Jabba 18389 Report post Posted January 7, 2013 This isn't really in keeping with my previous thread about weightloss. Oh well. I've NEVER made bread before & I hear it's really complicated to do it from scratch. Ex girlfriend's mom was crazy good at it, but it took her all morning to make buns, breads, etc. She had a lot of mouths to feed, so that was the most economical means. They had an old farmhouse with a woodstove in the kitchen. The woodstove was kept lit most of the time just because it was a pain to start. It was wonderful to smell the baking bread. It was even more wonderful to smear some butter and preserves on a fresh bun after it was done! Some coffee to wash it down - man, nothing finer! To start from scratch is too much for an ADD guy like me. Sooo, I'm rediscovering my breadmaker. Actually, I never discovered it in the first place, I was just afraid to use it. Today is the day! I'm using a recipe I got online cuz the recipes in the instruction book are too long & complicated. Basic white bread. Warm water, sugar, yeast, flour, salt, Veg oil. I'll let you know if I fucked-up. Anyone more experienced here? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoyfulC 132299 Report post Posted January 7, 2013 Go to the library and check out a book called Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë Francois. It's not as hard as you might think! Since my husband retired, he has really become a master in the kitchen. I haven't eaten any store bought bread or baked good in years (with the exception of occasionally eating something at someone else's house). He makes all the yeast risen breads and I make all the ones risen without yeast. Good luck! http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jabba 18389 Report post Posted January 7, 2013 Thank god for bread machines! I think I should learn how to make breads without yeast. I get a stomach lump with yeast & white sugars. Not bad for a first attempt if I do say so m'self. Confidence builder. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mister T 45020 Report post Posted January 7, 2013 (edited) This reminds me i havent made bread in ages .... I have made both from scratch and from bread machines. Bread machines are great as you can pretty much "set and forget". I have to agree that the smell of bread rising and baking is great. Making bread "by hand", you have to let it rise, "punch it" and let it rise again (if using yeast). Some bread recipes use baking soda and buttermilk instead of yeast. In short, those two ingredients react to make the bread rise while baking, leaving out the use of yeast. Irish Brown Bread would be an example. Or this white bread recipe. Oh, and great link, JoyfulC. It's now part of my bookmarks!! Edited January 7, 2013 by m*s**rt Added last line Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoyfulC 132299 Report post Posted January 7, 2013 Some bread recipes use baking soda and buttermilk instead of yeast. In short, those two ingredients react to make the bread rise while baking, leaving out the use of yeast. Irish Brown Bread would be an example. Or this white bread recipe. I went on a quest a few years back for the perfect (non commercial mix) pancake recipe. Mine involves yogurt, baking powder, baking soda and some cider vinegar. But these pancakes are robust and reach right up off the plate and grab you, they're so buxom! Another rising ingredient I've learned about just in the last year is butter. This is what makes puff pastry (which is really easier than you'd think) work. The pastry is folded and folded again, with the butter in between the layers, then when it bakes, the butter releases steam that lifts the pastry. I also found a biscuit recipe that works on the same concept in Garden & Gun Magazine -- these are really good! http://gardenandgun.com/article/our-cover-blackberry-farms-buttermilk-biscuits Additional Comments: I should note, too, that what makes yeast breads rise is that yeast give off carbon dioxide as a byproduct of their digestion of sugars. What makes non-yeast breads (quick breads) rise is also carbon dioxide, but it's achieved by combining an acid and a base with water. Baking powder is a combination of baking soda (a base) with cream of tartar (an acid) in a neutral carrier (corn starch, I think). Add H2O and you get a release of CO2. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Escapefromstress 2976 Report post Posted January 7, 2013 Breadmakers are great for making pizza dough or dough for dinner rolls, cinnamon buns, etc. too. Does all the mixing for you, then form it into whatever you're making, and bake. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
