Homemade Bread

Discussion in 'Food & Drinks' started by John Brunner, Aug 29, 2020.

  1. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I've never been much of a daily bread maker. I'd like to make my own sandwich bread, but have never found a wheat bread recipe that doesn't takes like a dense loaf of sawdust, so I stick to store-bought whole grain.

    I like making rolls, and often make the Mormon Church's version of Parker House rolls (it uses dehydrated milk.)

    The only breads I'm good at are French bread and Italian bread. This is the French bread I made when my church did a Christmas dinner for 50 people:

    French Bread.jpg

    I always have a supply of homemade Italian bread in the freezer, and since it was gonna be rainy today due to Hurricane Laura, I made a fresh batch.

    It starts with a biga made the evening before that sits out for a few hours, then grows in the fridge overnight. It's the same process as making ciabatta, and the dough is just about as loose. My Breville convection oven has a "Proof" function on it that holds the oven at 85° so I tried it out today. Works pretty well.

    I started using diastatic malt powder a few years ago to give the bread a better rise and a browner crust. I just happened upon it when reading a bread making forum.

    I hate to admit that if I did not have a stand mixer, I'd never do this. I'm way too lazy...

    Italian bread.jpg

    I always start "testing" an end piece when I make this, and have to stop myself before 1/2 of a loaf is gone.
     
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    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
  2. Martin Alonzo

    Martin Alonzo Supreme Member
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    That bread looks so good. I went gluten free and not eating bread anymore. I have been experimenting with rice flour but never comes out the same. only wish I had a recipe that would work good with rice flour.
     
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  3. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    You know, I gave up drinking a number of years ago and kinda decided that was gonna be my sole life sacrifice (although I do generally eat well.) I really love bread. I could live entirely off of soup, salad, and quality bread.

    I've not cooked with rice flour or almond flour or any of the wheat alternatives. I know there are gluten-free flours out there.

    I wonder if @Trevalius Guyus might have a recipe. I believe he works in food service and does a lot of alternative dishes, if that's the right descriptor.
     
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  4. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    I'm lazy; I use a bread machine for homemade bread. :D
     
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  5. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    HEY!!

    Welcome back!!!
    Did Laura make you shelter-out-of-place?

    We got the tail end here in the middle of Virginia today (rained for a couple of hours.)
     
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  6. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    Hey you. We were in GA for my brother's funeral last Monday and got marooned there until yesterday by Laura. I was petrified that it would turn and hit Houston but we dodged a bullet this time.
     
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  7. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Gotcha.

    Sorry about your brother.
    I lost a brother in Feb 2019 (and one 20 years ago last Wednesday.)

    Glad you made it home safely. Significant hurricanes are kinda rare here in the middle of Virginia. They have to come up the east coast and turn inland just right for me to get anything but rain.

    Check out the kitchen gadget and internet purchases threads. I've been satisfying my forever wish-list. Screw it. If I can't eat out, I'm gonna expand my residential capabilities.
     
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  8. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I haven't done so in a while, but I used to enjoy making bread.
     
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  9. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    If you start again, you gotta check out diastatic malt powder. It has an enzyme that frees up the sugars in the flour so they are more available to the yeast. You get a better rise and a browner crust. You use just a little...less than a tsp for 3-5 cups of flour. If you use too much, you'll break the sugars down so much the bread loses its structure and gets too crumbly. I did that once and the bread was horrible.

    As I said, I've not been a regular bread maker but love having rolls with my meals, so have tried a bunch of roll recipes. I've made ciabatta but struggle to hold a decent shape because the dough is so loose. Also made a bunch of different Naan breads, even cooked it on the charcoal grill (my favorite way to do it, gives the Naan a great flavor.)
     
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  10. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    We have just about finished the whole wheat bread that I made last week in the bread machine; so today I am making more of a breakfast bread, with cinnamon and raisins in it. I am making the smaller size loaf this time, and hoping that it will turn out okay with all of the little additions to the bread.
    I got a HUmana $50 gift card last week, so I put it on Amazon and ordered a new bread machine.
    The one that I have now is an older Sunbeam. I have had it 4-5 years, and I bought it at the thrift store in the first place, so it is pretty much a dinosaur.

    I remember @Beth Gallagher (I think it was) that said she got a new bread machine, and it was a lot lighter weight than her old one was, and this one is about 3 lbs lighter than my old one, from what information I could find about both of them.
     
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  11. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    I believe he’s a vegan but he might have a recipe. Also, he’s a surgeon......a tree surgeon, Arborist, or as his username implies, tree guy.
     
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  12. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I thought an 'arborist was a British guy who manages seaports.
     
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  13. Al Amoling

    Al Amoling Veteran Member
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    he quit as of 4/26 in this thread http://www.seniorsonly.club/threads...s-may-become-uninhabitable.18412/#post-510574
     
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  14. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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  15. Al Amoling

    Al Amoling Veteran Member
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    yes it is sad that when you can't seem to get the attention you think you deserve that you quit or threaten to quit.
     
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