Baking bread

[Wilbur]

How many of us bake bread? Yes it can take more time and depending on what you make can be a pita (kneading etc.). But it can be so much healthier and cheaper (some of the prices are insane for flour and yeast!!).

I am making my "grandmother's" oatmeal bread recipe tonight. Giving a loaf to my parents and one for us. I grew up thinking her bread was the beat I had ever had. Fresh baked bread....butter...mmmm....heaven. but this is what she made for sandwich bread as well (she never bought bread). Well I learned her recipe is simply the recipe from King Arthur flour oatmeal bread recipe. (So much for old family recipe's! Ha!). But it IS delicious.

I also have a really good no knead ciabatta recipe I will post up (I'm on my phone and can't grab it right now). But I'm curious how many bake bread and what recipes you use. I will say we use a bread machine some times too which is certainly ly easier! We usually just let it make the dough then transfer the dough to a regular bread pan to cook as the loaf comes out more "normal".

Anyway....I didn't see a "bread thread" so thought I would start one. I'll add the oatmeal bread recipe and the ciabatta one later.

[Flyin6]

It may be considered cheating, but I use a mix but do bake some from time to time...Then lather on real butter, then use that to dip in a bowl of beans!

[wyorunner]

We use our bread machine most of the time. But do love the bread it produces. Just the simple recipes that are in the book it came with, or from the bread books her grandmother gave us. We make banana bread about ever couple of weeks, and zucchini bread when we have zucchini from the garden. Those are both of course simple and in the oven.

I will say, the bread machine cannot make 100% wheat bread with fresh ground flour. I've got to figure out how to make it but it seems most recipes call for wheat bread to have some kind of bread flour or white flour added. The loaves i have made of fresh ground flour have always turned out good, but small and VERY dense. Half the size of a normal loaf with same amount of ingredients to give you an idea.




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[Wilbur]

I think any fresh made bread is great so whether you throw the ingredients together or buy a mix its all good in my mind.

I mentioned a no-knead ciabatta before- here is the recipe. Just so easy....mix it and forget it.

4 cups flour
1/4 tsp yeast
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 cups warm water

Mix it all in a bowl, then cover it with foil and let it rise for 18 hours
 
Then get a cutting board....wet the board a little and cover it with saran wrap (wetting the board helps the saran wrap stick). Spray the top of the saran wrap with cooking spray (or oil if you have on of those oil "spritzers")

Dump the bread dough from the bowl onto the plastic wrap and loosely shape it into a loaf.

Cover with another sprayed piece of saran wrap, cover with a towel and let it rise another 2 hours
 
After it has risen get a cookie sheet....oil the pan, sprinkle some corn meal on it

You can "roll it" onto the cookie sheet trying to preserve the shape as best as possible (this bread dough is not firm at all so will sort of "run"...just keep guiding it into the shape you want. Sprinkle some olive oil on top.
 
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and bake it for 35-30 minutes

Its good! ;)

[Wilbur]

This is the oatmeal bread recipe I made. It is also good bread for sandwiches....it slices well and is pretty dense so it stays together. That ciabatta loaf is not very good for sandwiches but is great for slathering on butter or dipping in olive oil or soup.

Here is where I got it (i.e. stole it ha!) King Arthur flour Oatmeal Bread recipe from their website:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/oatmeal-bread-recipe

This one does require kneading by hand or you can do it in a bread machine so whatever is easiest for you.


3 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
1 cup rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
2 teaspoons instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast*
1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk
3/4 cup raisins or currants (optional)

*If you use active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm milk before combining with the remaining ingredients.

Instructions
1.  In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough. Knead dough, by hand (10 minutes) or by machine (5 minutes) till it's smooth. 

2.  Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow it to rest for 1 hour; it'll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk. Shape as directed below.

3.  Bread machine method: Place all of the ingredients (except the fruit) into the pan of your machine, program machine for manual or dough, and press Start. About 10 minutes before the end of the second kneading cycle, check dough and adjust its consistency as necessary with additional flour or water; finished dough should be soft and supple. Add the raisins or currants about 3 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle. Shape as directed below.

4.  Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface, and shape it into a log. Place the log in a lightly greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, cover the pan (with an acrylic proof cover, or with lightly greased plastic wrap), and allow the dough to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, till it's crested 1" to 2" over the rim of the pan.

5.  Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190°F. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes of baking. 

6.  Yield: 1 loaf.

[BobbyB]

I think any fresh made bread is great so whether you throw the ingredients together or buy a mix its all good in my mind.

I mentioned a no-knead ciabatta before- here is the recipe. Just so easy....mix it and forget it.

4 cups flour
1/4 tsp yeast
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 cups warm water

Mix it all in a bowl, then cover it with foil and let it rise for 18 hours
 
Then get a cutting board....wet the board a little and cover it with saran wrap (wetting the board helps the saran wrap stick). Spray the top of the saran wrap with cooking spray (or oil if you have on of those oil "spritzers")

Dump the bread dough from the bowl onto the plastic wrap and loosely shape it into a loaf.

Cover with another sprayed piece of saran wrap, cover with a towel and let it rise another 2 hours
 
After it has risen get a cookie sheet....oil the pan, sprinkle some corn meal on it

You can "roll it" onto the cookie sheet trying to preserve the shape as best as possible (this bread dough is not firm at all so will sort of "run"...just keep guiding it into the shape you want. Sprinkle some olive oil on top.
 
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and bake it for 35-30 minutes

Its good! ;)

You say it's not very good for sandwiches but I love Ciabatta bread for breakfast sandwiches. I will have to try this recipe out sometime.

[EL TATE]

I tried like the dickens to make a sourdough starter with gluten free flour; (don't ask me why). It took weeks, natural yeast in the air, stirring, adding, removing repeat, and when it would finally start to bubble, and I could move on to the aging step, it would mold over. I love fresh baked bread, and am looking forward to some good recipes here. any real flour sourdough starter/mother recipes here?

[Wilbur]

I don't have any Tate....when I was little my mom had sourdough in the cupboard for making it. I don't know when she stopped it though...I would like some as well if anyone has a recipe that works.

[EL TATE]

From what i understand, once you get a mother going, they will keep forever