# Bread Bakers Unite!



## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

I thought I'd start a thread just for the bread baker's out there! please post your favorite recipes,tips, links,etc here!







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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

my currently favorite blog








http://ayearinbread.earthandhearth.com/


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## vermontgirl (Aug 15, 2006)

Wow great thread. Lets keep it alive!

I dont have anything to add yet, just that I love the Laurels Kitchen breadbook. I am interested in some great multigrain bread recipes and come recipes for crusty bread. Thanks for starting this.


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## 425lisamarie (Mar 4, 2005)

I'm a big bread baker, but I use commercial yeast not just sourdough. I use sprouted grains but not entirely, and I soak the whole grains I do use. I still bake bread with some white unbleached flour otherwise no one would eat it here! (For sandwiches at least). Dinner breads are sometimes 100% grains

ETA: I think I'l post a recipe after I make them over the next few days....I'm testing honey wheat rolls


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## hlkm2e (Aug 24, 2004)

I'm a fairly new bread baker. I started with the no knead bread recipe and have fallen in love from there. I've been making our pita bread and buttermilk biscuits. I've also tried my hand at french bread a couple times.

The bread book I have is called The Bread Bible by Beth Hensperger.

I'm working on sandwich bread, but I really need to get a thermometer. All my recipes call for heating the milk and I have no idea of the temperature.


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## alaskaberry (Dec 29, 2006)

My favorite kind to make is rosemary bread. That said, I don't have a stove yet (we just moved into our new house, which is lacking a stove for some reason!), but when I do I'd love to try everyone else's recipes.


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## EVC (Jan 29, 2006)

I just started bread baking last week, so I am VERY new to the club









So far, I have only tried Hungarian white bread (very yummy and very easy). I REALLY want to try Russian black bread, but the only recipe I've found so far intimidates me--I think I'm still too much of a newbie for that







:


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## Jude-a-buddies-mom (Aug 25, 2004)

Very new here too. I just started making bread a few months ago. I really not sure what I am doing yet but the bread is coming out okay and my ds is having fun making bread with me. I need to learn a lot more.


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## SneakyPie (Jan 13, 2002)

I have been baking bread since I was 17 years old, so 24 years now? My favorite tips are:

Use white whole-wheat flour if your household doesn't like the brown kind. King Arthur brand sells it. It really is whole wheat, just made from the kind of wheat called "soft white" wheat rather than "winter red" wheat. It's not bitter, and makes bread that is very slightly off-white in color, so even your sworn no-whole-wheat eaters will not know.

I like to make my bread by the sponge method. Whatever the ingredients in a bread recipe, I mix them up like this:

* First dissolve the yeast in about 1/4 cup of the called-for liquid with a few grains of sugar or drops of honey. Wait for yeast to start growing (foaming).

* Next mix in all remaining called-for liquid, the salt, sweetener, and fat (usually oil), and a cup or 2 of the flour, and stir well for several minutes to form a liquidy "sponge." (I like to do this outdoors in the sunshine, as I think the sponge likes to get a little natural warmth and maybe capture some wild yeast, but I have no proof of my hunches!) Let the sponge rise for a good 20 minutes. This gives a good pre-rise and also lets all the conditioners (salt/oil/sweetener) get well distributed while the batter-dough is still quite wet.

* Then mix/knead in the remaining flour as usual, and do one rise in the bowl and another in the pan before baking. I add any specialty ingredients at this time also - whole grains, fruit, herbs, etc.

My general rule of thumb for a 2-loaf recipe, is 2 cups liquid to 4-6 cups dry ingredients. The liquids can be anything from plain water to a combo of water, tomato sauce and salsa, or water with yogurt or kefir. Dry ingredients are of course flour, but also oats, potato flakes, even milk powder sometimes. If your liquids are thick, they will absorb a little less dry stuff and may make a denser bread with a lower rise profile. If your add-ins are wet (grated zucchini or carrot), you may need a little more flour. If your liquids are going to be very thick or your dry things will be very heavy, splurge and use 2 packages of yeast to get a good high loaf.


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## lotus.blossom (Mar 1, 2005)

Great tips sneakypie!

I am in love with breadmaking. I have just scratched the surface of all the possibilities. I started by using a breadmachine that I received for Christmas and then I delved into sourdough. I LOVE sourdough! Its very hard to eat anything else, although I still use my machine for quickie things like foccacia and pizza crust.

I have been experimenting with different things such as the white whole wheat that was mentioned. Tastes good (but doesn't make for good sourdough) I recently tried pumpernickle and I didn't like that!
I have a bread machine recipe for sunlflower/flax seed bread that I'll dig up and post later.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

great tips SneakyPie!







I love KAF! they even sell organic white wheat flour!

EVC-those recipes sound







! do you care to share them? :inocent

alaskaberry- I love rosemary bread served with olive oil for dipping.mmmm.

I am trying my hand at sourdough this week. I am making the starter today.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

here is a quick and easy recipe I love to make!

sunflower cheese bread recipe

2 c. WW flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 egg whites, beaten
1 c. plain yogurt
2 ybsp. honey
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 c. firmly packed shredded cheddar
3 tbsp sunflower seeds (shelled)

preheat oven 350 degrees. combine the first 4 ingredients in one bowl. in another bowl beat egg whites,yogurt honey and mustard together. combine wet ingredients w/ the dry and mix well. stir in cheese and sunflower seeds. pour into a lightly oiled 9x5x3 pan and bake for 45 min or until the tops looks golden.


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## Jude-a-buddies-mom (Aug 25, 2004)

Okay I am so new to this. Can you tell me what is the best way to store bread once it is made? I have ended up with some moldy bread lately. I did not have this problem before. But is has been more humid here lately.

Thanks SneakyPie that's awesome I never knew their was white whole wheat flour. My dh always complains about my whole wheat bread. I will definitely be getting some of that.

The sunflower cheese bread sounds yummy. Thanks Rainbowmoon.


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## EVC (Jan 29, 2006)

Quote:

EVC-those recipes sound ! do you care to share them?
They are from: http://www.cookingbread.com

Quote:

Black Russian Rye Bread Recipe
Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup dark rye flour
3 1/2 cup unbleached bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/2 cup Rye starter
1 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons shortening
1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon liquid caramel color

Method:

In a bowl mix rye flour, bread flour, salt, yeast and caraway seeds together in a large bowl. Using an electic mixer place molasses, rye starter, melted shortening, lukewarm water and coloring. Mix together. Using a dough hook on your mixer add 1 cup at a time of the dry ingredients. Mix for 5-6 minutes. The dough should be a little tacky not sticky. If you need more flour go ahead and add 1 tablespoon at a time. Till you get the right consistency. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover for 1 1/2 hours. Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for two minutes by hand. Divide dough into two equal parts. Shape and place into two greased bread pans. Cove and allow to rise till double, (about 1 hour). Place in a 350F oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

White Bread Recipe (Hungarian)
Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients:

6-7 cup flour (all-purpose)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp oil (corn)
1/2 tsp anise seeds (crushed)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds (crushed)
2 cup lukewarm water
2 packages yeast

Method: Pour the lukewarm water into a bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and set aside for 5 minutes. In a large bowl mix 4 cups of flour, sugar, salt, oil, anise seeds and fennel seeds. Mix with a wooden spoon, till combined. Mix yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. Beat together till smooth. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. Pour dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. The dough will become smooth and elastic. Place dough into a greased bowl turning the dough to cover all sides. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap till double. Place dough onto a floured surface and punch down. Cut dough in half. Form into loaves. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover again till double. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 F for 50 minutes. Remove, cool on a wire rack.

Also, I posted this question before I found this thread, but maybe someone here can answer it?

How long can I store bread dough????
If I make a whole bunch of it, bake only one loaf, and want to save the rest ready-made for another day? Can I safely store it in the fridge for a few days, or will that affect its quality?


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## Benji'sMom (Sep 14, 2004)

I'm new to breadbaking too. Just started this weekend to make homemade bread instead of buying sandwich bread from the store. But my 3 year old won't eat his pb&j on it, he says "It's dirty!" and starts crying.







It's because it doesn't have an airy texture like store bought bread. I hope I can convert him but if not, I guess we'll have to go back to store bought, but I don't want to!







(He says "dirty", but he means "stale," because of the texture he thinks it's stale. It's soft, but just, you know, more substantial and thicker than regular bread.) Here's my recipe (I actually love it and hope I can keep doing it): http://hillbillyhousewife.com/brdm_honeywheatbread.htm


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

does anyone make monkey bread? do I need a special pan? I am lusting after the william sonoma right one, but not sure it's necessary!







also, has anyone ever made an herbed monkey bread (not sweet)?


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## kdabbler (Feb 19, 2006)

What a great thread! I have a bread macine and have been meaning to try this one: Chocolate Marbled Walnut Bread

Quote:

Use white whole-wheat flour if your household doesn't like the brown kind. King Arthur brand sells it. It really is whole wheat, just made from the kind of wheat called "soft white" wheat rather than "winter red" wheat. It's not bitter, and makes bread that is very slightly off-white in color, so even your sworn no-whole-wheat eaters will not know.
I slip this flour in







for my anti-whole wheat dh!


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## Benji'sMom (Sep 14, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kdabbler* 









What a great thread! I have a bread macine and have been meaning to try this one: Chocolate Marbled Walnut Bread


Oh that sounds yummy!


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## unfrozncavegrl (Jan 6, 2005)

does anyone have a favorite recipe for wheat-free bread?







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## dex_millie (Oct 19, 2006)

Joining this thread. I am going to start tomorrow making my own bread. I use to do it and know I cannot remember why I stopped. I also cannot find the old recipe I use to make. It was mostly whole wheat flour, molasses, and I use to press rolled oats on the top.

Question for the bread makers - I am thinking of making alot of dough(just about 2 weeks worth) and plan on freezing a portion for a week. How long can do be frozen or should I mostly do it fresh all the time?


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dex_millie* 
Joining this thread. I am going to start tomorrow making my own bread. I use to do it and know I cannot remember why I stopped. I also cannot find the old recipe I use to make. It was mostly whole wheat flour, molasses, and I use to press rolled oats on the top.

Question for the bread makers - I am thinking of making alot of dough(just about 2 weeks worth) and plan on freezing a portion for a week. How long can do be frozen or should I mostly do it fresh all the time?

I swear I have made this recipe! I will search my bread baking cookbooks this weekend and see if I can find it!

btw I think bread dough can be kept frozen for like 6 weeks or maybe even longer!


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## goodheartedmama (Feb 1, 2007)

I try to make several loaves per week, although I've been slacking off lately







: I am at my moms house and don't have my recipes, but my favorites are whole wheat, triple apple bread, cinnamon raisin bread, and banana bread. I do some bread machine breads and some hand-kneaded breads.


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## AngelBee (Sep 8, 2004)

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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

anyone have a great foccacia recipe or maybe possibly a good deli style pumpernickel?


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## dannic (Jun 14, 2005)

Oh, fun! I told my dh that I would bake all the bread items we used if I got a BOsch for Chirstmas, and I did! I kept my word and then our oven broke and I haven't since....But I found out dd has a sensitivity to all sugars except agave nectar, honey, stevia (not a true sugar I know) and possibly maple syrup. Try finding a bread w/out sugar (we live in a small town--only normal grocers here). So I've been making it at mom's. I've done sponged breads, and I never make bread the same way twice (I just throw in whatever grains sound good--right now, kamut is my favorite.) But I have a question about soaked grains/sprouted grains breads...do you sprout them and add them to your flour , soak them and dry them and grind them? Could someone post a recipe and explain it? I'd be interested in trying...


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## Purple Sage (Apr 23, 2007)

Found this thread just in time.







:

I just baked my first loaf of bread today - what fun! I'm looking for a 100% whole wheat recipe that is relatively simple to make. You know, for a beginner.







I found one that calls for "gluten flour" - is this the same as vital wheat gluten?


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## BMG580 (Jun 19, 2007)

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## natural_mama89 (May 4, 2007)

I have made my own bread a couple of times and would love some good recipes. Can I freeze already baked loaves? If I could do this, or make large batches of dough and freeze it, I would make my own bread a lot more. How would I freeze the dough? Would I do it after letting it rise twice?


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## carfreemama (Jun 13, 2007)

Just wanted to add my voice to the breadbakers.

I'v been baking bread for about 20 years. I do all our baking and also barter bread for dog-walking services. I did a stint apprenticing as a baker at a little bakery that ultimately went out of business. If I could manage it financially, I would bake for a living.

I just bought a Nutrimill so now we have fresh-ground flour, too. The bread seems to come together really easily and even cookies and stuff are really tender, although we're using high-gluten ww bread flour.

My absolute favourite bread book is The Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Espe Brown. My edition was published by Shambhala in 1986. It was the one bread book that had recipes, diagrams and instructions about kneading that were detailed enough to actually work. I'd been baking for a while before that, but my bread became much lighter and more consistent after following these guidelines.

My standard recipe is 100 percent ww bread flour (grown in my area), combined with a bit of yeast, sea salt, canola oil and a touch of honey or maple syrup. With the grain mill, I'm now experimenting with adding cornmeal, small amounts of ground beans, etceteras.


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## Purple Sage (Apr 23, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *carfreemama* 
My standard recipe is 100 percent ww bread flour (grown in my area), combined with a bit of yeast, sea salt, canola oil and a touch of honey or maple syrup. With the grain mill, I'm now experimenting with adding cornmeal, small amounts of ground beans, etceteras.

Would you mind sharing this recipe?

Fresh milled flour sounds wonderful.


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## Sleeky_Meerkat (Oct 7, 2006)

:

I am just starting to make my own bread and want to sub this thread for ideas!!


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## neptunemama (Jun 20, 2005)

I'm very new to bread baking also. Last week I tried the no-knead bread recipe, but it didn't come out very well. Last night I tried again with a different recipe. I basically followed some of sneaky pie's tips and got a really good loaf. What I did:

In a bowl I added 1 cup of KA's white whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp honey and 1 cup of warm water. I mixed that together to form a sponge and let it sit for 15 min or so. In the meantime I added 1/2 tsp active dry yeast to 1/2 cup warm water w/some sugar added to feed the yeast. I waited till it was foamy (5 min) then I added it to the sponge. Then I slowly added about 1 1/2-2 cups more flour to the mixture, till the dough was smooth and not sticky. I let it rise overnight. This morning I punched it down, let it rise for another 45 min or so, then baked it for 45 min at 350.

It came out really well, nice crisp crust, tasty interior, but the inside seemed a bit not done. It could've baked for another 5-7 min, which is what I'll do next time. And I might add more flour initially to the sponge and less at the end. Just to see if it makes any difference. My family loved it by the way.


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## annekevdbroek (Jun 5, 2005)

I've been making bread for years - since high school (? - 20+ years ago), on and off. I recently got a breadmaker and a new baby - the combo works well. So, lately I've been fiddling with the breadmaker to get the loaves to turn out the way I want. I mostly make a Oatmeal Honey 1/2 Whole Wheat - super! I also make a mean Russian Black Bread.

I made a committment this year to no longer buy any store-bought bread. The breadmaker helps because I can toss in the ingredients and have a good loaf turn out a couple hours later.

I used to do it all by hand and would batch bake 8 or so loaves at a time. My favorite recipie then was from "Beard on Bread" - the oatmeal bread. So, so, so, so delicious. I haven't been able to work out a bread machine equivilent. Craig Claiborn's book - Bread Bible? also has some great breads - particularly an onion/cheese/poppy seed braided loaf...

Maybe I'll hand make a loaf or two in the next week.


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## Mommabelle (Jul 31, 2006)

I've never posted here before, but I am a bread baker! I've been baking on and off for several years, however last winter I got a grain grinder and a Zojirushi bread machine. I've been baking succesfully with no problems until we moved in July. Now, I just can't seem to get the bread to come out right since we moved. I've changed rise times etc.. I'm starting to wonder if it's over kneading the bread...if the machine was somehow damaged in the move. The bread comes out very heavy and not nearly as big as it used to. I use a half half combo of red/white whole wheat. I haven't bought bread since last winter until we moved. I have to figure this out! Help!

annekevdbroek..I agree that with kids around the bread machine has made making homemade bread easy and doable.


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## Sleeky_Meerkat (Oct 7, 2006)

I baked my first loaf yesterday! It turned out wonderful and we ate the entire thing last night!! I can't imagine going back to store bought bread again!

Does anyone have a good recipe for a Tomato Basil bread? I love the one they have at Panera and would love to make something similar!


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## mammom (Aug 13, 2004)

Hi all,

Does anyone have a recipe for a gluten-free bread that can be kneaded?

Thanks!

Melissa


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## carfreemama (Jun 13, 2007)

Hi Sleeky Meerkat! (Did I get that right?). Sorry it took so long to get back to you with your request. For what it's worth, here is my standard bread recipe, very loosely adapted from The Tassajara Bread Book. I don't have a clue how much flour I use and it will be a couple of days before I bake again; I should measure, just for fun...Here goes:

2 scant tsp yeast (approximate)
3 cups room-temperature water

Dissolve yeast in water until it comes to the surface and bubbles. I have experimented with different water temperatures and have had best success going cooler, rather than warmer.

Add a little sweetener (I use scant 1/4-cup honey or maple syrup, but I'm not sure it's absolutely necessary. I've never tried without). Add enough flour to make a runny cake-like batter. Stir 50 times.

Let sit until puffy and raised (seems about 45 minutes)

Sprinkle 2 tsp sea salt and 1/4 c canola oil over top. Stir in.

Begin adding flour. Stir for as long as possible, adding flour in small amounts and working thoroughly into dough before adding more. Keep stirring until dough is absolutely too stiff to work with a spoon anymore. Then start kneading.

It usually takes me 15-20 minutes to knead the dough until it really feels right. The less flour I use, the lighter the bread and the higher the rise. Try to knead the stickiness out, rather than adding excess flour. Also, add things like ground flax or cornmeal towards the end of kneading, as I read somewhere that these ingredients 'cut' the gluten and impair rising. Don't know if it's true, but sounds reasonable and I did notice a difference.

Let sit until 'double in bulk' or not quite--don't over-rise. Punch down and knead 20 times. Let rise again until not-quite-double.

Punch down. Divide into 2. Let rest 5 minutes before shaping into loaves and putting in pans. Let rise again.

Put into HOT 375-degree oven. After 10 minutes, decrease heat to 350. This 'sets' the bread and gives it its best rise (again, don't know where I read this, but it works for me). I take the bread out when the sides are just nice and crisp.

Note: I sometimes make soymilk, in which case I use a couple of cups of the okara, or leftover solids, to the bread with the oil and salt. Adds great texture and nutrition. I also always save cooking water from potatoes and decrease yeast and sweetener a bit. I have also found my convection-toaster-oven gives by FAR the best rise to my ww bread. I have 2 pans that fit exactly, though the bread always rises to hit the top element and chars it in a couple of places. But It's so much better than the regular oven I don't care. Let me know if anything doesn't make sense!


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## happy1nluv (Apr 1, 2005)

Ok... I'm trying to make a good sandwich bread, and I have a recipe that I like as far as taste goes, but it comes out too dense. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

I grind 8 oz red wheat berries and add 4 oz oat flour - wet down with 8 oz warm (from tap) water and let sit overnight.

Then add:
2 1/2 oz almond milk
1/6 c honey (approx)
1 1/2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt
enough oat flour to make a soft bread dough -- put in well oiled bowl

Let rise about 2-3 hours
Fold over dough, quick knead, shape and put in oiled pan - let sit 1 1/2-2 hours. Heat over to 425 for 30 min, put bread in and reduce heat to 375 and cook bread for 45-50 min.

Any ideas?


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## counterGOPI (Jan 22, 2005)

well until i got preggo and m/s hit me







but hopefully just a few more weeks i'll be back to my bread baking self!


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## nancyw (Jul 8, 2005)

:


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## Tanzie (Aug 3, 2007)

a friend gave me this one and oh i love it!

Title: Parmesan Herb Bread
Categories:
Yield: 16 Servings

2 c Warm water
1 pk Active dry yeast
1/2 ts Sugar
6 c To 6 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 c Grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c Olive oil
1 ts Salt
1 ts Dried basil
1/2 ts Dried oregano leaves
1/4 ts Cracked black pepper
2 tb Semolina or cornmeal

MMMMM-------------------------EGG GLAZE---------------
1 lg Egg white
1 tb Water

1. In large bowl, preferably of heavy duty mixer,
combine 1/2 cup warm water, the yeast and sugar;
stir to dissolve yeast. Let stand until foamy,
about 5 minutes.

2. Add remaining water, 4 cups flour, the cheese,
oil, salt, basil, oregano and pepper to yeast
mixture. With wooden spoon or dough hook of mixer,
beat 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Add 1 1/2
cups of the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time,
and beat until soft dough forms that pulls away
from the bowl as it is beaten.

3. Turn dough out onto lightly floured board.
Knead dough, adding as much of the remaining flour
as necessary to prevent stickiness, until smooth
and elastic, about 5 minutes.

4. Wash, dry, and oil mixing bowl. Place dough in
bowl, turning to bring oiled side up. Cover bowl
with a clean cloth and let rise until doubled in
size, about an hour.

5. Meanwhile, grease 2 large baking sheets.
Sprinkle semolina in a 3 inch wide strip
diagonally across each sheet. Turn dough out onto
lightly floured board and divide into 2 equal
pieces; with hands, roll each piece into a 16 inch
long loaf. Place loaves diagonally in greased
sheets on top of semolina. Cover loaves with clean
cloths and let rise in warm place until doubled in
size, about 45 minutes.

6. Heat oven to 400°. Prepare egg glaze (lightly
beat egg white and water). With sharp knife, make
several 1/4 inch deep slashes in top of each loaf.
Gently brush egg glaze in the surface of the
loaves.

7. Bake loaves 20 minutes; remove from oven and
brush again with glaze. Return to oven and bake 10
to 15 minutes longer or until loaves are golden
brown. Cool loaves on wire rack at least 15
minutes before serving warm, or cool completely.


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## Luke2:51b (Jul 18, 2007)

ohhh...this thread is just what i need!

I'm determined to make a loaf that can be used for sandwiches. We currently buy what my DS calls "yummy bread" (it's Kamut) from a woman from a local farm, but I desperately want to be able to make just as yummy bread myself!!!
I am borrowing the Laurel's Kitchen bread book from a friend and have made the "loaf for learning" twice. My second one was better than the first (neither bricks, but I'm not quite satisfied...). They just aren't quite as light as I would like. It says in the book not to use raw honey....I did! Do you think it is killing my yeast and that is affecting the rise of my bread? I switched from glass to metal pan between attempt #1 and #2 which helped a little.

Any suggestions? Any recipes for yummy Kamut bread? I would REALLY like to start soaking my grains also (but I figure let's get the basics down first!!) b/c right now I feel like while not unhealthy, it's not as healthy as it could be.


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## captivatedlife (Aug 16, 2006)

This is such a great thread! I wish I saw it BEFORE I did my experiment today... if it comes out I'll post the recipe. I'm being a cheapscate and using this recipe (a 2 loaf recipe) for 1 loaf and pizza dough.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

Luke2- I am trying my hand at these honey wheat sandwich rolls this afternoon. (it's raining and we are stuck inside) Maybe something like this would work for your family?

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Honey-W...ls/Detail.aspx


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

I am a bread baker! I have been making bread since I was in high school. I mostly make molasses bread, honey wheat bread, challah, and french baguettes.

I just ordered "The Bread Bible" with birthday money and I am dying to get it!


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

oooh I love The Bread Bible. Thanks for reminding me I need to get my copy out! yummy,yummy!

do you have recipes you might share for the challah and baguettes?


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## Carlyn (Jun 11, 2007)

I love baking bread too! I think it's therapeutic to knead dough! I usually bake four loaves, twice a week...with all our toasted tomato sandwiches these days, I think I need to up that! Tomorrow's bread baking time again. For a while I had a great sourdough going, but we moved back here from overseas, so I had to give it to a friend. I had such good luck with my starter there, I'm sort of nervous to try it here, in case it fails this time.

My mom is a pro at baking yeast things, and I love it too. English muffins, bagels, cinnamon buns, pizza, bread, buns, YUM!


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## BekahJ (Sep 4, 2007)

I have been baking bread for over 3 years now. I started right before I got married and I have finally come up with some pretty good bread. I think one of the big things is adding gluten or vital wheat gluten flour. It help your bread not be so dense and dry. Also I have started grinding my own wheat, if you make your bread with the warm wheat it rises so much better. For Christmas DH says he is going to buy me a Bosch mixer and I am really excited. They are supposed to help your bread rise alot better. I also use the white wheat, and I like it a lot. This website has a lot of info and recipes on it I use a LOT of her recipes www.thefamilyhomestead.com she also puts recipes and meal plans on her blog it is great if you are trying to cook whole foods!!! I love bread baking it is so rewarding and it makes the house smell wonderful!!!!


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

a year in bread flickr group!








http://www.flickr.com/groups/ayearinbread/


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## wife&mommy (May 26, 2005)

So I have a question for you all. Where do you get your supplies? It seems like this bread making thing could get expensive if just buying from the grocery store/health food store.
Thanks!


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## mammom (Aug 13, 2004)

Darnit! I just posted a response and included my main bread recipe and the server went down... Shoot. Oh well. I'll post the recipe later.

In response to your question, wife&mommy, I get my hard wheat flour from our farmer at 70 cents a pound. Not sure what I pay for my whole wheat pastry flour (what I use in place of all purpose flour) from our hfs, but I think it's around the same. Both are organic...

I'll be back to post some recipes a little later.

Melissa


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

I will get my challah recipe out and post it another time.

I got my Bread Bible. It is ok. Not as great as I remember when I checked it out from the library. She seemed to completely ignore whole wheat breads for the most part which is very sad. The one I found that was "wheat" just was AP flour with some wheat bran thrown in.









If it didn't have such good info on rising and technique, I would sell it to buy Julia Child's Baking book that just absolutely rocks.


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## daekini (Jun 17, 2004)

Yay! I love baking bread! I'm a cheater now, though.







:

I was baking all our bread (pizza, rolls, sandwich, etc.), kneeding by hand... but for Christmas I got a Zojirushi bread machine (you know, the one King Arthur Flour uses in their test kitchens?) and I'm coming out of the closet to admit... I love it!!!! It makes a horizontal loaf, not a vertical "bread tube", and it even makes jam. I use it to make all my dough, even for artisan loaves and rolls and pizza dough, which I bake in the oven.

If it had a few extra accessories I'd divorce DH and marry it!

I hope I can still be a part of the club. I do love kneeding by hand, but I'm not very efficient at balancing my chores so the bread machine really helps.


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## daekini (Jun 17, 2004)

Oh, and I use this to store and slice my bread. I promise I don't work for King Arthur Flour... but I do love their stuff...







:

Sometimes I use whole wheat pastry flour for whole-grain bread. Flufffy!


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

I order from king arthur flour. it's way cheaper for me. I get the organic flours, oats,etc, also I can get good things like scone mixes, loaf add ins, vietnamese cinnamon,citron,etc. they really have everything! I make a huge order about every 6 months or so and store everything in the freezer.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wife&mommy* 
So I have a question for you all. Where do you get your supplies? It seems like this bread making thing could get expensive if just buying from the grocery store/health food store.
Thanks!


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

I have this and love







it too!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *daekini* 
Oh, and I use this to store and slice my bread. I promise I don't work for King Arthur Flour... but I do love their stuff...







:

Sometimes I use whole wheat pastry flour for whole-grain bread. Flufffy!


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## Fiddlemom (Oct 22, 2003)

It is breadmaking season again up here in Maine (going down to 38 tonight!)!! Great thread!

I made my first pair of loaves that I've made since last spring this week. They came out great. When it's not so late at night I'll post my wh wh bread recipe that I usually make.

I learned mostly from Beard on Bread, and also have had a bread machine. The bread machine I use now for pizza dough only because it comes out every time. Sometimes my bread rises like crazy, sometimes not so well, depending on the weather and warmth source (next to the wood stove is my fall-winter-spring spot; this week it was the sunny kitchen table).

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wife&mommy* 
So I have a question for you all. Where do you get your supplies? It seems like this bread making thing could get expensive if just buying from the grocery store/health food store.
Thanks!

My basic supplies for making bread by hand: yeast (I use the common dry stuff in a packet), a wooden cutting board for kneading, a large mixing bowl for mixing & rising, and a good bread knife. A thermometer is helpful for getting used to what, say, 120F feels like. I get Arrowhead Mills organic whole wheat pastry flour and King Arthur white flour for recipes that need that. (I don't work for them either ;-)) Our bread machine cost about $150 new. Definitely cheaper to figure it out by hand....which is my preferred way to make it now.

have fun!!


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## daekini (Jun 17, 2004)

You can also get supplies from Amazon.com Grocery - cheaper, free shipping, no tax!


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## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

Oh, I love breadmaking!







I use my streamlined, whole-wheatified variation of an 'Italian Bread' recipe I learned when I was ten or so. It makes good loaves, rolls, focaccia, tomato bread, grissini, cinnamon rolls and herb and garlic flatbread, with minor variations. The one thing it doesn't do too well is pizza bases; not sure why. It's a 'lean' dough--no eggs, milk or sugar, just olive oil and honey. I've made it with sunflower oil or sugar in a pinch, and it always turns out fine--I suspect the real key ingredient, for savoury purposes anyway, is the dusting of coarse cornmeal. Mmm.

My bread became 100% better when I started adding lecithin granules recently. It makes a much softer, tastier, lighter dough, although the crust is sometimes thicker--but baking the loaf with a pan of water underneath helps prevent that to some extent.

I did make sourdough for a while, a few months ago, but while DH liked it I wasn't so keen, so eventually I got bored and let the yeasts die a lingering and grisly death. Still, it was very satisfying knowing that 'I' had made a loaf of bread rise all by myself, without the intervention of company-produced yeast.

I usually use a two-thirds, one-third ratio of whole wheat flour to white bread flour, but with the lecithin the bread is so much lighter I can use almost all whole wheat. I did make it 100% whole wheat once, but the crust was very thick that time; not sure if it's related!

Very flat rounds of bread dough, pressed onto baking trays of coarse cornmeal and salt, topped with a drizzle of olive oil, chopped olives, crushed garlic, rock salt and fresh rosemary... baked, cut in wedges and served warm to dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar... BLISS! I copied this from a yummy restaurant entree, and I think mine's nicer.







Basil pesto goes well with it, too.

I'd like to try beer bread, although neither DH nor I drink the vile stuff so we'd have to get some in specially. I've made pumpkin bread, which is nice... haven't tried Irish soda bread for many years... made challah once and didn't like it, but would kinda like to give it another go... have been meaning to make a Sally Lunn loaf for years... did naan bread twice recently and will again, once the state of my morning sickness allows me to try Indian cooking once again... yes, there's always something new to try!

I usually cool, slice and freeze the loaves right away after baking. Homemade bread just doesn't keep well, especially with only two people in the household! It tastes absolutely fine once defrosted--or I toast it from frozen and have it for breakfast, spread with cream cheese and sundried tomato pesto. Schlp! The poster whose son was complaining about the 'stale' taste should maybe try toasting it? I take care of a boy who eats vile, crumbly gluten-and-dairy-free loaves, but they taste passable when toasted. (Not saying your bread is vile!







But any difference in texture to shop-bought bread can often be masked by toasting). If I'm baking ahead of time for a special occasion, I'll freeze the loaf whole; then it can be defrosted and warmed in the oven and sliced at the table. Much more attractive, especially if it's a nice braided loaf. Nobody ever guesses it was frozen.

The funniest thing I've experienced with baking bread is the awe my braided loaves inspire among my male friends. I was teaching one how to make bread and realised suddenly he had no idea how to braid! And another guy came over for dinner recently, and was staring at my braided loaf saying 'How did you get it to look like that? It's all lumpy. Did you make lots of little balls?' Silly short-haired, never-learned-to-braid males!







Vaguely on the same theme, it's much easier to practice a 5-strand braid on bread dough than it is to practice on your own head!

ETA: For rising, some good places I've used or heard recommended include a car dashboard on a hot day; on top of the dryer in the garage; on the front porch; in the oven at the lowest 'dry' setting (30 C on mine), with a pan of boiling water underneath. Oiled gladwrap placed over the surface of the dough prevents it from drying and cracking, but also causes it to rise faster and lighter.


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## Chic_Mama (Jun 26, 2007)

I would love to bake our own bread- I am a carb queen! But, how long does it take you? I have a high maintenance 17 month old and don't think I could be in the kitchen for hours on end. Suggestions for a newbie with little time?


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## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

Chic_Mama: Well, you could use a breadmaker, but the purist in me scoffs at such a notion.







Honestly, breadmaking is only time-consuming in a passive way--you spend very little time actually doing anything. Use a recipe which doesn't require a sponge, because that takes extra time. Then all you have to do is sift the dry ingredients together, add the liquids (5 minutes?), knead for 10 minutes... leave it until doubled, which takes a few hours and requires no effort at all! Shaping the loaf could be another 5 minutes, if you just dump it in a tin or on a tray--longer if you want to braid it or roll it up with fillings. Leave it again for a few hours, pop in the oven (60 seconds!), take it out 40 minutes or so later, and you're done!

Sometimes I leave the shaped bread overnight to rise in the fridge, and bake it in the morning--super easy. There are also no-knead versions of wholemeal bread available, but again I have purist issues.









I felt creative this afternoon, so a loaf of beer bread is currently in the oven baking for dinner! Hope it turns out well... I'm a little worried, because I bought Stella Artois on the grounds that I didn't want to get a whole six-pack of anything, and Stella was the only one that came in a smallish bottle by itself. I don't know how suitable it is for beer bread. We shall see!


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## mamaria (Oct 5, 2005)

Ahh...many recipes to try out here!
We usually don`t make our own bread, mostly because we are so many, so i would have to bake a lot to keep up.
Here we always use yeast when we bake at home.
I can try to translate my favourite recipe, healthy and taste yummi!

I have to use Liter/ dl because I don`t know your way to measure, fresh at this forum as I am.

5 DL water wich has bodytemperature
50 grams of yeast
2 tablespoons of oil(sunflower oil f.ex)
2 DL cottage cheese
1 teaspoon of salt
4 DL(ca 2) carrots that are (hmmm..whats the word...raspe we say, you know, not cutted, but we use a "rasp" to make the carrot into small thin soft slices







)
4 dl "sammalt" wheat flour(I don`t know the word in english, but what i mean is not the normal white flour, bot wheat fluor that is grinded a little less, so that it is a bit of texture in it still)
4 dl wheat flour (the normal white one)

Then you mix it all well together, leave it to raise for an hour, then make 2 bread the shape you want them, leave to raise again for 30 min.
You can put on some water og milk on the top of the bread just before you put it in the oven.
200 c in ca 30-40 min.

Did you understand anything at all?


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## mammom (Aug 13, 2004)

Hello all! Finally back to share my favorite recipe (and to check around for a new one!)... I have been making this recipe as our daily bread for almost a year. My mom has been making it for years.

I am having trouble with it being really sticky when I go to let it rise - my mom said it's possibly because I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour. Would that make the difference? I *have* made it when it has been nice and firm and not sticky, but I don't know what I am doing differently. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Also, my husband complains because it gets a little crumbly with sandwiches. Again, any suggestions?

Here's the recipe:

HONEY-WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

2 packages active dry yeast

½ cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

1/3 cup honey

¼ cup shortening*

1 Tablespoon salt

1-3/4 cups warm water

3 cups whole-wheat flour

3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

butter, softened

Dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water in large mixing bowl. Stir in
honey, shortening, salt, 1-3/4 cups warm water and whole-wheat
flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough all-purpose flour to make
dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto light floured surface; knead until smooth and
elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side
up. Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour.
(Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)

Punch down dough; divide into halves. Flatten each half with hands
and roll up in a size that will fit in your pans. Place loaves, seam sides
down, in 2 greased baking pans, 9x5x3 inches. (Brush with margarine;
sprinkle with whole-wheat flour or crushed oats, if desired&#8230;I don't do this)
Let rise until double, about 1 hour.

Heat oven to 375. Bake until loaves are deep golden brown and sound
hollow when tapped, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on
wire rack.

Mom's notes:

I use butter for the shortening. I melt it slowly in a pan and then
pour-melted butter in a two cup measuring cup and pour into yeast
mixture. Then I pour the honey into the measuring cup. It's easier
that way because the honey doesn't stick to the measuring cup. Then
measure out the 1 ¾ cup warm water&#8230;.that kinda helps get all the
honey out because it's warm.


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## scorch_dc (Jul 31, 2005)

Yay! Glad to see this thread. I have always loved baking and bake bread often, but 2 weeks ago got a grain mill for my anniversary, and then just this weekend picked up our first bag of LOCALLY grown wheat! I'm excited, and my first loaf with the local wheat is baking right now - the smell is amazing. Can't wait to try a few of these recipes.


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## scorch_dc (Jul 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Chic_Mama* 
I would love to bake our own bread- I am a carb queen! But, how long does it take you? I have a high maintenance 17 month old and don't think I could be in the kitchen for hours on end. Suggestions for a newbie with little time?

I love love love hand kneading and baking...but I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old, and since we bake all of our own bread, well, for general sandwich loaves we use a bread machine.







Works great, is quick and easy to use, and I don't have to *remember* to punch down as it is all done via timer. I still do other types of bread, but with little people around, this is great.


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

I will have to try that recipe!

I have been practicing with my recipes. Here's a French bread (baguette) without a hard crust. My dh hates any crust, so I have been working on it!

The times are approximate as this takes me ~24 hours altogether.

Sponge (the night before):

Mix:
1/2 packet of active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
2 cups bread flour (I use King Arthur)

Mix:
1/2 packet yeast
2 cups bread flour

Mix first ingredients in bowl with lid (large!). On top, pour the flour and yeast mix and do NOT stir. put plastic or glass bowl with lid in the fridge. You can leave it out 1/2 hour or so first, or throw it straight in.

The next afternoon:

Take out of fridge and put on counter for 1-4 hours.

Mix ingredients together with 1/2 tbs. salt and 1-2 tbs. honey

Knead by hand for 5 minutes or until elastic and smooth. It *will* be wet and sticky. Add flour as needed to knead comfortably, but do not add too much. You want it to be somewhat wet or the bread will be dry.

Place ball of dough into greased bowl used last night. You can fold the dough into thirds one direction, turn and repeat folding into thirds, or make it into a ball. Cover and set aside 1-4 hours. You can occasionally pull it out and refold if desired. At this point, my dough is tripled in original size or so. Cut ball into 2 pieces. Do NOT pull. Cut it with a knife or bench scraper.

Form into baguettes or country loaves. I just roll mine lenth-wise, sealing it at the end, and then tuck the ends under. Place on parchment paper.

Preheat oven and baking stone to 375. I do this for an hour to make sure of optimal temperature. Brush tops of baguettes with heavy cream.

Slide parchment paper with dough onto stone. You can use a sideless cookie sheet for this, or peel.

Bake for 30-45 mins. It will sound hollow when knocked on, with a light golden crust. I can smell it when it's ready, so I don't usually look at the clock.









Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, even if it kills you.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)




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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

I killed the thread with my recipe, I see.









I am NOT liking my Bread Bible. Not enough whole wheat. All the wheat ones are white bread with a little bran added in. Not cool with me.

It was so freaking expensive. I want it for like one recipe I want to try (sourdough) and then I might sell it.


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## kristenok18 (Jun 26, 2006)

I just found this thread, and I haven't had a chance to read it all, but oh man I am trying the baguette recipe tomorrow!









I can't wait to read the other pages. I tend to do better when I don't consume grains, but it's so hard when the breads are so good (and homemade!).


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## scorch_dc (Jul 31, 2005)

For those of you grinding your own wheat...what have you found to be the best way to adapt recipes?

We found a local farmer who will sell us his organic wheat!! Yay. So we grind our own. It seems that even the recipes using 100% whole wheat just aren't quite right when using fresh ground. It isn't as absorptive, perhaps? Very wet. We do weigh it - but still isn't right 'one to one' on how the dough turns out compared to using packaged flour.

I don't mind just feeling it out and adding flour until it is right...but that is hard for bread machine days or when doing it with kids...and it seems like there should just be a ratio to make it more reliable? Any ideas?









Thanks!


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## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

Here is a recipe I make with fresh-ground flour. We LOVE it. The texture is soft, it slices beautifully, and it smells heavenly when it's toasted. I especially love that it only rises for 15-20 min then continues to rise as the oven preheats. This bread practically defies the laws of physics. I've never encountered a whole wheat recipe that only requires one rise before (but I am fairly new to this, LOL).

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

3 C. whole wheat flour

1/3 C. gluten flour

1 ½ T. instant yeast

2 ½ C. hot water

1 T. salt

1/3 C. oil

1/3 C. honey

1 ½ T. lemon juice

3 C. whole wheat flour

Mix together first 3 ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for one minute. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Add salt, oil, honey and lemon juice and beat for one minute. Add last flour one cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for about 10 minutes until dough pulls away from side of bowl. This makes a very soft dough.

Preheat oven to lukewarm for one minute and then turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter top. Divide into 2 loaves and place into 2 4X8 bread pans, previously sprayed with a non-stick spray. Place in warm oven to let rise for 15 to 20 minutes, until dough reaches about ½ inch above top of pan. Do not remove from oven. Turn oven on to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. (Start timing when you first turn on the oven, not when the oven reaches temperature.) Remove from pans and cool on rack.

Jen


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## momtoalexsarah (May 21, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *scorch_dc* 
We found a local farmer who will sell us his organic wheat!! Yay. So we grind our own. It seems that even the recipes using 100% whole wheat just aren't quite right when using fresh ground. It isn't as absorptive, perhaps? Very wet. We do weigh it - but still isn't right 'one to one' on how the dough turns out compared to using packaged flour.









Thanks!

I would think that the problem is the type of wheat that you are getting. Different types of wheat have different protien levels(what makes the breads raise) You need to make sure that it is a hard spring wheat, not a soft winter or soft spring wheat. If it is either of the later then you will need to blend it or buy some wheat gluten flour at the local bulk store and at 1 tsp for every cup of flour.


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## BedHead (Mar 8, 2007)

Just found this thread - I don't make all our bread but I love baking bread - it's so satisfying. Lots of great recipes to try here and I will post some of mine when I'm at home!


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

I LOVE baking my bread! I am making fresh savory mini burger buns for dinner!
I make my own pizza crust(DP likes it better), and I am gonna start making my own white bread again soon...








I have been slacking off lately, but I will be back to making more bread soon!


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## scorch_dc (Jul 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momtoalexsarah* 
I would think that the problem is the type of wheat that you are getting. You need to make sure that it is a hard spring wheat, not a soft winter or soft spring wheat.

Thanks...it is hard winter wheat that we get. Hmmm. It rises fine and is great bread once we add almost double the flour to the recipe. I wonder also if it isn't that we are hand cranking (so the kids can help) and it isn't as fine, so isn't as absorptive.

I'll keep working on my ratios!









Thanks!


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## sheasmom (Nov 6, 2007)

This thread has inspired me to make my own bread. I have thought about moving fully from store bought, and these recipes seem so delicious!


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## captain optimism (Jan 2, 2003)

I want to take the opportunity to plug The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart again. (I've mentioned on these boards before.) I had been baking since my teens, but I learned so much from his book. For one thing, he taught me about manipulating the taste and crumb of the bread by using pre-fermented dough, soaked flours and grains, and long, cold rises in the fridge. I posted his whole grain bread recipe last year:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...08&postcount=5

It's detailed but it comes together very easily, and I got a very light, 100% whole grain bread out of it.


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## scorch_dc (Jul 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *captain optimism* 
I want to take the opportunity to plug The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart again.

My husband and I are both reading this book right now. It is GREAT so far!


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## shantimama (Mar 11, 2002)

I think I have found the perfect recipe for my family, after years and years of bread baking. It makes 4 HUGE loaves and takes 2-4 days, depending on how busy I am. It only uses 1/4 tsp of yeast on the first day - I find it so much easier to digest than other recipes that use many times that amount of yeast for 2 loaves. It is delicious, filling and my kids love the stuff. It is an affordable way to fill them up and make them happy.


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## jauncourt (Mar 15, 2007)

We love sourdough, but it's hard to keep it alive in summer (no baking during the worst heat here and I can only make so many sourdough pancakes). I try to freeze some of my starter for over the summer months.

I named mine Herbert and it's actually time to get him started up again. I cheated three days ago and made yeast packet bread, from my favorite base recipe, which I cut out of the back of a supermarket flour bag a decade ago (it's really basic and I can modify it easily with success). I mostly love to wing it when baking, but I've been baking by feel for 15 years









Another one I love is potato bread, which in my cookbook means I use leftover mashed potatoes to power my sponge. Yum! My favorite recipe is out of a nineteenth century cookbook, but it doesn't translate easily to precise measurements.

Maura


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## Salihah (Dec 14, 2003)

Just saw this thread! I'm a breadbaker and make all the bread, buns, etc that our family uses. I use spelt a lot and focus on yeast-free baking. Looking forward to catching up on the posts here!


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## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

bumpity bump


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

Crap! I made 5 loaves of great oat bread yesterday and left it out too long. Not much longer than usual, but if turned alcoholic on me. I am so pissed off and starving for fresh bread.







:

All that waste!


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## Purple*Lotus (Nov 1, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2Bugs* 
Here is a recipe I make with fresh-ground flour. We LOVE it. The texture is soft, it slices beautifully, and it smells heavenly when it's toasted. I especially love that it only rises for 15-20 min then continues to rise as the oven preheats. This bread practically defies the laws of physics. I've never encountered a whole wheat recipe that only requires one rise before (but I am fairly new to this, LOL).

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

3 C. whole wheat flour

1/3 C. gluten flour

1 ½ T. instant yeast

2 ½ C. hot water

1 T. salt

1/3 C. oil

1/3 C. honey

1 ½ T. lemon juice

3 C. whole wheat flour

Mix together first 3 ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for one minute. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Add salt, oil, honey and lemon juice and beat for one minute. Add last flour one cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for about 10 minutes until dough pulls away from side of bowl. This makes a very soft dough.

Preheat oven to lukewarm for one minute and then turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter top. Divide into 2 loaves and place into 2 4X8 bread pans, previously sprayed with a non-stick spray. Place in warm oven to let rise for 15 to 20 minutes, until dough reaches about ½ inch above top of pan. Do not remove from oven. Turn oven on to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. (Start timing when you first turn on the oven, not when the oven reaches temperature.) Remove from pans and cool on rack.

Jen


Thanks for sending me to this post







My next question is- what if you don't have a mixer, let alone a dough hook?







:


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## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

I wonder if using it for french toast or grilled cheese sandwiches would mask the taste enough?

Jen


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

:


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## HoneyTree (Apr 5, 2005)

Wow! Thanks for the bump, rainbowmoon.







I wonder how my "bread" search missed this fabulous thread?

Anyway, I'm Teresa. I learned how to bake bread around this time last year, and maybe have thirty or so loaves under my belt (though I do try to exercise to keep them from staying there!).

I'm a process baker--my 2 year old helps at almost every stage, I am practicing being very forgiving of myself, and I have a pretty good sense of humor and a great appetite. So loaves, no matter how unexpected they turn out, seldom go stale, much less uneaten.

I posted earlier today about favorite reference books, so if any of you have the inclination, I'd love to hear about them here or there!

Oh, and here's the pizza dough recipe we use with GREAT success!









PIZZA DOUGH

Begin with a little less than a cup of water that is lukewarm--not room temperature, mind you--lukewarm. I think the books say between 105 and 120 degrees. Into this cup stir two teaspoons of yeast and a teaspoon of honey or unprocessed sugar. Let the cup sit for ten to fifteen minutes in a warmish spot to "proof," or get bubbly.

Meanwhile, into a medium-sized bowl dump two and a quarter cups of whole wheat pastry flour, a tablespoon of olive oil, and about 3/4 tablespoon of sea salt. Combine these three ingredients well with a fork.

When the time is up, add the yeast mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir until the ingredients are totally combined. If the dough seems sticky, add more flour about a tablespoon at a time until it holds together well and doesn't come off on your hands.

Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and set it somewhere warm (we use the oven on the "keep" setting) until the dough doubles in size, between 45 minutes and an hour.

Punch the dough down and give it a few good kneads in the bowl. Again, if the dough is sticky, add a teeny bit of flour until it feels right.

Dump the dough out onto your stone or baking sheet and rub a little olive oil into the outside. Roll it out with a rolling pin to the size you want. Now let the dough rest for about five minutes.

Add your sauce, toppings, and cheese, drizzling with olive oil at the very end, and bake in a 450 degree oven until the crust browns slightly, about 15 or 20 minutes.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

Teresa!

my bread project this week is breadsticks. (hoping to aim for some yeasted/ herbed ala faux olive garden knock offs!







) it would be ideal if I could make a big batch and freeze them. any ideas?


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## HoneyTree (Apr 5, 2005)

:fireman Bump.


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## 20605 (Oct 11, 2004)

Great thread...taking notes....I am hoping you can help me with kneading. My technique is lacking, I always wind up with lots of flaps from turn, knead, turn, knead...what is your best tip for kneading?

BTW, kneading is a great stress reliever, I just don't always like what happens to the loaf...


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## HoneyTree (Apr 5, 2005)

I just had to share that I tried the pan-of-water-in-the-oven-while-bread-bakes technique with an oatmeal bread, and it turned out FABULOUS! Moist moist moist insides, firm, pretty crust. Mmmm! (Did I read about that in the _Mother Earth News_ article? On the bread-a-day blog? From a mama here? Anyway, THANKS to the universe for bringing me that tip!)

Rani, my kneading technique began from my ceramics background, kneading dough exactly like I knead clay! I read in a few books the one-hand kneading technique and tried that for a while. Now, for some things, like pizza dough, I just knead right in the bowl. If I get lots of flaps, I sometimes just pinch the bread back together along the edge to kind of seam it closed into a ball again, then start over...


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## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

rainbowmoon: Mmm, breadsticks. Or 'grissini', if you want to be swanky. They freeze very well! I've never herbed mine--nice idea, though!--but they taste good sprinkled with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, rock salt... I usually make my bread with a fairly lean dough, but I enrich it for grissini--a little milk powder and some butter. I bake them on a highish heat until golden, and then turn them down and cook for awhile longer until crisp. And if you slice them into rounds and cook them *again*, you can get very nice croutons!


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## ladyslipper (Apr 21, 2006)

hello bread makers..I needed to bump this thread so I could find it easier and makes some of the wwhoney recipes.


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

About the pan of water in the oven thing-if it's a glass pan, should it be put in with cold or hot water? Before or after preheating? I always get confused. I've had one too many glass pans explode.







:


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## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

Quote:

Thanks for sending me to this post My next question is- what if you don't have a mixer, let alone a dough hook?
Then you'd have to mix and knead by hand. I don't make bread by hand, but I believe you would probably double the kneading time, maybe more. It'll be a good work out for your arms







If you're planning to make all your bread from here on out though, I'd suggest you look into a mixer that can knead for you. I use my Kitchen Aid all the time--I don't know how I lived without it all those years!
Jen


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

I dont have the time to read through the thread today. I wanted to ask about sourdough. I am on a quest to make an ongoing starter and keep it in my household since we are big sourdough lovers here.
My question is:
Can I make it using all purpose white flour?
I cant get my hands on any wheat or good grain flour for a few weeks and I REALLY had a taste for this bread.
So what might yall think of that?
Think it would turn out ok?


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## WaitingForKiddos (Nov 30, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jess12808* 
I dont have the time to read through the thread today. I wanted to ask about sourdough. I am on a quest to make an ongoing starter and keep it in my household since we are big sourdough lovers here.
My question is:
Can I make it using all purpose white flour?
I cant get my hands on any wheat or good grain flour for a few weeks and I REALLY had a taste for this bread.
So what might yall think of that?
Think it would turn out ok?

Yummmmm...sour dough. I might just have to make some tonight!

Yes, you can use all purpose flour.

Remember that the good sour taste takes a while to develop from a new starter. I made my starter at the very beginning of fall and it's finally sour...though not as sour as I eventually want. Nothin' like fresh bread no matter what type it is!

Sour dough with some olive oil and balsamic.....oh ya baby!


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## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

kittywitty: I usually use a metal pan, not a glass one (a square cake tin), and I fill it with boiling water, so that there's steam there right from the start (and the oven doesn't have to expend energy heating the water when it should be cooking my bread).


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *WaitingForKiddos* 
Yummmmm...sour dough. I might just have to make some tonight!

Yes, you can use all purpose flour.

Remember that the good sour taste takes a while to develop from a new starter. I made my starter at the very beginning of fall and it's finally sour...though not as sour as I eventually want. Nothin' like fresh bread no matter what type it is!

Sour dough with some olive oil and balsamic.....oh ya baby!


Making my Starter tonite..









Ok another question..








DP just told me that he only likes breads with super soft texutre and super soft crust. He said and I quote

Quote:

"If you had the recipe for WonderBread, I would eat it every day"









So does anyone have a good recipe for bread with a REALLY soft fluffy texture and REALLY SOFT crust?


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## WaitingForKiddos (Nov 30, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jess12808* 
Making my Starter tonite..









Ok another question..








DP just told me that he only likes breads with super soft texutre and super soft crust. He said and I quote








So does anyone have a good recipe for bread with a REALLY soft fluffy texture and REALLY SOFT crust?









dinner rolls? Angel food?

I think you'd have luck with anything that is described as being good for sandwiches. I found that making the bread in the am and the reheating for dinner in the microwave makes for a softer crust.


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

Yea he is a cresent roll finatic. He didnt like my sweet dinner rolls, so I gotta change that recipe to more savory.
he is a big buttery fluffy fan so I will have to try that microwave trick. I am already going to start making my bread with White Wheat cause its better for him and I. He is an anti wheat person so I am gonna sneak it in and see where that leads us..


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## WaitingForKiddos (Nov 30, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jess12808* 








Yea he is a cresent roll finatic. He didnt like my sweet dinner rolls, so I gotta change that recipe to more savory.
he is a big buttery fluffy fan so I will have to try that microwave trick. I am already going to start making my bread with White Wheat cause its better for him and I. He is an anti wheat person so I am gonna sneak it in and see where that leads us..









I love these rolls...savory not sweet

3 c. flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 c. dried milk
1 c. warm water
2 Tablespoons softened butter/margarine
1 pkg. yeast (2 1/4 t)

Mix water, sugar, yeast and then allow to rest for 10 minutes. After yeast has bloomed, add 2 cups flour, salt, milk, and butter. Mix well by hand or with mixer. Slowly add remaining 1 cup flour till dough becomes elastic and soft pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Place in greased bowl and allow to rise in warm place for 1-2 hours, till doubled. Punch down dough. Divide into equal sized balls and place in greased 13 x 9 pan. Allow to rise 1-2 hours or till doubled. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or till tops are golden brown.

I really like the above recipe, and they last a few days if well sealed. I also make them into cloverleaf rolls in muffin pans.


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

Oh yum!







. I am gonna try em soon








I wish I knew what to do with all my extra bread








I think I am gonna donate it to the food pantry at the church. I have been baking and experimenting with new recipes and have wound up with extra in some cases cause DP doesnt eat a lot of bread.
I just cant eat it all!
Unless I can pass it on to someone else...LOL...


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## WaitingForKiddos (Nov 30, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jess12808* 
Oh yum!







. I am gonna try em soon








I wish I knew what to do with all my extra bread








I think I am gonna donate it to the food pantry at the church. I have been baking and experimenting with new recipes and have wound up with extra in some cases cause DP doesnt eat a lot of bread.
I just cant eat it all!
Unless I can pass it on to someone else...LOL...

Freeze it!


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

Mommy Brain today


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

yet another wonderful question







:
Someone sent me a great freshly baked gift in the mail and I want to retun the favor as a surprise(otheriwse I would ask her how she sent it).
How can I send someone a fresh loaf, or freshly baked goody and have it arrive somewhat tasty still?
Can I send stuff like this overseas? Cookies, breads....etc..
I have a friend in Australia and she has been wanting to try my beer batter bread forever and wants me to send her some.

BTW, my starte is going great! Gonna make my first loaf on Saturday, and use the rest of the starter for dinner rolls...etc


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## WaitingForKiddos (Nov 30, 2006)

I'm not sure about overseas shipping...but heck, if you can get it there in 2-4 days I'll bet a yeast bread that is well sealed would be okay. My beer bread never lasts more than 2 days around here so I don't know what it tastes like at that point. Maybe make a loaf and then taste it at the day it would arrive to AUS?

My Mom sends baked goods to me every year and they always taste good...well, minus the fruit cake







She just puts them in a tin, in a way that they wont crush each other, and the has the packing material surrounding the tin so it won't get banged up. Oh...if you use plastic, they have rubbermaid's made just for loaves of bread! That would work SO well....and is second gift!

What do you use to replenish and feed your starter? I use a flour/water mix for replenishing and then a tsp. of honey/sugar every 10 days to feed. Then I saw that some folks feed with flour only. Last week I found that the sourdough bread was much softer from a dinner roll size rather than a loaf size. I think I might get crazy and try and make my own loaf bowl and fill it with beef stew. Oh, yum, that would be good!!


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *WaitingForKiddos* 
I love these rolls...savory not sweet

3 c. flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 c. dried milk
1 c. warm water
2 Tablespoons softened butter/margarine
1 pkg. yeast (2 1/4 t)

Mix water, sugar, yeast and then allow to rest for 10 minutes. After yeast has bloomed, add 2 cups flour, salt, milk, and butter. Mix well by hand or with mixer. Slowly add remaining 1 cup flour till dough becomes elastic and soft pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Place in greased bowl and allow to rise in warm place for 1-2 hours, till doubled. Punch down dough. Divide into equal sized balls and place in greased 13 x 9 pan. Allow to rise 1-2 hours or till doubled. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or till tops are golden brown.

I really like the above recipe, and they last a few days if well sealed. I also make them into cloverleaf rolls in muffin pans.


I wonder if these would work for an herbed monkey bread?
hmm..I just may try it!


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

I use just plain ol' Flour and Water. It seems to be going great. I had to put it in the fridge for a day cause I wasnt able to feed it right away and didnt want it to go to big. It just has a LOT of hooch. I noticed it started making hooch on day 2..







:
But other than that, it looks great! I just started with 1 cup warm water and 1 cup flour. I found somewhere on google(blingo) that warm water is good to use if you are somewhere cold to help the process move along. Its REALLY cold in my house cause of all the drafts. So since its supposed to be kept in a 75-80 degree temp I just use warm water to help keep it warm.
my drafts are so bad I have ice building up INSIDE my sliding glass door....







:
I am so calling the owner tomorrow...
But yea it works great for me so far with just water and good ol' all purpose flour...


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

this is what I do too.
some people swear by milk though!


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## WaitingForKiddos (Nov 30, 2006)

Yes! They are great for that! I also will make a monkeybread and then pour a mix of melted butter and good quality mustard over the the balls. Yum!


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## WaitingForKiddos (Nov 30, 2006)

I've read of people in cold areas putting their new starters on top of the fridge or in an oven with the light on (just remember it's there before you preheat!).

When I first made my starter...what a mess!! I read the recipe saying to mix all the ingredients in a 'large container'. So I figured a 2 qt. jar would be big enough. I got it all nice, covered it neatly with cheesecloth and put it on the fridge to bloom. I come back a few hours later and there's this weird smell that I now know is the smell of starter. So I walk to the fridge and the damned stuff is overfilling. It spilled out of my not-large enough container, COVERED the top of the fridge, and then waterfalled down the back (of course) and the sides. Oh and being that the fridge was warm-ish, it hardened into a paste. Took 2 hours to clean and I swear that my kitchen smelled like starter for a week solid. Now my newly fed starter sits in the sink until it can be trusted.


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## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

Quote:

I've read of people in cold areas putting their new starters on top of the fridge or in an oven with the light on (just remember it's there before you preheat!).
Oh yeah, because not only does it kill your starter to heat it 350, I can tell you from horrible personal experience that it smells TERRIBLE









Next time I'm going to have to leave myself a note on the door handle or something.
Jen


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

Ok I made my Sweet Monkey Bread for breakfast today from frozen dough. I didnt have time to make the dough so I did it in advance about 4 days ago.
I took it out to defrost last nite at 10pm.
This morning I went to knead it out and bake it and it smelled of alcohol. Looked as if it over proofed-risen too much.
I kneaded it down and baked it.
I was hoping it would bake off...








Well DP got a piece that tasted like 151 he said








So how do I make dough, freeze it, and defrost it, without it getting that sourdough smell?
This was a basic white dough recipe with a yeast packet:
3-4 cups of flour
2 cups of milk
3 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of butter
1 packet of active dry yeast
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
Just in case anyone wanted to know








But how do I avoid the alcohol taste/aftertaste?


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

Next update. I made my first Sourdough loaf today!
I followed the instructions my mommy gave me. Baked it on day 7 after starting my starter.
Smells and tastes great.
The only thing DP said I should do differently is let the sponge proof a bit more to get a stonger "sour" flavor.
Other than that, its great!
I LOVE baking bread








The next step is making nacho cheese dip and sourdough pretzels..


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## rachelagain (Jun 15, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *WaitingForKiddos* 
I love these rolls...savory not sweet

3 c. flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 c. dried milk
1 c. warm water
2 Tablespoons softened butter/margarine
1 pkg. yeast (2 1/4 t)

Mix water, sugar, yeast and then allow to rest for 10 minutes. After yeast has bloomed, add 2 cups flour, salt, milk, and butter. Mix well by hand or with mixer. Slowly add remaining 1 cup flour till dough becomes elastic and soft pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Place in greased bowl and allow to rise in warm place for 1-2 hours, till doubled. Punch down dough. Divide into equal sized balls and place in greased 13 x 9 pan. Allow to rise 1-2 hours or till doubled. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or till tops are golden brown.

I really like the above recipe, and they last a few days if well sealed. I also make them into cloverleaf rolls in muffin pans.

My recipe is almost exactly the same-- I use it for everything- rolls, pizza dough, cinnamon rolls, etc. I normally add 1 c. WW flour too.

I finally had time to read through this whole thread-- how great! Going to have to try some of you recipes now!

Here's my main Whole Wheat Bread recipe: http://rachelscooking.blogspot.com/2...eat-bread.html

I noticed people add oil to theirs-- I've never done that.


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## HoneyTree (Apr 5, 2005)

This is from a page or so ago, but I used a metal pan of water, too, and I didn't pay attention to whether it was hot or cold.







I didn't know exploding glass pans was a risk!







Yikes!

So mamas who use dried milk, it is just for convenience? Does it significantly improve the texture? Save time? What's your motive?

And regarding the bread for gifts, how would you present a sourdough starter as a gift? I've not tried it yet, but I'm thinking about it, and I'm wondering how to make it more appealing and less intimidating for those who aren't (like us!) already in love with home-made bread.


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## rachelagain (Jun 15, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HoneyTree* 

So mamas who use dried milk, it is just for convenience? Does it significantly improve the texture? Save time? What's your motive?

I started using it because then I could just use warm water and add the powder- rather than heating the milk.
But my mom was telling me that the yeast and milk don't work too well together, that's why most recipes suggest proofing the yeast before adding the milk-- I don't really know anything other than what she said, as I haven't looked into it myself.


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## Girlymomwithsons (Nov 28, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rainbowmoon* 
does anyone make monkey bread? do I need a special pan? I am lusting after the william sonoma right one, but not sure it's necessary!







also, has anyone ever made an herbed monkey bread (not sweet)?

You should have a pan for monkey bread, at least an angel food one. I tried it in a low round pan before, but as it rose and baked, the rounds kept popping out and landing on the oven floor. I think we ended up with only half as much as we started out with.


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## Girlymomwithsons (Nov 28, 2007)

Hi, I am joining this thread too! I have been baking all our bread for years. When we moved in to our house, our oven was tiny, and wouldn't hold our bread bowl. So I rose all my bread in the dishwasher. It works great as long as your 3 year old doesn't come turn the dishwasher on! My favorite recipe these days is the Tyrolean Torpedo from the Bread Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum. It has a 10 grain mix in it, and I use multigrain bread flour instead of all white, so it ends up with about 14 grains. So good still warm.

My biggest challenge is that I want to get into sour dough, but I don't have a starter, and get overwhelmed trying to pick one to try. Any recomendations?


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## Girlymomwithsons (Nov 28, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mammom* 
I am having trouble with it being really sticky when I go to let it rise - my mom said it's possibly because I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour. Would that make the difference? I *have* made it when it has been nice and firm and not sticky, but I don't know what I am doing differently. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Also, my husband complains because it gets a little crumbly with sandwiches. Again, any suggestions?


I don't know if someone already answered this, but you could try bread flour instead of pastry flour. I find it holds its shape better, especially since I make all our bread, but we don't have a bread knife, so it can end up butchered by a plain smooth knife. Hope that helps.


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## 3for3hb (Jan 13, 2005)

I just wanted to join in and say that my favorite bread recipe is the Oatmeal Bread on the bags of King Arthur bread flour. Turns out perfectly everytime!


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## HoneyTree (Apr 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Girlymomwithsons* 
I don't know if someone already answered this, but you could try bread flour instead of pastry flour. I find it holds its shape better, especially since I make all our bread, but we don't have a bread knife, so it can end up butchered by a plain smooth knife. Hope that helps.

Good to know. I always wondered how bread flour was different.

And regarding the crumbly sandwich bread, I'm still struggling with this, too, but in the mean time just went to open-faced sandwiches!


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## kpb (Jul 1, 2006)

yumm just saw this!

have been experimented for quite some time with bread--Tom Brown's Tassajara Bread Book is great, and Nancy Silverton's Bread From La Brea Bakery, too....
but monday (our bread day) I just said f it and put a whole bunch of sourdough starter (about a cup) and 10 cups of bread flour to 2 1/2 cups water and put it next to the wood stove.......two and a half days later it was wonderfully sour and had a great flavor! It didn't rise as well as a yeast bread would but I was ok with that, knowing that it was fermented.....

ok, now I'm going to read through this thread









cheers
Kyara


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## HoneyTree (Apr 5, 2005)

:


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

Just made Sourdough English muffins today for breakfast...yum..








Had the flavor down, but gotta play with it a bit to get the holy fluffy texture yet. This batch came out mixed, some dense, some fluffy...So I dunno..








I will work on it and see what happens...
I also made more sourdough and felt like a sweet treat-So made non bread ( brownies)








Next comes the Black bean and chipolte sourdough.....Sounds good, just gotta get the beans and peppers...


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## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

Quote:

Good to know. I always wondered how bread flour was different.
Bread (high-grade) flour contains more gluten, which develops when you knead the dough. The more gluteny the flour, the more stretchy and pliable and luscious the dough is.







I notice a HUGE difference in my bread if I run out of high-grade and have to use normal flour--it just ain't the same. I usually make half-wholemeal loaves though, so it's only half high-grade flour. But then, I also add lecithin granules, and my yeast has bread improvers in it (which also makes a huge difference).

I was lazy with breadmaking for awhile, but just baked my first loaf in our new house the other day! I'd forgotten how much I LOVE homemade bread. Unfortunately the oven in this place runs hotter than our last one--it's lucky I checked before the time was up. I need to ask the landlord to fix that....


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## CookieMonsterMommy (Oct 15, 2002)

subbing


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## HoneyTree (Apr 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Smokering* 
Bread (high-grade) flour contains more gluten, which develops when you knead the dough. The more gluteny the flour, the more stretchy and pliable and luscious the dough is.









Ah-ha! So that's what's behind the 100-stirs and kneading and such!







So what's the deal with the no-knead bread, then?

I'm trying the rosemary olive oil bread this afternoon, though I have to modify it some for making by hand. I'll be paying closer attention to the gluten this time.







I love knowing what's happening; it makes the "mindful" part of baking more interesting!


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## Owen'nZoe (Sep 7, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HoneyTree* 
Ah-ha! So that's what's behind the 100-stirs and kneading and such!







So what's the deal with the no-knead bread, then?

I would so love to know the "how" of no-knead breads, too. I just made my first one today (using the recipe in the last issue of Mother Earth News, and it turned out fabulously. I would have been perfectly happy with this loaf of bread had I paid $4 for it in a bakery, and I have rarely felt that way about my own baking before. My only complaint is that I've eaten half the loaf myself already, and I just can't stop!


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## Girlymomwithsons (Nov 28, 2007)

So does anyone have any good storage tips for bread, other than a plastic bag? I make 6 loaves at a time, and I freeze most of it. I always reuse Zip lock bags for this, but they aren't quite the right shape, and I would rather not store our food in plastic.


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## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

subbity-sub, and perusing for a dinner roll recipe







:


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## captain optimism (Jan 2, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rani* 
Great thread...taking notes....I am hoping you can help me with kneading. My technique is lacking, I always wind up with lots of flaps from turn, knead, turn, knead...what is your best tip for kneading?

BTW, kneading is a great stress reliever, I just don't always like what happens to the loaf...

I just saw this. What do you mean by "flaps"? Maybe your dough is just a little too dry? You can actually knead in water--it's unpleasant and sub-optimal, but if your dough is so dry that it won't form a nice smooth ball, maybe you need to do that? You can mist the water on. Though sometimes I start out with floury bits and by the time I'm done it's all nice and smooth, no additional water necessary.

My best tip for kneading is the windowpane test. See the explanation and photos here:

http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/07/07/gluten/

Basically you stretch a small piece of dough between your fingers, and if it's stretch enough to let light through, then your gluten has developed sufficiently.


----------



## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *WaitingForKiddos* 
I love these rolls...savory not sweet

3 c. flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 c. dried milk
1 c. warm water
2 Tablespoons softened butter/margarine
1 pkg. yeast (2 1/4 t)

Mix water, sugar, yeast and then allow to rest for 10 minutes. After yeast has bloomed, add 2 cups flour, salt, milk, and butter. Mix well by hand or with mixer. Slowly add remaining 1 cup flour till dough becomes elastic and soft pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Place in greased bowl and allow to rise in warm place for 1-2 hours, till doubled. Punch down dough. Divide into equal sized balls and place in greased 13 x 9 pan. Allow to rise 1-2 hours or till doubled. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or till tops are golden brown.

I really like the above recipe, and they last a few days if well sealed. I also make them into cloverleaf rolls in muffin pans.

Just posting back to say that I made these today with 1/2 WW flour and 1/2 white bread flour and they were FAB-U-LOUS. My 4 1/2 yr old and my picky 2 1/2 yr old scarfed them down, so they are kid-approved as well







.

This one is going in my recipe box!
Jen


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

ooh ooh!! subbing. I don't know if I count as a breadmaker. I've made only about 7 loaves, (only 3 of them edible.) I got a bread maker from the thrift. I can make kick butt pizza dough, though!!!

I'm looking forward to learning a lot from ya'll!


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## WaitingForKiddos (Nov 30, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2Bugs* 
Just posting back to say that I made these today with 1/2 WW flour and 1/2 white bread flour and they were FAB-U-LOUS. My 4 1/2 yr old and my picky 2 1/2 yr old scarfed them down, so they are kid-approved as well







.

This one is going in my recipe box!
Jen

Yay! I'm glad you liked them!


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## Girlymomwithsons (Nov 28, 2007)

So I have a nice, sour starter all ready to go. My great bread book only has recipes for a stiff starter, and I have a liquid one. It's the kind my mom uses, and I didn't have much luck before with the stiff starter in our cold climate. Does anyone have a great sour dough recipe that calls for liquid starter so I don't have to convert my starter everytime I make bread? Thanks


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## WannabeaFarmer (Jul 7, 2006)

Here is what I do:
Take your starter and pour it into a large bowl
mix in 1 cup flour and 1 cup warm water
let it sit for 6-8hrs-I usually sit it out overnight
Next day or later the same day:
Take 2 cups of your sponge(fermented starter)set aside for your bread.
The rest is your new starter. Just feed and go..








Pour it into a mixing bowl
add 4 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of olive oil(optional)-I like the flavor
and 1 tsp of salt
Just gradually add your flour to your desired consistancy. I do it till I get a nice soft dough-I leave mine a lil sticky.
Let it rise and fall
Knead again.
Loaf it out








Rise again
And Bake...


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

mmm sourdough. I need to get a starter going again!


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mommabelle* 
I've never posted here before, but I am a bread baker! I've been baking on and off for several years, however last winter I got a grain grinder and a Zojirushi bread machine. I've been baking succesfully with no problems until we moved in July. Now, I just can't seem to get the bread to come out right since we moved. I've changed rise times etc.. I'm starting to wonder if it's over kneading the bread...if the machine was somehow damaged in the move. The bread comes out very heavy and not nearly as big as it used to. I use a half half combo of red/white whole wheat. I haven't bought bread since last winter until we moved. I have to figure this out! Help!

annekevdbroek..I agree that with kids around the bread machine has made making homemade bread easy and doable.

I would contact the manufacturer. Zojirushis are too expensive to just junk it and replace, yk?


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Chic_Mama* 
I would love to bake our own bread- I am a carb queen! But, how long does it take you? I have a high maintenance 17 month old and don't think I could be in the kitchen for hours on end. Suggestions for a newbie with little time?

It really doesn't take that long, most of the time is rising time.

I use the kitchenaid to do my kneading, cuz I'm lazy.







:
But really, the most time consuming part is the measuring and the kneading. When it's rising you can be doing other things.

For the bread machine loaves, I get huge bags of flour, and I mix up a gazillion loaves at once as my own 'mixes.' A 2 lb loaf fits perfectly in a quart sized mason jar (use a canning funnel) with just a little tapping for the last cup of flour, and you can store them in the pantry or the freezer. I use the freezer because we have a ridiculous amount of freezer space and not much pantry space, then I get one out and let it come to room temp before I use it. When I load the bread machine, I put the wet ingredients in the bottom, add the stuff from the jar, then put the yeast on top and turn on the machine. I keep my jar lids labeled with the type of bread, and the bread recipes are taped to the inside of my kitchen cabinet so I can check the measurements quickly without dragging out the recipe books.

I spend one morning loading up the jars, then it only takes me a few minutes to get the machine ready when I need a loaf of bread and don't have time to measure, knead, and watch the dough.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

wow, this is a seriously brilliant idea! would you mind sharing some of your recipes you use when you get a chance?

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bigeyes* 
It really doesn't take that long, most of the time is rising time.

I use the kitchenaid to do my kneading, cuz I'm lazy.







:
But really, the most time consuming part is the measuring and the kneading. When it's rising you can be doing other things.

For the bread machine loaves, I get huge bags of flour, and I mix up a gazillion loaves at once as my own 'mixes.' A 2 lb loaf fits perfectly in a quart sized mason jar (use a canning funnel) with just a little tapping for the last cup of flour, and you can store them in the pantry or the freezer. I use the freezer because we have a ridiculous amount of freezer space and not much pantry space, then I get one out and let it come to room temp before I use it. When I load the bread machine, I put the wet ingredients in the bottom, add the stuff from the jar, then put the yeast on top and turn on the machine. I keep my jar lids labeled with the type of bread, and the bread recipes are taped to the inside of my kitchen cabinet so I can check the measurements quickly without dragging out the recipe books.

I spend one morning loading up the jars, then it only takes me a few minutes to get the machine ready when I need a loaf of bread and don't have time to measure, knead, and watch the dough.


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

I found these online, and have not tried them, but they look interesting

http://arvaflourmills.com/Recipes.htm

this is probably the least healthy one we make, but it's a favorite







:
Hawaiian Bread
jar- 1/3 t ground ginger, 1 t salt, 1/3 c sugar, 1/2 c potato flakes, 3 1/2 c bread flour, 1 T vital wheat gluten

wet ingredients-1 c pineapple juice (i keep it in jars in the freezer as well) 1 egg, 1/3 c milk, 4 T butter, 1 t vanilla or coconut extract (i nuke all of this for about 20 seconds before adding to the pan)

2 t yeast

bake on the light crust setting, either sweet or white bread.

and paradoxically, this is the second favorite,









Whole Wheat Bread
wet ingredients-1 egg plus water to equal 1 1/3 c, 1/4 c oil

dry ingredients-1/4 c sugar, 2 t salt, 4 c whole wheat flour, 2 T gluten (if you have whole wheat bread flour you don't need to add the gluten)

2 1/4 t yeast (I buy the huge bag at costco, you can use an envelope if you want)

French Bread

wet ingredients-1 1/4 c 80 degree water (nuke tap water 20 seconds or so)

dry ingredients- 1 T sugar, 2 t salt, 4 c bread flour

2 1/4 t yeast

this has a really hard crust. this is the one I usually make when we have spaghetti, or I'm planning to make french toast, or use a recipe and toss the crusts.









I make a handful of hawaiian bread mixes and the start the bun production. I've found that in most recipes I can sub whole wheat for about 1/2 the bread flour without screwing up the recipe, so even the 'white' breads can be at least partially whole wheat.

Then I stash a little of the flour to use for pizza crusts when we're in the mood. I have several similar recipes I got off the internet, they all mix up in the kitchenaid, knead automatically, then rise in an greased bowl. I leave it alone until it's time to put it together, then the kids help.
There are so many to choose from and you kind of have to decide if you want thick or thin crust when you search for a recipe.

Hamburger or hotdog buns
6 c flour (i use bread flour, you can also use some whole wheat, or all whole wheat and add 1/4 c gluten)
1 T salt
1/4 c sugar
2 c warm water
1 T yeast
2 beaten eggs
1 c oil (a lot of times I just use olive oil, but you can use whatever is handy)

Dissolve yeast in water with a pinch of sugar, mix in with other ingredients. Knead for 10 minutes (be lazy, use the machine!) Let rise until double, about 45 minutes. punch down and let rise again. punch down and form into hot dog or hamburger bun shapes, make them a little small. Let rise until double. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes (mine never take this long!)
Let cool until just warm to the touch. Place in sealed bag to soften crust. I freeze mine and thaw as needed.

I like this for the make-ahead aspect
http://www.recipezaar.com/35267


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

ohhh thanks! and I am needing a hamburger bun recipe too so perfect timing!


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## pixiexto (Mar 6, 2003)

I've fallen in love with baking bread again in the last few months. We make the dough by hand, and make at least two loaves a week.

Definitely sub'ing here for tried & true recipes and tips!


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

we're pigs









I make buns about every 2 weeks, pizza every week or 2, and at least 3 or 4 loaves of bread a week, plus the occasional muffin, and pancake mixes... Even so, the huge bag of bread flour and 2 or 3 small bags of whole wheat flour last us all month.







:


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## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

Ooh, I was looking for a bun recipe too, thanks! Anyone have an amazing WW Pizza dough?
Jen


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

I haven't tried this one, but I lol'd

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amazing...st/Detail.aspx


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## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

LOL, thanks! I may give it a whirl. Seems like you can't hardly go wrong with 4 and 5 star recipes at allrecipes.com.
Jen


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## Jojo F. (Apr 7, 2007)

Sorry if this has been asked before.

I am gluten intolerant and use alternative flours- quinoa and nut butters are the only ones I have tried so far. I REALLY want to try hemp flour. I also do the whole TF thing and have had problems with soaking my flour- the loaves came out horrible!!!







What in the world did I do wrong? How do I soak flour so it turns out right? I HATE wasting food.

Also, I got a bread maker for Christmas and was wondering if any of you have used alternative flours with the machine.


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## pixiexto (Mar 6, 2003)

My favourite pizza dough:

1 C all-purpose flour
1 C whole wheat flour
2 T soymilk (Or regular milk) powder (I omit this when I don't have it, and have good results regardless)
1 T quick-rising yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 - 1 C *HOT* water

Dump it all together and mix. You can cheat and use a food processor, just let it run for a minute.

I find I really like it when I brush the edges of the crust with olive oil before baking. This crust comes out great every time.


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## kiwiva (Apr 17, 2006)

I've been making bread for a few months since I got a wheat grinder. I make about 2 loaves a week. I'd make more but then DH and I would eat more!







: So far I haven't been adventuresome though I got a new whole grain cookbook that has some yummy-sounding recipes.

I use my Kitchen Aid to mix and knead. I'm not clear on how long I'm supposed to be kneading. How do I know? What effect does over or under kneading have on the final product?


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/509...ead-speed-lead
there's a whole discussion about it. another site said about 1/2 the time the recipe says to do by hand. I just eyeball it.

I found this though:
overkneading makes it tough and dry, underkneading makes a loaf that won't hold its shape.
Is there a good way to tell if I am under or over kneading? ...
you can do the "window-pane" test. Take a small piece of your dough, flatten it into a round, and then pick it up and stretch it gently and slowly in all directions. If the gluten is developed enough, you will be able to start to see light through the thinning center of your dough BEFORE it tears. Since you are using all-purpose flour, this should work for you (unless you continue to use low protein AP). If you later want to try making whole grain dough, you can still try the test, but you will see flakes of bran in your window, and the sharp edges of the bran bits may cause the window to tear, even though you have good gluten development.

you can find more info if you just google overkneading, underkneading.


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## scorch_dc (Jul 31, 2005)

Hello everyone!

I recently got a sprouter and a wonderful grains mix so that I can make sprouted bread. I like the lighter flavor of using a mix..some sprouted grains AND flour as well. I have been digging all over the internet and have only found a few recipes--all seemingly from the same source (same ingredients/amounts). We made it today and it is good, but I would like to experiment with a few other recipes. Anyone have a good recipe to share?


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## beka1977 (Aug 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Smokering* 
Oh, I love breadmaking!







I use my streamlined, whole-wheatified variation of an 'Italian Bread' recipe I learned when I was ten or so. It makes good loaves, rolls, focaccia, tomato bread, grissini, cinnamon rolls and herb and garlic flatbread, with minor variations.

Would you mind posting your recipe?







:


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## Hatteras Gal (Jun 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bigeyes* 
A 2 lb loaf fits perfectly in a quart sized mason jar

I was just wondering about this today. Great timing! I was using my KA mixer but it is really struggling (it's got issues- too many times of using the mixer on a high speed to do dough- dh, not me). So I've been making dough in my KA food processor. I can only do one loaf (3 c. flour) at a time. I was thinking of getting the flour, sugar and salt together in something that will make it a bit easier.


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## maxwill129 (May 12, 2005)

Does anyone have any non-wheat recipes? We're trying to cut out wheat from DS's diet because we think he has an intolerance or allergy.


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## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

Quote:

Would you mind posting your recipe?
Sure!







I have a batch of it rising as we speak, for pizza dough.

I just put 'high-grade flour' in the recipe, but you can use as much wholemeal as you like. For normal loaves, I use 2c. wholemeal, 1c. white; for pita or pizza dough, I use 1c. wholemeal, 2c. white (DH thinks it's too stodgy with lots of wholemeal, for pizza dough).

Sift into a bowl:

3c. high-grade flour
1t. salt
1t. yeast (mine has bread improver in it)
1T soya lecithin (optional, I find it makes my wholemeal loaves fluffier).

Add:
1T. honey
1T. olive oil
1c. warm water

Knead ten minutes. Leave to rise until doubled in an oiled bowl, covered in gladwrap. Punch down dough, shape into loaves, rolls, whatever, and leave to rise again. I grease my baking trays, loaf tins etc and sprinkle them with coarse cornmeal before adding the dough.

When risen, brush dough with a little water mixed with salt, and/or sprinkle with rock salt and coarse cornmeal. Bake at 180C for 30-40 minutes.

And that's it! Tips... if you're a wee bit short on time, put the bread into an oven and _then_ turn it on. It'll rise a fair bit while the oven preheats. I bake my bread with a pan of water on the rack underneath, to help with rising and getting a good crust. This recipe works with sugar instead of honey, canola oil instead of olive... it's very forgiving. For making sweet rolls, ie. cinnamon rolls, use a non-olivey oil and double the honey. I've successfully added spices and raisins to the dough. For REALLY yummy lunchtime rolls, use a mini loaf tin and stuff the loaves (by rolling up Swiss roll style) with a mixture of tomato paste, cheese, cream cheese, herbs, garlic and ham. Or if you don't have mini loaf tins, make one big Swiss roll, slice it up and bake the slices in muffin tins. For foccacia, roll it pretty thin and scatter it with chopped olives, fresh chopped rosemary, rock salt, coarse cornmeal and a sprinkling of olive oil. I've made the dough into 'tomato bread' by adding a tablespoon of tomato paste in with the wet ingredients. That's quite yummy, especially with some oregano in the dough.

Let me know how it goes, if you try it!


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## Girlymomwithsons (Nov 28, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Smokering* 
Tips... if you're a wee bit short on time, put the bread into an oven and _then_ turn it on. It'll rise a fair bit while the oven preheats. )

Be careful of doing this if you have an oven that heats up really fast though, like me. I knew I shouldn't try it, but I was short on time the other day, and my mom ALWAYS skips the preheating, so I went ahead. My beautifully shaped round loaves of sourdough (I made 4 of them) went all bulbous and misshapen, because huge bubbles rose up to the surface all over them from the rapid heat increase. They still tasted good, but they were not so pretty!


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## Therese's Mommy (Jan 15, 2005)

Ok, I am going to jump in here. I make all the bread for my family. I have a Bosch mixer and I make 100% ww bread in it. That is basically the only bread I make on a regular basis. I have been posting recently in the Nutrition and Good Eating forum about this Lithuanian black rye bread I am *trying* to make. It is a 100% rye bread. My first batch baked last night. The loaves are weapons







Seriously, my bread knife will not even come close to breaching the crust. I am trying to make this for my fil's bday which is Monday. We will see him today, so I think I will ask him if his mother ever made it and whether he remembers anything about her making it. Or, if he knows any local ladies that might know something about the bread.

I am not really sure what went wrong. I wanted to make oblong loaves, so I didn't put them in loaf pans. Most of the loaves didn't rise up much. I think those loaves needed more flour. I guess I should have knead them more as well. Does anyone know if it will get a little elastic? Mine wasn't at all. I am going to cut the recipe in half next time so that my Bosch can do all the work. The whole recipe is about 8lbs of flour and I really don't think that my Bosch can handle it. There is no way that I will be kneading it on my own. I got a charley horse in my hand yesterday from trying to mix in the flour.

Ok, so I am here and hoping to learn something from all of you









Beth


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## Magali (Jun 8, 2007)

I haven't read all the posts yet. Just saying hi. I am a brand new bread maker. I usually try about once a year with sad results, but last week I gave it a go and my bread turned out so yummy. So now I am inspired! It's something I have always wanted to learn and become good at.


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## Girlymomwithsons (Nov 28, 2007)

Therese's Mommy: I have never made a 100% rye bread, but I have made some mostly rye, and I know what you mean, it is heavy, and doesn't always rise well. I may be wrong, but you may need to let it rise for a really long time because the yeast may have to work harder. Try mixing it longer like you said, and then let it rise for a long time in a cool place. That will develop the flavour too. Good luck. If you master it, please post the recipe!


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## insahmniak (Aug 16, 2003)

I'm aspiring to bake bread. Haven't actually done it yet! And I'm confused already about different flours. We just hooked up with an awesome grain mill and now can mill our own flour. We have 50lbs of organic Prairie Gold (from Montana). Technically I think it's considered a hard white wheat. DP has ground a couple cups and made some killer cinnamon rolls. I'd like to give it a whirl in the new bread machine but don't know what recipe to start with b/c I'm not sure what kind of flour this is or how I should compensate for the "fresh ground" part. I'm scared to start and have a flop. Anyone have some suggestions for this scenario? I'm anxious to try this out!


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## scorch_dc (Jul 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *insahmniak* 
I'd like to give it a whirl in the new bread machine but don't know what recipe to start with b/c I'm not sure what kind of flour this is or how I should compensate for the "fresh ground" part.Anyone have some suggestions for this scenario?

I found that weighing is more accurate than measuring cups when dealing with freshly ground wheat flour. It seems to me that it isn't packed as densely since it hasn't been packaged.

When I first started grinding I used recipes from this book:

Flour Power: A Guide To Modern Home Grain Milling
by Marleeta F. Basey

Now I have been working with it long enough that I know how to calculate everything!









Good luck!


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## insahmniak (Aug 16, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *scorch_dc* 
I found that weighing is more accurate than measuring cups when dealing with freshly ground wheat flour. It seems to me that it isn't packed as densely since it hasn't been packaged.

When I first started grinding I used recipes from this book:

Flour Power: A Guide To Modern Home Grain Milling
by Marleeta F. Basey

Now I have been working with it long enough that I know how to calculate everything!









Good luck!

Oooh. Thanks for the book rec. Off to see if I can get my hands on it...


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## brittneyscott (Mar 14, 2006)

Hi! I'm new to the bread baking club. Just made my first loaf today and I am in looove!







It tastes great and my kitchen smells awesome! I want to try making a whole wheat bread as soon as I can find a good place to get the supplies. Yeah!


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## HoneyTree (Apr 5, 2005)

Just giving this great tribe a little bump in light of the many recent conversations about bread baking...









Made myself a couple of multigrain loaves today. I wasn't sure how they would turn out--I only had about a cup each of graham flour, cornmeal, white flour, and wheat plus about three cups of rice flour. AND only about a teaspoon of yeast. So we did a little of this and a little of that, left the bread for a good long time to rise with the little yeast it had, and it turned out pretty good! Nice to have warm bread with butter and honey when a tropical storm is hammering on outside!


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## Norasmomma (Feb 26, 2008)

I baked bread yesterday, a nice focaccia and 2 pizza crusts. The weather here in WA is turning to fall, so I am again baking and cooking up a storm. Yummy. I think I'm going to make some WW w/ oats and maple syrup today, gotta go baby girl is waking up.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

here's a good pita recipe!








http://mideastfood.about.com/od/brea...readrecipe.htm


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

btw does anyone have any gluten free bread recipes?


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## Merf (Mar 19, 2008)

Just found this thread and can't wait to go back and read. I make all my own bread and just got a Bosch. Now I need to learn how to tell when my dough is done when using it, then I want to add soaking my flour.


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## Norasmomma (Feb 26, 2008)

My WW oatmeal bread turned out so good, it is amazing. I whipped up some honey butter in the KitchenAid and we ate a whole loaf. Tomorrow I am going to our Farmer's market and I will be getting some local grains, I am loving baking bread, I always have. for some reason I have been really inspired to make some new breads, so I pulled out one of my cookbooks and made my oatmeal bread. It's giving me something to do that's good for my family.


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## kiwiva (Apr 17, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Norasmomma* 
My WW oatmeal bread turned out so good, it is amazing. I whipped up some honey butter in the KitchenAid and we ate a whole loaf. Tomorrow I am going to our Farmer's market and I will be getting some local grains, I am loving baking bread, I always have. for some reason I have been really inspired to make some new breads, so I pulled out one of my cookbooks and made my oatmeal bread. It's giving me something to do that's good for my family.


Ooh, please share the recipe. I am in a honey whole wheat rut and that sounds really yummy!!







:


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## flminivanmama (Nov 21, 2001)

i looked back through this thread and saw I never posted any of my recipes...

this one is adapted from a recipe another mdc mama once posted... I make about 2+ loaves a week - in fact I need to make some today

10 (or so) grain bread

1 c oatmeal
1/2 c bobs red mill 10 grain cereal (sometimes I can't find the 10 grain, that's ok. they make others with fewer grains that are just as good...)
1/2 c molasses or brown sugar or a combo of the two
1 T salt
2 T olive oil
2 c boiling water.

mix and let batter cool to room temp.

disolve 1 scant T yeast in 1/2 c very warm water and a squirt of honey. let it proof and then mix into batter.

add 5 c flour. I use 2 c WW and 3 c king arthur bread flour. I also use 2 T vital wheat gluten. sometimes I toss in an egg. sometimes some veggie puree ala jessica seinfeld....

knead, cover, let rise, divide into 2 loaves let rise again, bake for 40 min at 350

yum yum yum

I also make yummy but very unhealthy challah if anyone wants the recipe (think pure sugar and white flour LOL) (tastes like a cake haha)








:


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## Norasmomma (Feb 26, 2008)

Here it is, I made French Toast with it today, with homemade peach-honey syrup, OMG it was so yummy.

Oatmeal Bread

1 tblsp yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water
1 tsp brown sugar(I used maple syrup)

about 5 cups flour(mixed AP and WW)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup soy flour(if you want)
about 2 cups or so oatmeal(I used 7 grain cereal mix)
a couple tblsp oil of choice(or melted butter)
1 1/2 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast in water w/ maple syrup or sugar, add flour gradually, then add wheat germ, soy(if using) and oatmeal at the end. Knead well on floured board and let rise for about 30 minutes. Knead again, and put into 2 greased loaf pans(or make rounds). Let rise again, bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until loaf is golden and hollow sounding when tapped.

*Note*I guessed on the temp, the book where this recipe is derived from is missing a few key elements, it said to bake for an hour w/out any amount of time, so from my knowledge of bread baking I picked 350 and I kept an eye on it, I put the timer on for 30 minutes. It was great, you may need to adjust for your own oven. Enjoy







:


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## Aeress (Jan 25, 2005)

SInce June I have bought one loaf of bread, which I am very proud of. First off, baking my own bread is very spiritual, it's much healthier than store bought and we have cut down on the amount of carbs and sugar signifcantly.







:

I have a bread book by Bernard Clayton Jr that I got from an mdc swap and it has become my only bread book. In fact, I am about to look through it to find a new recipe.

I haven't ventured into sour doughs but hope to as we move into fall/winter.

Great thread!


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## Norasmomma (Feb 26, 2008)

I am thinking about doing a SD bread also, I was thinking about making some starter today, or asking the local bakery if they would sell me some(doubt it). I'm going to the HFS to get some more new ingredients. It is a rainy very fall day today, so we are going to the store and then we are going to come home and bake more bread.

I was thinking a nice eggy, dough to make apple cinnamon rolls, and a nice loaf of bread. Yummy.


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## aniT (Jun 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Norasmomma* 
I am thinking about doing a SD bread also, I was thinking about making some starter today, or asking the local bakery if they would sell me some(doubt it). I'm going to the HFS to get some more new ingredients. *It is a rainy very fall day today,* so we are going to the store and then we are going to come home and bake more bread.

I was thinking a nice eggy, dough to make apple cinnamon rolls, and a nice loaf of bread. Yummy.

Does anyone have problems getting their bread to rise when it is cold?

I also have problems getting it to rise the 2nd time in the pan. It just wont rise, and I end up tossing the whole thing. Makes me sad about wasting all those ingredients.


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## flminivanmama (Nov 21, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aniT* 
Does anyone have problems getting their bread to rise when it is cold?

I also have problems getting it to rise the 2nd time in the pan. It just wont rise, and I end up tossing the whole thing. Makes me sad about wasting all those ingredients.

yes. my bread definitely does better in the summer.

in the winter I usually do the rises in the refridgerator. it can take hours but it works fine


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## aniT (Jun 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flminivanmama* 
yes. my bread definitely does better in the summer.

in the winter I usually do the rises in the refridgerator. it can take hours but it works fine

How would the refrigerator work when the counter doesn't? I have even tried putting it in the warming drawer in my stove.. but that doesn't work either. It gets kinda crusty on top and that is the end of that.


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## flminivanmama (Nov 21, 2001)

IDK it just does

http://www.baking911.com/bread/coolrise.htm


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## aniT (Jun 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flminivanmama* 







IDK it just does

http://www.baking911.com/bread/coolrise.htm

Thanks for that very informative link.


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## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *scorch_dc* 
I found that weighing is more accurate than measuring cups when dealing with freshly ground wheat flour. It seems to me that it isn't packed as densely since it hasn't been packaged.

I agree. I actually prefer weight measurements any time I'm dealing with large amounts of flour. A bonus if you're grinding your own: Once you figure out how much flour you need by weight for your recipe, you can just weigh out that much in wheat berries and voila--the exact amount of flour you need with no leftovers to sit around in the fridge and lose nutrients/go rancid.


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## medicmama (May 5, 2006)

This thread is very inspiring!

I so want to make bread.it just sounds so relaxing and very rewarding.

I have only ever made bread in a bread machine.its not that great.

Any one have a machine they like? I want to do by hand as well.


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## pixiedust (Dec 24, 2004)

Hi! I wanna join the fun







I recently bought a grain mill, 3 buckets of grain and a bosch. I've been making 5 loaves a week and they are FINALLY starting to turn out good. There's been a bit of trial and error involoved lol. It's been a fun process though.


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## Norasmomma (Feb 26, 2008)

I have never really baked much bread in the summer because my house gets so freakin hot. I always make bread in the fall and winter months, other than the occasional pizza dough in the summer. I have an awesome spot to warm my dough next to my pellet stove, so I put it there and let it do it's thing. It turns out perfect every time.

IDK I've never had an issue with it.


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *medicmama* 
This thread is very inspiring!

I so want to make bread.it just sounds so relaxing and very rewarding.

I have only ever made bread in a bread machine.its not that great.

Any one have a machine they like? I want to do by hand as well.

I always buy the cheapest machine I can get on sale around Christmastime and use it till it falls apart, the one I have right now is toastmaster. No problems.

I am making more bread without it though, because I'm trying to avoid the nonstick finishes and teflon that seem to be in all of them.


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## sunshinegal (May 20, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *medicmama* 
This thread is very inspiring!

I so want to make bread.it just sounds so relaxing and very rewarding.

I have only ever made bread in a bread machine.its not that great.

Any one have a machine they like? I want to do by hand as well.

When I first bought a bread machine (at the Thrift Store for $25) I used it just about every day until I got the hang of it. Then I decided that while I like homemade bread, I wasn't liking the way it baked in the pan that it came with. Such a strange shape and size . So now, I only use my bread machine on the dough cycle for the mixing, kneading and some of the rising. I then take it out to form it and let it rise a second time. After that I bake it in the oven. I really love it and it helps cut down on some of the hand work when I just don't have the time.

I also was able to find another bread machine at Goodwill for just $5 and it is a Breadman. It didn't have a manual but I found one online.

Stacey


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## CookieMonsterMommy (Oct 15, 2002)

So....for those of you who don't use a bread machine....

What are you using? Loaf pan? Some other mold? Stone? Baking sheet?


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## Merf (Mar 19, 2008)

I have a Toastmaster bread machine and have been happy with it. I don't use it too often though. I just made sure to buy one that had a dough option so I could make use of that.

I have three stoneware bread pans and use those first. I also have an old nasty looking metal one that I use if I make 5 loaves at once. The fifth portion I usually turn in to rolls or something else since I don't have a fifth pan. Next time I want to try a round loaf, something I've never tried.

I checked out the The Breadbaker's Apprentace and The Bread Bible from the library after the suggestions on this thread. Thanks to whoever posted them. I am finding them very interesting and inspirational.


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## Norasmomma (Feb 26, 2008)

Well for me shape depends on what my mood is. I have a pizza stone, and numerous loaf pans. My fave loaf pans are some old cruddy looking ones I scored at a yard sale, I like how the crust turns out in those. I just got 3 mini loaf pans and have thought about making some mini loaves.

I will make a round loaf on my pizza stone, the other day I made focaccia on it it turned out really good, although I baked it a little too long, but that combined with a hearty stew was so good.

Sometimes if I'm making bread for something a little fancier I'll do a braid, they turn out beautifully. I have a few different bread books with ideas for rolls etc....

Now if someone has a full proof French bread I am all ears.


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

I have a pizza stone and I've never made anything but pizza on it, I'll have to try a loaf of bread sometime. I've got these old bread pans that are that blue and white porcelain over metal that I use for rectangular loaves, and then I've got various small loaf pans for quick breads, and some breads I make in round loaves on cookie sheets.


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## flminivanmama (Nov 21, 2001)

old pyrex loaf pans...


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## CookieMonsterMommy (Oct 15, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bigeyes* 
and some breads I make in round loaves on cookie sheets.

Do you find that the bottom turns out...not so yummy?

For those that use stones or sheets--do you sprinkle the bottom? With what--? Corn meal? Flour? Seeds?

I'm prepping for fall/winter, and all the soups & stews with their crusty bread companions!


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## sweetmama3 (Apr 9, 2008)

Is there somewhere I can purchase bigger pans, to make bigger loafs? My loafs are so small, there is no way I could make a sandwich out of them.


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## sweetmama3 (Apr 9, 2008)

Oh, and what is the difference in the finished product of kneaded bread, and a batter bread, which is what I made today, and it turned out OK, but could be better, I thought you could use all white whole wheat, an dnow after reading< i have heard that sometimes it turns out too heavy when you do this, which it seems to be...


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CookieMonsterMommy* 
Do you find that the bottom turns out...not so yummy?

For those that use stones or sheets--do you sprinkle the bottom? With what--? Corn meal? Flour? Seeds?

I'm prepping for fall/winter, and all the soups & stews with their crusty bread companions!

I haven't really noticed it. I usually grease the pan, treat it just like one with sides, only the bread isn't 'contained.'

I would sprinkle the stone with cornmeal probably, like I do for pizza, I guess.


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## CathMac (Jan 10, 2006)

I started a separate thread on a pizza dough question and then I found this thread.

I resurrected my breadmaker and recently made a double batch using about 3 1/2 cups and 1 pkg of Hodgson's Mills yeast for whole wheat. I think it contained 5/4ths oz. In any case the package states it has about 25% more to offset the weight of the whole wheat.

The dough wasn't too bad but came out somewhat airy with an overly yeasty smell and taste. I'm wondering if whole white wheat doesn't need quite as much yeast as regular whole wheat.

In any case, if anyone has a recipe for a triple batch using all or mostly whole white wheat I would appreciate it. Also, a recipe using all or mostly whole white wheat for breakfast rolls would be great too.

BTW what's the simplest recipe for icing using confectionary sugar. I tried a very basic icing with confectionary sugar, water & vanilla extract and it had a "raw" taste to it. I even tried microwaving it. Would cooking it on the stove top or adding butter help?

Also, DH picked up some yeast for me and it looks like a 1" cube. I think it's .60 oz. I'm assuming it's a compressed block. How do you measure this?

Thanks,
~Cath


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

Monday night is my bread baking night..I was just thinking this thread needed reviving.

I have been making the artisan recipe from Mother Earth News and think it's my fav. thus far out of all my recipes!







I


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

the recipe is from this article
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-...tes-A-Day.aspx


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## insahmniak (Aug 16, 2003)

We've done that "artisan in five" a couple times now. It doesn't raise up as much as I'd like and comes out pretty flat. And it has been way too salty for me. (1.5 TBS per 6 cups, or something like that). Did you have better luck? We're using our own fresh-ground whole wheat. It's a winter white wheat and I'd really like to not use store-bought flour, but I have a feeling that the flour we use is partly to blame. Should I get some softer wheat berries? Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

I think it definitely works best with white bread/artisan flours. I hadn't noticed it being too salty either.

Making some more tonight!







:


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)




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## Theoretica (Feb 2, 2008)

subbing!


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## Salihah (Dec 14, 2003)

I've been enjoying this recipe the last few days. We often eat North African (with bread to pick up food instead of silverware), and these make an awesome flat bread. They also turn out hollow, so you can use them for pita sandwiches. But the kids put honey with cinnamon on them when they were fresh out of the oven and really liked that, too.

Use a pizza stone to make a sort of home-style tandoori.









Tandoori Roti

I love Auntie Manjula!


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## kdabbler (Feb 19, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DahlalLotus* 
Use a pizza stone to make a sort of home-style tandoori.









Tandoori Roti

I love Auntie Manjula!

















That looks like a lower fat alternative to the whole wheat flat bread I've made.

Can I substitute clarified butter for ghee? My neighborhood grocery stores cater to a more European and Latin American market. I'm sure I've never seen it before.


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## kdabbler (Feb 19, 2006)

You got me thinking about how to make ghee. I found this recipe. Seems super easy. I just don't have any cheesecloth in the house at the moment:
Backpacker's Ghee Recipe


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## ZanZansMommy (Nov 8, 2003)

subbing


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