bread makers - the people, not machines

[Guest guest]

I'm excited that there are bakers among us. I've got cookies, cakes,

sweet breads, etc. down for the most part, but am intimidated when it

comes to yeast. I hope you guys'll share some recipe's and helpful

hints!! I don't have a machine - hopefully you also have some

oldfashioned type recipes.

 

m

[Guest guest]

I read the Laurel's Kitchen many many years ago, and was inspired to

bake my own bread... I've been doing it ever since! =)

 

Check your library for that one! =)

 

Jenni (a non-machine, bread making person = ) )

 

On Wednesday, April 6, 2005, at 03:31 PM, melissa_hopp wrote:

 

>

> I'm excited that there are bakers among us.  I've got cookies, cakes,

> sweet breads, etc. down for the most part, but am intimidated when it

> comes to yeast.  I hope you guys'll share some recipe's and helpful

> hints!!  I don't have a machine - hopefully you also have some

> oldfashioned type recipes.

>

> m

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

> I'm excited that there are bakers among us. I've got cookies, cakes,

> sweet breads, etc. down for the most part, but am intimidated when it

> comes to yeast. I hope you guys'll share some recipe's and helpful

> hints!! I don't have a machine - hopefully you also have some

> oldfashioned type recipes.

 

m - I'm heading out of town for a long weekend, leaving in the

morning... but if this thread pops back up Tuesday, or someone reminds

me - I can post a bunch of bread recipes. My last job was in a bread

bakery. Are there specific flavors you like?

 

Amy, who just loves bread...

[Guest guest]

> I read the Laurel's Kitchen many many years ago, and was inspired to

> bake my own bread... I've been doing it ever since! =)

>

> Check your library for that one! =)

>

> Jenni (a non-machine, bread making person = ) )

 

Jenni, I love that book too! Did you know there's also a " Laurel's

Kitchen Bread Book " , vs " Laurel's Kitchen " ? The bread book has a

wonderful tutorial called " A Loaf for Learning " ...

 

Amy

[Guest guest]

most excellent... I seem to recall having that one out at one point too

(many years ago! I really should own that ! LOL) .. I'll have to look

into it.. I am looking forward to trying the recipes you post, Amy! =)

 

 

 

On Wednesday, April 6, 2005, at 11:54 PM, Amy wrote:

 

>

> > I read the Laurel's Kitchen many many years ago, and was inspired to

> > bake my own bread... I've been doing it ever since! =)

> >

> > Check your library for that one! =)

> >

> > Jenni (a non-machine, bread making person = )  )

>

> Jenni, I love that book too!  Did you know there's also a " Laurel's

> Kitchen Bread Book " , vs " Laurel's Kitchen " ?  The bread book has a

> wonderful tutorial called " A Loaf for Learning " ...

>

> Amy

 

 

[Guest guest]

Amy -

 

I like all breads...except olive. I'd like to be able to make french

types loaves or baguettes & Challah (I've a couple recipes for this

latter one, a sweet bread, but they all make three loaves and I don't

know how to cut it down to just one loaf).

 

Have a great trip!

 

m

[Guest guest]

There is a grocery store here that sells the best bread in their deli

area (sorry I don't bake bread as of yet). They have this wonderful

(I think it's an italian type of bread) olive bread (packed with

olives, garlic bread (packed with bulbs of garlic) and a few others

(asiago and a fruit/nut bread). Good stuff. It's hard not to pull

down the wrapper and bite into it before getting home. Even better

with butter and cheese too!

 

Shawn

 

, " melissa_hopp "

<hoppmel@c...> wrote:

>

> Amy -

>

> I like all breads...except olive. I'd like to be able to make french

> types loaves or baguettes & Challah (I've a couple recipes for this

> latter one, a sweet bread, but they all make three loaves and I don't

> know how to cut it down to just one loaf).

>

> Have a great trip!

>

> m

[Guest guest]

Oh Shawn they see me coming at Whole Foods, they are always handing me bread

samples when I enter the store. I eat first and find out what it was

afterwards..... I love the hard sourdough rolls with all types of seeds on

top..Those black sesame seeds Yumola! Donna

 

matrixenos <matrixenos wrote:

There is a grocery store here that sells the best bread in their deli

area (sorry I don't bake bread as of yet). They have this wonderful

(I think it's an italian type of bread) olive bread (packed with

olives, garlic bread (packed with bulbs of garlic) and a few others

(asiago and a fruit/nut bread). Good stuff. It's hard not to pull

down the wrapper and bite into it before getting home. Even better

with butter and cheese too!

 

Shawn

 

, " melissa_hopp "

<hoppmel@c...> wrote:

>

> Amy -

>

> I like all breads...except olive. I'd like to be able to make french

> types loaves or baguettes & Challah (I've a couple recipes for this

> latter one, a sweet bread, but they all make three loaves and I don't

> know how to cut it down to just one loaf).

>

> Have a great trip!

>

> m

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Gee that sounds like New Season's in Portland, OR. Oh, I just loved

buying their garlic bread, yes, whole cloves of roasted garlic tucked

throughout the luscious, airy bread with a perfect crust. Many times I

would eat warmed slices of it with just butter.

 

For those of you in the Portland area, has New Season's opened up any

more stores?

 

For those of you not familiar with this store, these are the people

who started Nature's, who was aggressively bought out by Wild Oats.

When the buyout was complete they left and immediately opened up

another natural and organic grocery store, even better than what

Nature's was and what Wild Oats will ever be. They do attempt to carry

local products as best they can. And they have the best lunch deli! I

used to work only a few miles from one and would find myself there

many times. Wild Oats unsuccessfully attempted to sue these folks,

but due to the rules with the type of buy out it was, they couldn't

stop them from opening up any competition.

 

Denise

 

, " matrixenos "

<matrixenos@h...> wrote:

>

> There is a grocery store here that sells the best bread in their deli

> area (sorry I don't bake bread as of yet). They have this wonderful

> (I think it's an italian type of bread) olive bread (packed with

> olives, garlic bread (packed with bulbs of garlic) and a few others

> (asiago and a fruit/nut bread). Good stuff. It's hard not to pull

> down the wrapper and bite into it before getting home. Even better

> with butter and cheese too!

>

> Shawn

[Guest guest]

> most excellent... I seem to recall having that one out at one point

> too (many years ago! I really should own that ! LOL) .. I'll have to

> look into it.. I am looking forward to trying the recipes you post,

> Amy! =)

 

Thanks, Jenni! I just posted Lemony Poppy Seed Bread (called

Lemony-Fennelly Bread in the book) from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book...

have a go at it - it will be worth it! :-)

 

Amy

[Guest guest]

> I like all breads...except olive. I'd like to be able to make

> french types loaves or baguettes & Challah (I've a couple recipes

> for this latter one, a sweet bread, but they all make three loaves

> and I don't know how to cut it down to just one loaf).

 

m - French loaves and baguettes are made with a very lean dough -

water, flour, yeast and sometimes salt. There are three main tricsk

for them.

 

1 - proper shaping with good surface tension, and having something to

help them keep their shape on the final rise (or proof) - such as a

baguette pan or a couche (less important than the good shaping,

especially since our home ovens are generally pretty small!).

 

2 - You need a *very* sharp razor blade (or lame' if you're fancy) to

make the slits that allow the bread to be what it is. They should be

diagonal, shallow, and the blade should be held almost parallel to

the bread surface, with just the tip doing the cutting, with a quick

flicking motion.

 

3 - The other trick for breads that really need a great crusty outside

- put unglazed quarry tiles in your oven before you preheat (I just

leave a pizza stone in there as we move too much to fit the tiles to

one specific oven yet) - you can set the loaves directly on the tiles

or use a pan or a sheet of parchment. Preheat the oven to the highest

temp possible, and have a heavy or cast iron pan on the oven floor or

lowest rack while preheating before you put the loaves in. Have ready

some hot water in a kettle. After you put the loaves in pour a cup or

two of water in the dry hot pan for instant steam. Alternatively or

additionally, you can use a fine mist sprayer (make sure it's clean

and has only ever had water in it) to spray the sides of the oven, and

a time or two after that early in the baking. Be sure not to spray

any lightbulbs you might have in your oven - they will shatter and you

will not be a happy bread baker. After about 5 minutes on high heat,

reduce the temperature to the normal baking temperature for the rest

of the time.

 

As for cutting down recipes... one thing I really learned in this

bakery (they were not folks for precision) - just try something. Don't

be held hostage to the recipe! In general, you can cut the main

ingredients in three, and you will probably need a bit less of things

like yeast, salt etc. But just try it in exact thirds, and see what

the dough feels like. You may end up adding more flour, or spritzing

in some more liquid, to get the right texture... but it will still

work as long as the yeast is alive and kickin'.

 

*breadlove*

Amy

[Guest guest]

> There is a grocery store here that sells the best bread in their deli

> area (sorry I don't bake bread as of yet). They have this wonderful

> (I think it's an italian type of bread) olive bread (packed with

> olives, garlic bread (packed with bulbs of garlic) and a few others

> (asiago and a fruit/nut bread). Good stuff. It's hard not to pull

> down the wrapper and bite into it before getting home. Even better

> with butter and cheese too!

 

Shawn, green olves or black? :-) Learn to make bread and you can have

whatever kind you want! :-) Do you roast your own garlic? It keeps

for a long time... My DH loves sundried tomato bread with asiago.

 

Amy

[Guest guest]

> Oh Shawn they see me coming at Whole Foods, they are always handing

me bread samples when I enter the store. I eat first and find out what

it was afterwards..... I love the hard sourdough rolls with all types

of seeds on top..Those black sesame seeds Yumola! Donna

 

I miss being near a Whole Foods! Have something of theirs for me!

(Yes, we went twice while were in DC...*lol*) I just found out the

local health food store is going to open a huge new one right near

me... but about 6 months after we're due to move on... :-7

[Guest guest]

Thanks Amy - printed all that and stuck it in my Laurel's Kitchen book

so's as not to lose it - see that's the kind of info you get when you

bake with a family member! I've been thinking about a pizza stone,

now I guess I really have a reason to get one!

 

m

[Guest guest]

> Thanks Amy - printed all that and stuck it in my Laurel's Kitchen book

> so's as not to lose it - see that's the kind of info you get when you

> bake with a family member! I've been thinking about a pizza stone,

> now I guess I really have a reason to get one!

 

There ya go! :-) And they're really not that expensive anymore either...

 

Good luck with the bread!!