem is that it didn't rise enough - probably because it was a large loaf and might have needed longer to rise.  I like the idea of doing the rest after shaping the loaf in the refrigerator, but I'll have to see if it works on a smaller loaf at some point.  I'll have to read again if the bread should be baked longer if it rises in the fridge - it seems like it could, since it might be colder.  Oh well.

To soothe my pain, I baked a loaf of bread machine bread last night.  Nice and easy, and it turned out great!  I usually use the bread machine for kneading only, then bake in the oven.  Half white, half whole wheat, and a "super rapid" rise recipe so it only takes about an hour total - 30 minutes in the bread machine, 30 minutes in the oven at 350 (although I baked a little longer, just because I was paranoid).

Shelloid -for the "bread in 5 minutes" recipes, you don't need a loaf pan.  There are lots of ways to do it, but we usually shape a round or oval loaf and bake on a cookie sheet.  You can also do rolls or breadsticks or focaccia, though, if you like.

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I am tempted with the burger buns that you mentioned AC.....but I will be disappointed if they don't turn out as amazing looking as yours.  Which they won't be.

I'll also have a look through the 'bread in 5 mins' blog to see what they have. Cheers VRS!

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Those burger buns worked really well for me too!

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