Yeast is yeast and west is west...: rj_anderson

Yeast is yeast and west is west...

And the twain shall meet in my kitchen, apparently. Or at least they have been since last fall, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

I am making another wholegrain loaf from the recipe in James Morton's Brilliant Bread, since my first one turned out so splendidly. For those of you who aren't already weary of hearing me (t)witter on about this book, here's my review from Amazon:

I read this book cover to cover like a novel, and enjoyed every second of it. My few attempts to make yeasted doughs had nearly always failed, and I'd given up even trying anymore, until I started watching Great British Bake-Off this past summer. James Morton made breadmaking look so simple and enjoyable, and seemed so confident that anyone could do it, that I was inspired to try again with the help of his book -- and I am SO glad I did. He clearly and helpfully explains how yeast works, what various kinds of flour are best for, and all the basics I'd been unaware of that had been sabotaging my efforts (if I'd only known that yeast will rise just fine, if more slowly, in a cool environment! I'd been killing my yeast by making it far too warm!).

If you don't have a bread-making granny or other helpful relative/friend to show you the ropes, or even if you do (because I've met veteran bread-makers who didn't know some of the practical tips James shares in this book), it's absolutely worth the investment. Also, there are beautiful full-colour pictures with every recipe, and also to show you the steps of kneading, shaping and other important techniques. I couldn't ask for a more practical or useful cookbook for a beginning bread-maker than this one.

P.S. I particularly recommend the wholegrain loaf recipe. Best brown bread I've ever eaten, and practically no kneading!

* * *

The down side to homemade bread, though, is that it doesn't stay fresh very long, even in my bread box (which my husband bought me several years ago to keep my cat from chewing through the bag, as she invariably does if I leave it out on the counter). So I'm going to slice this loaf and freeze the slices with some wax paper between, so they can be thawed and used for sandwiches and dinner accompaniments as needed -- hopefully that will solve the problem!

How many of you bake bread as a hobby? What are your favorite recipes?

deva_fagan

January 19 2017, 21:21:12 UTC 2 years ago

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Mmm, bread. I haven't baked my own in a long time as we have a local brand available at the store I love, but you are certainly making me interested in checking out that book. I hope the freezing works out -- I freeze my store-bought bread regularly and it works great -- defrosting is quick and easy and I don't notice much of a difference (none, if I am toasting it anyways).

rj_anderson

January 20 2017, 03:09:25 UTC 2 years ago

I think it should be fine, but I shall report back on the experiment when I have more data. Tonight my only experiment consisted of eating the crust-end with butter and jam. :)

2 years ago

kerravonsen

January 19 2017, 21:39:53 UTC 2 years ago

The down side to homemade bread, though, is that it doesn't stay fresh very long

Yes, I discovered that fact on a farm where we were making home made wholemeal bread (flour ground from local wheat). It tasted wonderful when just made, then the next day it was like eating a brick.

So I'm going to slice this loaf and freeze the slices with some wax paper between, so they can be thawed and used for sandwiches and dinner accompaniments as needed -- hopefully that will solve the problem!

I think it will. I regularly freeze bread, and though it's commercial bread and thus already has preservatives in it, it still keeps better if I put it in the freezer as soon as I buy it. I don't bother with the wax paper (since I buy the bread pre-sliced) but I'm sure the wax paper would make things easier -- I've had to wedge slices apart with a knife to get them, sometimes. I tend to just toast the bread from frozen, because I like toast, rather than trying to simply thaw the slices. It works for me.

January 20 2017, 03:07:52 UTC 2 years ago

I store most of our grocery store bread in the chest freezer, because my boys go through it so fast when they make school lunches (but not so fast that I can keep more than one or two loaves in the bread box, at least not without half of it going moldy or stale).

And yeah, I'm hoping the wax paper will eliminate the need for prying them apart with a knife, but we'll see.

imbecamiel

January 19 2017, 23:19:27 UTC 2 years ago

I love baking bread! That sounds like a book my sister and I would have a lot of fun with... I wouldn't consider myself particularly skilled with breadmaking at this point, but we do have a few favorite recipes. One of the most dependable tends to be challa bread - particularly nice because as far as homemade bread goes it stays moist longer than usual.

January 20 2017, 03:04:54 UTC 2 years ago

I have not tried Challah yet, but the book has a recipe for it! Perhaps I shall screw up my courage and try it next -- it does look delicious.

pameladean

January 20 2017, 02:53:51 UTC 2 years ago

I haven't made bread in a while, but I really like the Tassajara Bread Book's basic whole wheat bread. I also make a recipe of James Beard's, which is essentially a quick French bread. It doesn't keep well, probably less well than even real French bread, but it's a small recipe and we seldom have very much left.

P.

January 20 2017, 03:08:34 UTC 2 years ago

I bet it would make fantastic French Toast, though! Mm, French bread.

January 20 2017, 04:01:53 UTC 2 years ago

Oh yes, I'm sure that it would! It's not as splendid as actual French bread but it's very tasty, and you can use up to half whole wheat flour if you want to. Not authentic, but very nice indeed anyway.

I forgot to say that the Tassajara Bread Book was my Brilliant Bread, with exhaustive detailed yet quirky descriptions that worked for me where others just made me think, "Huh?" I've put Brilliant Bread on my list. I bet it has some tips I don't know about.

P.

scarvenartist

January 20 2017, 12:37:20 UTC 2 years ago

My husband grew up eating only his mom's homemade sandwich bread, and while he was perfectly fine with changing his ways once we got married, I really wanted to give it a try, so that's what I've done ever since (mostly with the aid of a bread machine, just for ease and convenience, since we go through a LOT of bread--though I prefer making any special breads without it, because I actually loooove the feel of the dough in my hands. It's aliiiiiiive!).

This is one of my favorite things ever, and is fairly easy, too. I've done it with regular yeast rather than quick-rise too, just proofed it in the liquid first, and it always turns out so light and flaky, noooom.

I don't have a good multigrain recipe yet though, so I will really have to see if I can find this book! Sounds delicious!

January 20 2017, 22:17:13 UTC 2 years ago

Ooooh, that pull-apart bread looks fantastic. In fact, it looked so fantastic that I'm waiting for it to finish the last rise right now so I can bake it for supper. (I did the stacking wrong, apparently, but I managed to squish it all into the pan anyway. I just hope it spreads sideways on the second rise, since it certainly doesn't have room to spread lengthwise!)

Thanks for sharing the recipe! I'll let you know how it turns out. :D

January 21 2017, 03:52:04 UTC 2 years ago

Reporting back to let you know that that garlic & herb pull-apart bread was a MAJOR hit in my house. Turned out beautifully and all three of my sons -- and my husband -- loved it. There's about a fifth of it left over, but not for long...

Thanks so much for a great recipe! I can tell I'll be making this one a lot.

January 21 2017, 17:26:47 UTC 2 years ago

Oh yay, so glad it turned out, and was enjoyed by everyone! Honestly, whenever I make it...between the two of us, we usually eat half a loaf in one sitting, heh.

(By the way, there is also a link, in that recipe, to an apple cinnamon version. I'm partial to savory over sweet, but I've tried that one too, and it is really delicious.)

meltintall3

January 21 2017, 17:48:55 UTC 2 years ago

My sister bakes bread, and it is THE BEST fresh out of the oven. It doesn't last very long, but we've found it stays fresh longer if we cut into the loaf only before eating (ie, store it uncut). It freezes pretty well, and then makes great toast (because I'm too impatient to let it thaw all the way and toast is good).

January 22 2017, 00:18:28 UTC 2 years ago

I love oven-hot bread as well, but when I took a one-night course in basic breadmaking at a local cooking store, the chef said that you shouldn't cut bread until it's cooled because it lets out the steam and makes the inside of the loaf doughy. He recommended letting the bread cool completely out of the oven first, and then warming up whatever slices or chunks you plan to eat.

(That being said, we totally ripped into the garlic-herb pull apart bread fresh from the oven, because the rest of the dinner was already on the table, and sometimes these things have just got to be done. And yeah, it was a bit doughy... but also delicious.)

And yes, toast is good. Especially if it's wholegrain bread. Or oatmeal bread, which I love but do not yet have a recipe for... probably because every time I make porridge we eat it all and there's no leftovers anyway.

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