As of last Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, I am officially an apprentice self-taught bread baker, and I made bread all weekend long. In two days, El Hub, Connor and I have already eaten two huge loaves. TWO!
If you want a ? loaf — or loaves — and you happen to be within cat walking distance, let me know. I can hook you up. First come, first serve!
Granted, I can’t guarantee that the loaves will be aesthetically pleasing. After all, this isn’t The Great British Baking Show (Paul Hollywood would talk mad crap about my loaves), but they should be edible…ish.
Haha!
I’m totally for #allthecarbs, but there’s going to have to be some kind of rationing or self-control involved, because I can’t keep eating this much bread… I just can’t.
I actually made three loaves on Saturday — one rustic no-knead loaf that I proofed overnight, and two French bread loaves that proofed for a couple hours. I gave one of the French breads to Cindy as a belated birthday present when I saw her on Sunday before we went to the museum.
Well, it was supposed to be French bread, but it looked like a focaccia gone wrong… It might have been the weirdest, or the most awesome, birthday present I’ve ever given anyone. 🙂
The first loaf was a rustic, no-knead round bread that was easier than I expected it to be thanks to Laura in the Kitchen.
It was deeeelicious! Almost like sourdough! Even though it turned out flatter than I hoped, it had nice big holes you could swim through, and apparently that’s something you want when you bake certain types of bread, which is something I learned from The Great British Baking Show.
You also want height, which, unfortunately, my rustic loaf lacked, because the dough deflated at some point overnight while it proofed in my microwave.
I still don’t know what went wrong (Was it the plastic bowl? Did the microwave get too cold?), but I’m determined to figure it out.
The second and third loaves were French breads, and they were more challenging. The recipe I used was supposed to be a good one for bread beginners, but I guess I did something wrong. I dunno… Bread is kind of mysterious. Unlike cooking, where you can usually figure out a way to salvage something if something goes wrong, I think baking bread is less forgiving. There isn’t as much leeway for incompetence, LOL.
They started off looking somewhat decent, but they took a detour into The Land of Hideous Bread when I scored the first loaf (which is when you slash the tops with a knife) and accidentally deflated it.
WHOOPS!
I also accidentally closed the oven door too quickly, which flattened it out even more.
We still ate it, though… Yeah we did. 🙂 And it tasted OK. It wasn’t as good as the rustic loaf, but it was good enough for toast at breakfast. And for sandwiches at lunch. And with beef stew at dinner.
Overall, I’d say it was an OK first chapter in my bread baking odyssey. At least everything was edible. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Do you ever make bread? And do you have any good tips or recipe suggestions?
Your loaves look really nice. I’ve only used a bread machine, and I haven’t used it in a really long time. My parents bought one when it was trendy, used it a lot for about a year, then put it away. I should get it out and see if it still works. We only used bread machine recipes, nothing fancy, but it did taste pretty good.
Hi CL,
OK, so I must be living in a cave because I had no idea that bread machines were a thing! LOL
Great work! I make a lot of fruit breads, which are easy and require no yeast. My favorite is the pumpkin cranberry loaf recipe from epicurious.com that you can make into a bread pudding with a ginger custard. For yeast breads, I’ve figured out how to make a good rye bread and generally find I need to use more yeast than a recipe calls for if I want it to rise well. King Arthur Flour has some tasty (but not necessarily easy) bread recipes.
Hi Swoozy,
Thank you! Thanks for the info on adding extra yeast. I’ll try that when I’m doing more rustic loaf experiments.
Fruit breads *are* so much easier, I totally agree. Banana bread is my favorite. I also make a mean zucchini and chocolate chip bread loaf, too. If you want the recipe let me know; I bring it to parties and get-togethers all the time and people seem to like it. 🙂
Yes, I would love recipes! Thank you!
Check out The Frugal Girl for her bread recipes. She has troubleshooting tips too. I’ve always had good luck with her recipes
Thanks, Lisa. Her site is new to me, so I’ll check it out. Is there a specific bread recipe that she does that’s your go-to?
You can’t go wrong with her French bread, or the honey glazed rolls. ?
Aw man!! I’m all about that bread baking life. Haven’t done it in a hot second, though – I need to get back on that train. I used the “artisan bread in 5 minutes a day” method, which is really very easy. Mix up your dough (enough for 4-6 batches), let it sit out for a few hours to rise, and then pop it in your fridge. Every time you want to make a loaf, pull out the desired amount, shape it into a loaf, let it proof for 30 min while the oven heats up, and then bake! It’s crazy easy. And the dough develops SO much flavor after a few days. I lurv it. Try googling the method – it’s all over the internet.
OK, so it never occurred to me to leave the proofed bread in the fridge, OH EM GEE! I will look into this ASAP. Thanks Shannon!
P.S. What type of yeast did you use? Did you use the kind you have to add to water first?
I think I just used standard granulated yeast…? I’m totally blanking! But I wouldn’t proof the yeast first. Just dump it all in together, haha.
OK, I know which kind you’re talking about. It’s the one you don’t have to proof first, so it’s supposed to be a little easier.
I have a friend who had a real live yeast living in his fridge! When he’d go on trips he’d have to get someone to come over and feed it, like a pet. Eventually he accidentally killed it though (whoops). I could never do live yeast… Too much pressure. I’ll take the tear away packets any ol’ day!
I’m so glad you posted this! The rustic loaf looks amazing and I like that the French bread is masquerading as focaccia. Or maybe, slightly short Italian. 🙂 I’m sure they were both delicious. They’re homemade bread, after all. When I proof pizza dough, I usually use a ceramic bowl with a dish towel on top and set it next to the radiator. Of course, it’s much colder where we are so our microwave is more like a refrigerator. HAHA!
Hi Kim,
El Hub says the French bread was good, but I dunno… If you could’ve only tasted the rustic bread! It was AMAZE. Like, life changing!
Question for you about the pizza dough. Do you oil the ceramic bowl first?
It’s just so exciting that you’re doing it! You’ll get better and better. 🙂 I never dared because I would have been eating a loaf per day. One of the boys is just like me – a baguette lasts a couple of hours in our house. Or, used to, anyway!
Yes, I use a round bottom bowl and oil both it and the dough, then cover it with a thick dish towel. I can’t remember where the recipe came from because it was so long ago but I’ll see if it’s printed on there anywhere. I prefer thick crust but this recipe is also great for thinner crust on a pizza stone. It’s super simple. Pretty much a package of store bought yeast, some warm water/sugar and then flour (mix of cake and all purpose, iirc) and start kneading. 🙂
Sorry, bread flour – not cake! Duh!
looks amazing
nothing like fresh bread with a ton of butter
those days are history here as we would demolish entire loaves in one sitting
Hi Isabella,
I’ve never had bread this fresh, and it was such a treat! I can’t believe I’ve lived on this earth for so long without experiencing the magic. Did you make the fresh bread you used to eat, or did you buy it from a bakery?
I had a bread machine
But spouses diet made us rethink bread everyday
I have a few bits of experience in bread baking, but it is indeed a difficult task. As long as it is edible though, I tend not to care about how it looks.
Ha! I guess it all ends up in the same place anyway.
I laughed out so loud at your Land of Hideous Bread remark! Haha! Homemade bread is the best! I’ve stopped buying breads from bakery these days because I have found a deadly simple recipe and fail proof too.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2060/easy-white-bread
After baking using this recipe several times, I am confident with it so I can do variations like… throw in 1 teaspoons of dried herb (oregano makes it smell heavenly!), substitute a portion of bread flour with whole wheat flour (like 400g bread flour and 100g whole wheat), substitute 100g flour with 100g of oat powder, use milk instead of water to make a softer loaf etc. The variations are endless!
I love that this recipe doesn’t need sugar and it isn’t a sweet bread so you won’t get sick of eating it. It’s really just a basic bread. I also find that I need to use about 2 tablespoons more of water/milk than recipe asks for.
At the bbc website you will also learn a it shaping the dough to make it “tall”. I was afraid of slashing the dough too because in the past doing so had deflated my doughs… 🙁 Now no more. I guess you need a really sharp knife and do it really quick (be careful not to cut yourself!).
I’m going to try the 5 minute a day method from one of the comments above. It seems really interesting! 🙂
Good luck with your bread baking journey! It’s such a joy to have freshly baked breads at home! Xxx
I love this post, I started baking rustic no-knead bread last summer, and it’s the best! My thoughts:
* Look up the New York Times no-knead recipe – it’s basically the same recipe/technique as yours, but also has a great video.
* You really don’t need to proof it in the microwave space – just cover with plastic and leave on a counter. I use my guest bathroom because it’s always warm and not drafty.
* You can use a combo of whole wheat – I use 1 C of WW, 3 C bread or all-purp. flour For an herb bread, combine chopped fresh rosemary into the initial dough mix. Then sprinkle sea slat on the top before baking.
* Yeast: most of the no-knead recipes specify instant yeast – you can either dissolve it or throw it right in the batter.
* For added loaf ht: Form the loaf, let proof for 45 min, then slash the top 3/4 inch deep, rest 10 min more and put in that hot pan & oven. You can make a parchment paper lifter & just leave it in the dutch oven while the bread bakes.
Hi Karen,
I suspect that the reason your dough deflated was because it was overproofed.
Here’s a link to Good Housekeeping page that explains what that means and how to avoid it. Also, no worries about how your bread looks, if it tastes good its perfect!
http://www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/food/how-to-tell-if-bread-dough-under-proved-over-proved
Yeah, I agree with this. I’m not an expert bread baker by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve baked lots of bread. I tend to be very hands-off about the whole thing, so in my estimation, it’s normal and fine for the dough to rise then fall as it proofs in the bowl. However, once you form it into a loaf, you don’t want to let it rise too much, or it’ll collapse and you have to re-form the loaf and let it rise again. I don’t know if this is correct or not, but if my dough has risen and collapsed and I’ve put it in the fridge for a day or two, I don’t expect it to rise quite as high once I’ve formed it into a loaf as I would expect new, fresh dough to rise. However, I do always expect it to at least double in size. But, yeah, the time to really watch is once you’ve formed the loaf. Let it double or maybe a little more, but don’t let it go too long or you’ll get the collapsed loaf.
PS That bread loaf is gorgeous! Great job!
I like to make a vegetable bread, I use some hearty white bread recipe and then add in drained shredded carrots, zucchini and onions and garlic and a bit of Parmesan cheese. I used to get the best vegetable bread in New Brunswick and it was amazing but they don’t make it anymore and I live 7 hours away now!
Not seeing the recipe, I’m not sure, but it sounds like the dough over-proofed.
I’ve started making bread instead of buying it at the store. Because it tastes better and why, oh why does a loaf of bread need high fructose corn syrup in it? I’ll pass, thanks.
Bread-making isn’t that hard in my Kitchen Aid mixer, but I just got a bread machine anyway to save a few steps and not heat up my oven so often. Yesterday’s English Muffin Bread turned out ah-mazing.
Hello Karen! Long time reader, but first-time poster here! I really LOVE reading about your experiences in cooking and baking! You ask so many good questions (questions that I have too!) and have so many great insights. You should definitely devote a weekly post to cooking/baking recipes and experiences! I absolutely love your makeup posts too!
The only bread that I’ve made is pizza crust. I usually let the yeast dissolve in the water and sugar for about 10 minutes and then I add flour, salt, and vegetable oil. I knead the dough into a large ball and put it in a regular plastic bowel. I put a small amount of vegetable oil on the dough and on the bowl so that the dough doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. I put a dish cloth over the top of the bowel and put it aside on my counter. I let the dough rise for about 30-45 minutes and then I knead the dough a bit again in the bowel and let it rise for another 30 minutes. This method prevents it from getting too poofy and my bread always turns out really good!
Your post really inspired me to try making Artisan bread since as an above poster mentioned, store bought bread can be made with a lot of stuff that I don’t really like. We eat wheat bread and so I’ll try making that!
Aw man… if I was just a leeeeeetle closer! ? (I’m down by Monterey.) I’m gonna have to do some experimenting of my own, I’m thinking….
We are on the same brain wave because I’m going to be doing some baking this weekend. We are going to try Paul Hollywood’s rye bread.
Do you watch their masterclasses where they actually bake all the stuff from the show? It’s awesome and gets you your baking fix between seasons.
Do any of your Bay Area folks remember Grain d’or? They had one at the Vallco mall in Cupertino where I grew up. I have fond memories of getting fresh bread from there and shopping at the Gap. That bakery had this round loaf loaded with either pizza sauce and cheese or pesto and cheese. It was heavenly.
Hi Karen!
Your bread looks amazing! I’ve been baking bread for about a year now too and love the no-knead recipes! I also proof in the microwave – though I’ve been known to make up to 6 loaves at a time, which means they proof wherever there’s a free surface in my apartment (except the granite counter tops because they’re too cold!)
One way I switch things up is adding some “extras” to the dough. My favourite combo is adding in approx. 3/4 cup of sliced kalamata olives and a tablespoon of dried rosemary when I’m stirring the dough together – everything else stays the same. SOOO yummy! I’ve also added in some chopped sun-dried tomatoes and a tablespoon of dried oregano. Delish!
The best part of bread making is the way it fills your home with that delicious scent of fresh bread!
Happy baking! Keep us updated on your experiments 🙂