Bread recipes??

[gam3rchic]

Ok, I’ve been reading about you “crunchy” mommas and how some of you bake bread. To be honest, I’ve never done this, even though I love to cook

Do you bake bread to replace the stuff you buy in the store? The reason I’m asking is because it seems like I buy A LOT of bread all the time! Also, is it cheaper to bake your own bread?

At any rate, I think I would like to give bread-baking a try! Who has a good recipe to share? BTW, DH and I really like whole wheat bread…I’d be really interested in those, but any recipe is good IMO

 

[Shiann]

Hit allrecipes.com

They’ve got a good organization system and a good rating system for recipes. (recipes are added by other users and ok’d by allrecipes.com staff).

I get all my good recipes there.

My basic bread recipe is:
(this recipe is just one my family has adopted and adapted for our use it is not necessarily anywhere).

about 4 cups flour
about 1.5 cups warm water (milk or other liquid) or just less
1.5 tsp yeast or so
a mini handful of sugar (prolly about 2 Tbsp.)
1/3 to 1/2 cup oil unless you are making french bread which doesn’t use any oil.
You can chuck a couple eggs in there if you’re using milk, and make a rich ‘breakfast’ type bread.

This is good for pizza dough, use a little shortening and cornmeal on your pizza pan, and add a little oregano or italian seasoning to the dough.

Good french bread recipe. Though remember without the oil, you are going to have a seriously hard lump of dough to mix prior to proofing.

Also it’s a good focacchia recipe. Just shape it (as you would pizza but a little thicker) use your fingers to make dimples in the top, drizzle olive oil and add yummy fresh basil, sundried tomatoes, onion slices or whatever on the top.

To make the dough, add yeast to the liquid, mix and let sit for a few minutes. If you’re using red heart or fleischmans just make sure all the pellets are nice and wet looking.

Add that to the dry ingredients and any oil, eggs, other additives etc.

The trick with bread isn’t the ingredients really, but the technique. That is mastered for every individual kitchen and utensils used. I use a kitchenaide mixer with the bread hook. Mix the dough adding flour till it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should also have a good elasticity. Yank on a bit, does it just stretch? or actually bounce a little… you want it to be a little bouncy. Just stretchy is too wet.

Put this dough into a greased bowl or grease the mixing bowl cover with a warm wet cloth, suran wrap, or something else that will allow for the dough to rise, not stick to the dough, and keep the dough surface moist. (If it dries out, it will proof weird)… proofing btw is just ‘raising’.

Once it doubles, or when you poke it, it leaves a good dent and flattens a little, shape it, or put it into a loaf pan. Proof again for another 20 mins to 1/2 hour. I start my oven at this point. 350F-375F is good temp for me in my kitchen.

Once it’s proofed a good amount, stick it in the oven. Bake it till it sounds hollow when you tap the top, it’s golden brown.

Grease the top with shortening or butter to keep the crust a little more soft, and enjoy

 

[Brenda_V]

I got this one from my MIL - I generally cut it in half now to make it as it makes an awful lot of buns and if you don’t have room in your freezer it is better to make more fresh . Oh, and I included the cinnamon roll instructions after it. I used to make the cinnamon rolls for Easter and Christmas as they are really good and can be made ahead of time so they are ready for eating first thing in the morning!

Bun Recipe

2 cups scalded milk,
2 packages dry yeast in 1/2 cup water
1 cup + 2 Tbs sugar
1tsp salt
4 eggs
11 cups flour
2 cups water
3/4+ cup shortening

Mix yeast, and 2 Tbsp Sugar in 1/2 cup warm water and set aside. Melt shortening in Milk. Pour milk over 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp salt in bowl. Add lukewarm water. Beat the eggs and add 1/2 cup sugar. Add to liquid ingredients. Add yeast then flour alternately with flour. Knead, allow to raise, punch down dough. Let rest for five minutes then shape into rolls. Allow to rise until almost double, bake at 350 for 1/2 hour.

Cinnamon Rolls:

Use plain dough recipe. Roll 1/2 inch thick. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on dough. Roll up. Slice and put in pan which has 1/4 cup butter and sprinkled with about 1 cup brown sugar. Add 2 tsp. cream (evaporated milk will do) on top of each roll. Let rise about 1 hour. Bake 30 minutes at 350.

Brenda V.

 

[gam3rchic]

Ooooh, these recipes are inspiring me, but I have another question:

if I don’t have a bread hook ( I don’t even have a stand mixer) what’s the best way to mix the dough?? Can a food processor work? I’m embarrassed I don’t even know this with how much Food Network I watch I should know!

 

[Polaris]

Ooooh, these recipes are inspiring me, but I have another question:

if I don’t have a bread hook ( I don’t even have a stand mixer) what’s the best way to mix the dough?? Can a food processor work? I’m embarrassed I don’t even know this with how much Food Network I watch I should know!

I make bread quite often and have never used anything but my hands. Im cheap and old fashioned pluse they work great because you can get a real feel for the dough, and you learn to get the right consistancy for what want in the end product.

Basically the pattern I do is Punch down the the raised dough and place it on a floured board. I fold it over than push it out with the heel of my hand.
(The easiest way to explain pushing out is to think about when you are giving you Significant Other a back rub, that type of rolling pushing motion.)

Than you do a 1/4 turn, fold, and repeat. The end point is when you decide, I like my dense heavy bread so I over knead but if you do it less you get a fluffer bread. You do it enough you’ll figure out what I mean.
Oh You can flour it more as it needs it but I dont to much because it can get dry.

Also If I were you, I would also start a yeast sponge. It really can give a unique flavour to your bread and it lasts forever.

Plus if you boil potatoes use the water from them to make your bread. Its soooo good. Though I am half Irish so take that with a grain of salt.

One more tip If you like crusty bread spread water on the loaf towards the last twenty nimutes when cooking.

OHHH and as warning do not try salt bread. I REPEAT DO NOT TRY SALT BREAD. I could not stand the smell, it is so putrid and strong. Your wife or husband will leave you. hehehehe

 

[Brenda_V]

Ooooh, these recipes are inspiring me, but I have another question:

if I don’t have a bread hook ( I don’t even have a stand mixer) what’s the best way to mix the dough?? Can a food processor work? I’m embarrassed I don’t even know this with how much Food Network I watch I should know!

Umm, I used to hand mix all my bread. I didn’t have a dough hook or a sturdy enough mixer until a friend of my husband’s moved and she gave us her Kitchen-Aid mixer and by then I wasn’t making as much bread by hand but using a bread machine.

Don’t fear doing everything by hand, you just need a large (I mean, really big bowl) to work in - I use my Tupperware Thatsa bowl.

Brenda V.

 

[Shiann]

Ooooh, these recipes are inspiring me, but I have another question:

if I don’t have a bread hook ( I don’t even have a stand mixer) what’s the best way to mix the dough?? Can a food processor work? I’m embarrassed I don’t even know this with how much Food Network I watch I should know!

Yes, I believe you can use a food processor, just look up the model online and see if they have any advice for it. You won’t be able to make a very big batch but .

The other thing you might do is get a BREAD MACHINE. I love mine, I use it to have dough ready to go when I get home. I rarely use the baking cycle but it’s like running a coffee pot, program it, dump the ingredients in and go. It does everything for you .

Great anniversary present for you both or if you have any extra rathole money you might be able to pick up a nice one for just under a hundred dollars. Fun and well worth it, as you can add oatmeal or other healthy yummy ingredients and know exactly what you are consuming.

 

[Shiann]

I make bread quite often and have never used anything but my hands. Im cheap and old fashioned pluse they work great because you can get a real feel for the dough, and you learn to get the right consistancy for what want in the end product. …

This is also a great way to get used to making bread. You’re gonna flop a couple times, but don’t let that discourage you. If you get good at “understanding bread” you can make it in ANYWAY in ANY TOOL and get good bread.

 

[gardenswithkids]

Multi Grain Bread
2 cups wheat flour
1 cup white flour
¼ cup oats
¼ cup flax seeds and quinoa (mix about half and half)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp powdered milk
11-12 oz water
1 tsp yeast

Place in bread machine, butter and dry ingredient first then water; place yeast in the yeast dispenser. Can bake in bread machine, but better if dough removed from machine when dough cycle completed, then shaped and baked in oven. Bake in 350 for about 25- 30 minutes.

Nutty Wheat Bread is a variation of the above recipe with chopped pecans and wheat germ instead of the the oatmeal, quinoa and flax seeds

**White Bread or Buttermilk Bread or Egg Bread

3 3/8 cup flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter * (use either real butter or can substitute cooking oil; don’t use margarine)
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp powdered milk (can make with powdered buttermilk)
11 oz water (or egg plus water to equal 11 oz)
1 tsp yeast

Place in butter, then dry ingredients in bread machine. Add liquids next. Place yeast in yeast dispenser. Set to dough mode. Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. Optional: last five minutes of cooking, brush with egg white and sprinkle with seeds, such as poppy or sesame. This looks really beautiful.

Hints: store whole wheat flour, wheat germ, nuts or seeds in the freezer, otherwise if they get old the yeast may not rise and the oils turn rancid and taste bad. I also only use butter or oil; margarine imparts an artificial flavor.

…Do you bake bread to replace the stuff you buy in the store? The reason I’m asking is because it seems like I buy A LOT of bread all the time! Also, is it cheaper to bake your own bread?

Homemade bread is usually much cheaper than store bought bread. I supplement bread I buy in the store. It also stretches the rest of the meal when we serve homemade bread. I usually bake fresh bread about once or twice a week, but I go in spurts baking more in fall and winter, less in summer.

I make the dough a bread maker, but usually bake in the regular oven which tastes better and has a better crust. I shape dough into a variety of shapes i.e. round, oblong, braided, or buns. Shape affect baking time: 1 large round takes the longest, buns around 15-20 minutes.

Also remember quick breads like corn bread and banana bread are quick and easy alternatives to yeast breads.

 

[mercygate]

This is also a great way to get used to making bread. You’re gonna flop a couple times, but don’t let that discourage you. If you get good at “understanding bread” you can make it in ANYWAY in ANY TOOL and get good bread.

She argues Catholic apologetics! She makes quilts! She paints on the walls! She bakes BREAD! What ELSE do we have in common, Shiann?

I kill plants no matter how hard I try to keep 'em alive. Bet you don’t do that.

Great advice on the bread thing. One other plus is that when you’re mad at somebody you jcan punch the stuffing out of the bread dough instead of their face.

 

[Phemie]

This is the recipe I’ve been making regularly. The last time, instead of loaves I made rolls. They were great.

Peppery Beer Bread

1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pkg active dry yeast
6-6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use 1/2 all-purpose, 1/2 whole wheat).
3 to 4 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns (
12 oz can beer (either regular or non-alcoholic beer)
3 tablespoons salad oil (last time I used olive oil and it was perfect)
1/2 cup water
cornmeal

1. 
   *]In large bowl, combine sugar, salt, yeast, 2 cups flour & 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper.
   *]In 2-quart saucepan over low heat, heat beer, salad oil and water until very warm (120-130ºF).
   *]With mixer at low speed, gradually beat liquid mixture into the dry ingredients just until blended.
   *]Increase speed to medium; beat 3 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl.
   *]With wooden spoon, stir in about 3 1/2 cups of flour to make a soft dough.
   *]Turn out onto flat surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes), working in remaining flour.
   *]Shape into a ball, place in bowl, cover and let rise until doubled.
   *]Grease 2 8" round cake pans; sprinkle with cornmeal (or grease 2 12 cup med. muffin pans).
   *]Punch dough down, divide into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place in cake pan. OR divide dough into 48 ~equal pieces, shape into balls and place 2 balls into each muffin cup.
   *]Cover and let rise until double.
   *]Preheat oven to 375ºF.
   *]Brush top of loaves with water & sprinkle each with 1/2-3/4 teaspoon of cracked pepper.
   *]With a very sharp knife or razor blade, slash top of loaves into criss-cross pattern
   *]For rolls, omit #13.
   *]Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Rolls will take less time, just keep an eye on them.

 

[BeeSweet]

Preheat the oven to 450

3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
8-10 fluid ounces buttermilk

Did you preheat the oven to 450 yet? Don’t forget!

Sift the dry ingredients together several times to make sure the bicarb is evenly distributed. Put the sifted dry ingredients in a good big bowl (you want stirring room) and make a well in the center. Pour about three-quarters of the buttermilk and mix with your hands. You are trying to achieve a dough that is raggedy and very soft, with lumps and rags. Add more liquid sparingly if you think you need it. (You may need more or less according to conditions: local humidity and temperature, how absorbent the flour you’re using is, etc.)

Blend quickly (but not too energetically!) until the whole mass of dough has become this raggedy consistency. Then turn the contents of the bowl out immediately onto a lightly floured board or work surface, and start to knead.

The chief concern here is speed: the chemical reaction of the bicarb with the buttermilk started as soon as they met, and you want to get the bread into the oven while the reaction is still running on “high”. DON’T OVERKNEAD. You do not want the traditional “smooth, elastic” ball of dough you would expect with a yeast bread; you simply want one that contains almost everything that went into the bowl, in one mostly cohesive lump. You should not spend more than half a minute or so kneading…the less time, the better. You don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour at all. If you do, you’ll get a tough loaf. Don’t be concerned if the dough is somewhat sticky: flour your hands, and the dough, and keep going as quickly as you can.

Once you’re done kneading, shape the bread. For cake, flatten the lump of dough to a slightly domed circle or flat hemisphere about 6-8 inches in diameter, and put it on the baking sheet (which should be dusted lightly with flour first). Then use a very sharp knife to cut a cross right across the circle: the cuts should go about halfway down through the sides of the circle of dough, so that the loaf will “flower” properly. **Try not to crush or compress the dough **where you cut it (if the knife is sharp enough, you won’t). A clean slicing motion is what’s called for. If you don’t have a really nice sharp knife, skip this step.

Then bake. When putting cake in the oven, handle it lightly and don’t jar it: the CO2 bubbles are vulnerable at this point of the process. Let the bread alone, and don’t peek at it. It should bake for 45 minutes, the first 10 minutes at 450, then decrease to 400.

Source

This is a quick bread! Super simple! No need to fuss with yeast and rising time and all that hoo-ha… You know you’ve done it right when you can knock on the bottom of the loaf and hear a nice hollow thump! It’s a great bread to serve instead of rolls with dinner, and lovely slathered with a bit of butter and jam served with a cup of tea! Very rustic looking, and tastes great!

 

[Polaris]

The Pepper Bear bread reminded me of my favourite recipe

Im sorry but I was classically trained by my Grandmother, but here is one of my favourite recipies. (Another words I have a rough idea about measurements, so you have to experiment a little)

One part rye flour 3cups
One part wheat flour 3cups

Use about two to three spoons of Blackstrap Molasses

Add a little salt, like three pinchs

A little bacon grease, 1/8 maybe a little more of a cup.

Then find a beer that is still alive. This most likely will not be an American beer it will often taste yeasty, hmm your husband should know one. If you make your own that works too.
Delerium tremors, a Belgian wheat beer, I know works good and is easy to find.
This will provide the yeast no cost.

Than add water if you need it, or more beer.

This is not an engineered bread yeast so it will take longer to rise but gives a great flavour.

DARN YOU BEESWEET! NOW I WANT SODABREAD. It really is easy and so good. Great for begginers.
My recipe is similiar but you should try adding dried fruits soaked in a little irish whiskey. So gooood.

 

[gam3rchic]

Well, I tried to bake my first loaf of bread following a basic white bread recipe…

TRIED is the operative word here

Everything was going good, but after I baked it and it was nice and golden brown, I cut into it and it was still “doughy” at the bottom, but perfectly done on top. GRRRRR

Oh well, at least the kitchen smells good from my attempt

I think my dough might’ve been too wet still…but I ran out of flour but I thought it was still good enough…maybe not

 

[Polaris]

Well, I tried to bake my first loaf of bread following a basic white bread recipe…

TRIED is the operative word here

Everything was going good, but after I baked it and it was nice and golden brown, I cut into it and it was still “doughy” at the bottom, but perfectly done on top. GRRRRR

Oh well, at least the kitchen smells good from my attempt

I think my dough might’ve been too wet still…but I ran out of flour but I thought it was still good enough…maybe not

GOOD JOB! :clapping: Congrats and You should be proud.

It might not be having enough flour. Did you use a pan? If it is shiny, silvery it can cause that to happen. Anyways keep trying, you will get it.

 

[BeeSweet]

The Pepper Bear bread reminded me of my favourite recipe

Im sorry but I was classically trained by my Grandmother, but here is one of my favourite recipies. (Another words I have a rough idea about measurements, so you have to experiment a little)

One part rye flour 3cups
One part wheat flour 3cups

Use about two to three spoons of Blackstrap Molasses

Add a little salt, like three pinchs

A little bacon grease, 1/8 maybe a little more of a cup.

Then find a beer that is still alive. This most likely will not be an American beer it will often taste yeasty, hmm your husband should know one. If you make your own that works too.
Delerium tremors, a Belgian wheat beer, I know works good and is easy to find.
This will provide the yeast no cost.

Than add water if you need it, or more beer.

This is not an engineered bread yeast so it will take longer to rise but gives a great flavour.

DARN YOU BEESWEET! NOW I WANT SODABREAD. It really is easy and so good. Great for begginers.
My recipe is similiar but you should try adding dried fruits soaked in a little irish whiskey. So gooood.

That beer bread sounds super simple too, I’d love to try it. I adore rye! How many times do you let it rise?

And what dried fruits would you use in the soda bread? I love the idea of soaking them in Irish whiskey first!

Does anyone make popovers? My mom used to make these when I was little, I loved them. I’m sure she used the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, but my copy has fallen apart now.

 

[gam3rchic]

GOOD JOB! :clapping: Congrats and You should be proud.

It might not be having enough flour. Did you use a pan?** If it is shiny, silvery** it can cause that to happen. Anyways keep trying, you will get it.

AH HA!!! I was using an aluminum pan!!! Darn that thing! I have the worst luck when I bake with it but I couldn’t find my glass loaf pan.

Thanks! Maybe there is hope for me yet!

P.S. I did forget to mention that I had a BLAST making the bread though…I love to bake, I really should bake more often, but it’s messy so I don’t bake as much as I would like

 

[Shiann]

She argues Catholic apologetics! She makes quilts! She paints on the walls! She bakes BREAD! What ELSE do we have in common, Shiann?

I kill plants no matter how hard I try to keep 'em alive. Bet you don’t do that.

Great advice on the bread thing. One other plus is that when you’re mad at somebody you jcan punch the stuffing out of the bread dough instead of their face.

No we have dead plants in common too.



But I can honestly say I’m in GREAT COMPANY

:hug1:

 

[Phemie]

AH HA!!! I was using an aluminum pan!!! Darn that thing! I have the worst luck when I bake with it but I couldn’t find my glass loaf pan.

I wouldn’t go for glass either. I find an old, dark, pan best. My favorite pan belonged to my MIL; it’s got to be at least 55 years old.

 

[Shiann]

Free form it on a bread or pizza stone that’s got cornmeal dusted on it.

Bottom gets nice and crunchy, and it’s very rustic looking