fresh baked bread

by Nathan Natas 23 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  BrentR

  I thought there would be more sourdough fans here (????). My starter was made by mixing flour and water together and setting it out on the deck all day. That way it collects natural yeasts that are hitching a ride on airborn pollens. It also picks up lactobacillus bacteria which produces lactic acid thus imparting the slight sour flavor.

  Spring is the best time to get a sourdough culture started since the pollen is flying. But not all wild yeast is the same some areas do not have a very bread friendly yeast population and others do. If you want to play it safe you can just buy a starter culture at the store so you know what you're getting. You will also then have the instructions for keeping it alive in the refrigerator and how to incorporate it into a batch of bread.

  My daughter likes to make butter from cream so we often have the homemade sourdough and fresh butter. If you have not tried it then you have not technically "lived" yet.
• 

  Scully

  Thanks for the recipe Nathan. However, I will have to ask Mr Scully's permission to "waste" a bottle of beer on baking bread. Perhaps a good loaf of beer bread will inspire him to want to brew his own beer again.

  Like LadyLee, I love my bread machine. It has served me well for about 10 years now. I don't bake bread in it though - I just use it on the manual setting to make the dough and then I put it in proper bread pans or roll it out to make pizza crust / buns / baguettes.
• 

  Hortensia

  extremely good bread can be made with just flour, salt, water and yeast, even if you never made bread before. It tastes so good, and smells so good, and doesn't take much actual work time. You just need some time for it to sit and grow.
• 

  BrentR

  We don't bake with our bread machine but we cheat and use it for the kneading and rising. Then we put the dough into regular bread pans so we don't get those cylindrical loaves.
• 

  wings

  I like to bake simple breads, nothing beats the smell...

  I am not organized enough to make a sourdough starter, but a biga, or sponge can be made in a day, and makes the loafs sooooo much better.

  good stuff.
• 

  Dorktacular

  I live in the South, but I'm originally from New Jersey. One of the things that's hard to find down here is good bread, especially rye bread. So, I learned how to make real traditional Jewish rye bread. It takes about a week to make because of the sourdough, but it is awesome. There is nothing like real rye bread. Every couple of months I'll have some free time and make a few loaves of it. Then I go buy some corned beef and sour kraut and make reuben sandwiches! Mmmmm.......
• 

  Jim_TX

  I've never baked bread myself, but my Aunt Ruth (who is now deceased) - bless her heart - would occassionally make bread when I would visit her. Even in her 90's, she would totter around the kitchen, kneading the bread, and adding the necessary ingredients - to make yummy fresh bread.

  I would assist her - removing the un-needed containers and other things - after she used them. I still remember her - she wasn't much over 5-feet tall... working her magic on dough - and then baking it into some of the best tasting bread I have ever had. The aroma of baking bread is awesome, too.

  Thanks for this thread - and the memories.

  Regards,

  Jim TX
• 

  Casper

  Caspar

  If you thought that sounded good you should have tasted the one I made around xmas

  Black Forest Bread made with Kirsch!!! - a real spin on Black Forest Cake made with dried cherries soaked in the Kirsch before being added to the dough

  Lady Lee,

  You're killing me...lolol. The smell alone would have made me drool...

  I like black forest anything...!!!

  Cas
• 

  BrentR

  Then I go buy some corned beef and sour kraut and make reuben sandwiches! Mmmmm.......

  One of my favorites also! A close second is smoked salmon, cream chease, cucumber and tomato on pumpernickle bread. By the time this thread is over we are all going to have picked up ten pounds at least just reading all this.
• 

  Hortensia

  reuben sandwich - my idea of absolute heaven. I haven't had one in a long time (calories!!!). I'll have to find a way to make it more low-calorie so I can still have one. For all those out there who have never made bread, here is a simple but absolutely delicious recipe:

  3 cups unbleached flour
  1 2/3 cups warm water
  1 teaspoon Salt
  1 tablespoon dry yeast (or one envelope)
  1 tablespoon honey or sugar

  Warm water should be about 100 degree F., or comfortably warm on the wrist. Add yeast and sugar or honey to water and stir until dissolved. Wait about ten minutes until it has started to foam. Measure the salt and flour and mix together. Stir the flour into the water and yeast mixture until you have a soft dough that is getting a little bit hard to stir. Sprinkle some flour on your clean counter and have extra flour handy. Oil your hands and have a little oil handy too.

  dump the dough onto the counter, and scrape the bowl clean. Knead the dough - here is how you knead: pull the far edge of the dough over toward you and then press it in with the heel of your hand. Turn the dough one-quarter clockwise, pull the far edge of the dough over the front edge, and squish it with your heel. Keep turning, folding, and squishing for a while. Sprinkle a little flour under the dough on the counter as needed; put a little more oil on your hands as needed. Eventually the dough will be smooth, soft, spongy and won't stick to your hands or the counter. When that happens, oil the ball of dough lightly, place in an oiled bowl and cover with a towel for about an hour. You are waiting for the dough to double in size. I like to put my dough in a big glass measuring cup, so I can see more clearly when the dough has doubled.

  shape the dough into a loaf, place into a large oiled loaf pan, or just put the nice smooth round dough on a cookie sheet. cover with a towel and let it rise again. Preheat the over to 425 degrees f. when the dough is ready, about double in size, spritz with a little water to make a crunchy crust. Put in the over and lower the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. It's done when the internal temperature is 190 to 195 degrees F. allow to cool before slicing - as slicing a hot loaf just makes it gummy.

  If anyone tries this, let me know, especially any new baker. I learned to bake bread out of a cookbook when I was 15. If I can, you can.