Making your own breads?

[branv]

Does anyone else bake their own breads to control consumption of fillers/additives/hfcs, etc, as well as lowering costs? I'm just getting started -- the people who started the thread on making pizza doughs can be blamed...once I started trying that, I just kept going. Being about as newbie as one can get (no seriously, 34 and I'd never baked anything with yeast before), I've baked some real bricks so far, but had a breakthrough when I tried the white sandwich bread recipe from the Bread Bakers Apprentice. It was almost a religious experience and I don't know that I can ever go back to store bought (even if 75% of my breads turn out as anchors )

On that note: I was wondering if anyone on here has any tried and true bread recipes? Right now I'm searching and searching for a relatively simple whole wheat sandwich bread recipe that isn't sweet. I know sugar helps breads along and to look nice a browned, but most wheat breads have just TOO much sugar or honey for my tastes.

 

[crisi]

I love baking bread. I think I just use a wheat bread recipe out of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook - turns out ok. Don't bake it much since I discovered I was gluten intolerant.

If you are really looking to keep costs rock bottom, try sourdough.

 

[Karenj2]

I can't help you with the non-honey wheat bread, because I've fallen in love with an Outback-like honey wheat recipe. YUM!!!

That being said, I have found a bunch of great recipes on www.recipezaar.com for my bread machine, and my dad (!) sent me recipes that he adapted from my grandma for HIS bread machine. (since it's a machine, it's not too girly for a guy to cook bread. )

I have recipes for:
- Country White
- Honey Wheat
- Honey Oat
- Swedish Rye

I also have non-bread machine recipes for:
- Swedish coffee cake (sweet bread that's braided - DELICIOUS toasted!)
- Sticky buns (actually, this is in BH&G cookbook, but I grew up thinking it was grandma's recipe)
- Swedish Rye (same type as above, just not modified for bread machine)

Congrats on testing your limits on the cooking relm! I love to bake - I just don't get much time to do it. (Right now I'm craving bread, but don't have enough ingredients to make it.)

 

[Kay1]

I started baking bread when I was very young but stopped last year. It heats up the kitchen so and I found two bakery outlets in town. One sells Flowers family, the other Arnold's, Thomas's, Weight Watchers, Boboli and more. I can get high-quality bread for a dollar or less.

 

[tinkarooni]

I bake bread almost every week for my family for exactly the reasons you stated. If you check the labels you can't even find a bread without high fructose corn syrup. Go to www.allrecipe.com, they have wonderful bread recipes. Two of my favorites are Kid Friendly Wheat Bread and Honey Wheat Bread II.

Good Luck!

 

[Mono~rail]

I was going to suggest a sour dough also. Those only use a tablespoon or so of sugar.

I use a bread machine for my bread making.

 

[shirleyb]

I bake the English muffin bread recipe off of Allrecipes.com at least one time per week. This bread makes the best toast. I eat it for breakfast in the morning, and sometimes we have it for a snack at other times of day.

I have a kitchenaid mixer, and just love making bread in it. I'd love to share recipes!

 

[theparsons]

I've got a loaf of Beer/Cheddar bread in the machine right now.....to go along with the homemade sauce for my spaghetti. If I only had a pasta maker it would truly be a homemade meal, lol. Oh...and the kids are making chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.....hopefully some of them will survive for dessert.

 

[DisneyDizzy]

I bake the English muffin bread recipe off of Allrecipes.com at least one time per week. This bread makes the best toast. I eat it for breakfast in the morning, and sometimes we have it for a snack at other times of day.

I have a kitchenaid mixer, and just love making bread in it. I'd love to share recipes!

I have a 6qt Kitchen Aid but I've never made bread in it. I always use the dough setting on my bread machine then put it in a regular pan. I would LOVE to get rid of the bread machine and just use the Kitchen Aid. I really am just not that into hand kneading it.

How do you do it with your mixer. I have the dough hook!

 

[cirquelovers]

I would love a recipe for sourdough bread or anything using sourdough starter. My husband wants me to make sourdough starter to make sourdough pancakes but I don't know what else to do with the starter and it sounds like you need to use it every week or so.

 

[Mono~rail]

I've got a loaf of Beer/Cheddar bread in the machine right now.....to go along with the homemade sauce for my spaghetti. If I only had a pasta maker it would truly be a homemade meal, lol. Oh...and the kids are making chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.....hopefully some of them will survive for dessert.

Can you give a link to which recipe you use? I googled it, and I came up with lots of different recipes. They were all different.

 

[shirleyb]

I have a 6qt Kitchen Aid but I've never made bread in it. I always use the dough setting on my bread machine then put it in a regular pan. I would LOVE to get rid of the bread machine and just use the Kitchen Aid. I really am just not that into hand kneading it.

How do you do it with your mixer. I have the dough hook!

Oh, it's a piece of cake! What you do need to know, is what the texture of the dough should be like - should it be sticky or smooth.

The English Muffin bread that I make is a stick dough, so I add exactly the amount of flour that the recipe calls for. Smooth doughs, like most breads, the recipe might give you a range, like 6 - 7 cups of flour. If you're kneading by hand or with the machine, you basically stop when the dough is smooth and not sticky. Using the mixer, you the dough to pull away cleanly from the side of the bowl.

Your dough hook will do a great job kneading your bread, give it a try.

 

[hsmamato2]

mmm,I bake in the bread machine every other day- to keep things simple..either a rye/wheat mix, a wwheat mix with a little white in it,or sometimes a nice fluffy white loaf,we rarely buy bread anymore

 

[Mono~rail]

I would love a recipe for sourdough bread or anything using sourdough starter. My husband wants me to make sourdough starter to make sourdough pancakes but I don't know what else to do with the starter and it sounds like you need to use it every week or so.

I've been using this recipe for years, and we enjoy it.

Sour Dough Starter:
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
2 c. warm water
2 c. flour (I use bread flour)

Step 1: In a large glass bowl mix yeast and warm water. Use any utensil besides metal. Let stand 10 minutes.

2: Add flour

3: Cover loosely, let stand for 24 hrs.

4: Stir, cover loosely. Let sour for 2-3 days in a warm, dry place. Stir once daily.

Sour Dough Starter Replinishing:
Add equal amounts of flour and warm water. If bread recipe calls for 1 cup of starter, to replinish add 1 c. water and 1 c. flour. Let stand at room temperature covered loosely for 3 to 5 hrs then refrigerate.

If not used at least once weekly, remove 1 c. starter and replinish with above instructions to keep starter "alive."

Sour Dough Bread Recipe:
1 1/4 c. starter
3/4 c. warm water
1 3/4 tsp. salt
4 c. bread flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 3/4 tsp. active dry yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine in order listed. Use basic setting for 2 lb. loaf. I use light crust.

 

[branv]

Oh that darn Kitchen Aid mixer is what messed me up at first. I thought to myself "hmmmm, well I'll just mix it in the KA as long as the recipe says to hand mix it".

Wrooooooooooong.

After checking out thefreshloaf.com I finally found out I was not only mixing it too long but on too high a speed. What works best for the doughs I've succeeded in so far (the white bread and some pitas...still a little too nervous to try the french breads, etc ), was to mix the ingredients with the paddle just until it comes together, then switch to the dough hook for kneading. My mixer (KA 500 series) worked best on speed 2, and for the ones that have been successful , mixing only took about 3-4 minutes. But if you want to make bowling balls, my original method of 10 minutes on super speed is great.

I was given a bread machine a long time ago but gave it away. I just never got any enjoyment out of it...which I realize now was due to the fact that I was buying bread-mixes (hence why this is my first time working with yeast...before I just had to open a box and dump it in ), and those never seemed to taste good (duh). But I also think I prefer the hands-on nature of doing it myself. I do love using my KA since I have some wrist issues, but one thing I learned quickly is that there is something very zen about hand kneading. And I felt a little thrill actually feeling this thing come to life under my hands. Though I am a little weird that way.

Though it's not "real" bread baking, this weekend I'm going to try out Cook's Illustrated's version of the no-knead bread dough. I figure I will just fake artisan bread for a while until I get courage to try the real thing.

As for sourdough, love the flavor, intimidated as heck by the process....the long, long process. I'm still working on getting right the doughs that rest overnight. But I'll tackle sourdoughs one day!

 

[theparsons]

Can you give a link to which recipe you use? I googled it, and I came up with lots of different recipes. They were all different.

For a 2 pound loaf:

11 ounces of beer (open it and let it go flat first...the 12th ounce is for you before it goes flat, lol)

5 ounces of cheddar grated (I usually use medium because that is what my family eats regularly, but if I am planning ahead for this bread, I'd use sharp).

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 cups bread flour

2 3/4 teaspoons of bread machine yeast

I like a dark crust, and just use the basic bread setting on my machine.

 

[DisneyCrazyX5]

Has anyone made a sourdough that uses instant potato flakes? I used to make this bread years ago, but let my starter die. I have the recipe to make the bread, but not one one how to make the starter. The starter was givien to me like freindship bread, but it was not a sweet bread.

 

[goofyisinphilly]

I recently made a a few loaves of Italian bread from my heart healthy cookbook. It was very time intensive but the results were wonderful. A slice only had 33 calories to boot!

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

I make my own in the bread machine, but I'm not sure if that counts or not I'm not very adventurous with trying new recipes, and I've made some hockey pucks myself

 

[Mono~rail]

For a 2 pound loaf:

11 ounces of beer (open it and let it go flat first...the 12th ounce is for you before it goes flat, lol)

5 ounces of cheddar grated (I usually use medium because that is what my family eats regularly, but if I am planning ahead for this bread, I'd use sharp).

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 cups bread flour

2 3/4 teaspoons of bread machine yeast

I like a dark crust, and just use the basic bread setting on my machine.

Thanks! I've got a loaf making in the machine right now!