Anybody making homemade bread?

I would recommend getting the book, Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish.

Great place for beginner bakers to start.

I use Instant Dry Yeast but typically do a pre-ferment (biga or poolish) to get a better depth of flavor and nicer crumb.

Yeah I do. We were talking about getting a bread maker. But don’t think I really need one.

If you really want to try "homemade" bread, start off with a sourdough starter.

It takes about 7-10 days, and then you use that in place of yeast.

It's fun to make and watch on the counter.

I used whole wheat in the beginning and then white for the rest:

sourdough starter

you can keep it in the fridge after you get it healthy and only feed it once a week.

There are recipes out there for everything from sandwich bread to pancakes to rolls...etc.

The one jar will take care of it all.

quote:

---

My wife and I love pumpernickel rye,

---

I love dark rye too but its almost impossible to find in Dallas. Ive toyed with the idea of baking my own.

This is the recipe I use, post covid I don't see rye flour in stores, I order from King Arthur.

Deli Rye Bread

Ingredients:
1 c. Pumpernickel or rye flour
1 c. Whole wheat flour
1 c. Unbleached bread flour
¼ c. sour pickle juice
1 Tbsp instant yeast
4 oz oil
1½ tsp. sea-salt
3 T. dry potato flakes
1½ T. molasses
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 c. warm water (105-110 degrees)
2 Tbsp caraway seeds
1 tsp dill seeds

Directions:
1. Place the yeast in the bottom of the mixing bowl, then add flours, potato flakes, seeds and sea-salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer. Mix dry ingredients on low speed. Beat warm water, pickle juice, and oil, and molasses into the dry ingredients, Fit dough hook onto mixer and knead dough at lowest speed, for 5 minutes, then let is rest covered for 20 minutes to an hour, this process is call autolyze.

2. Remove cover and knead dough in stand mixer with dough hook until smooth, firm, and only slightly Sticky, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn dough onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth, 1 to 2 more minutes.

3. Form dough into a ball, place dough into an oiled bowl, and turn dough several times in bowl to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, set into a warm place, and let rise until nearly double, about 1 hour. Punch down and stretch it;. Repeat twice more, after last rise, rub top with dry flour. Put in an Dutch oven with oil or, preferably, with parchment paper under it. Let rise 20 – 25 minutes.

4. Then place Dutch oven in the lower half of a cold oven and set it at 450F, 25 minutes later remove lid, continue baking for approximately 12-15 minutes until bread has an internal temperature of 190F.

5. Remove from oven, and place bread on cooling rack.

This thread got me motivated to make my easy peasant bread.

It's almost better to have that bread baking smell in the house than eat it....


Almost

I have a bread machine somewhere in storage.
I use a Dutch Oven now and need to sell the Bread Machine.


I use this recipe. and mix up different flours at times.

Homemade Atisan Bread

Been making my own hamburger buns lately and not sure I will ever go back to store bought unless feeding a crowd. Also make my own pizza dough. Bread is the next step. Super easy to do.

quote:

---

Your starter is your yeast but I would start with dry yeast and progress to sourdough after you get the hang of it.

---

100%