Cooking & Baking
Related: About this forumBreakfast Wednesday 11 September 2024
Later this morning I'll have fried rice and hot tea.
Emile
(29,779 posts)Good Morning 🌄
gademocrat7
(11,165 posts)Pumpkin chocolate chip muffin with a CaraCara orang, later.
Good morning🤗
NJCher
(37,864 posts)Raisin Bran muffin, toasted.
Cherry vanilla yogurt. Toasted almonds on top.
I have the electrician coming today to advise on my new stove hookup.
Marthe48
(18,984 posts)So nice to have fresh bread
Black coffee
NJCher
(37,864 posts)do you use a bread machine?
I used to have one but I gave it away. Might get a new one because it's so hard to find breads like pumpernickel and rye--good ones, I mean. You can find them but I'm not thrilled with the product. Once in awhile WF does a good pumpernickel. You have to get lucky, though, because they don't always have it.
Marthe48
(18,984 posts)I make a loaf every 8-10 days, keep it refrigerated to keep it fresher. The recipe and method I use makes a good toasting bread, just what I want.
I don't measure, but for a large loaf, (2 lbs?)
1 1/4-1 1/2 cups warm water
bread machine yeast
3-4 cups of unbleached flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs or so olive oil
1 egg
I put the water, 1 cup of flour, salt, yeast and olive oil in the mixing bowl, mix till smooth, let it work for an hour. Then add the egg and mix it in, then more flour to make a workable dough. I put a sheet of waxed paper on the counter, and about 1 cup of flour, and knead 5-10 minutes, usually getting most of the flour on the waxed paper worked in. When it is smooth and not sticky, I put it into a greased pan and let it raise 1 hour. I cut a rectangle off the waxed paper, brush it with oil and cover the rising loaf. I like to let the bread raise in the oven with the light on. In the winter, I turn the oven on for a couple minutes to warm it up. I get the loaf out of the oven and preheat to 350, let the bread bake for 49 minutes. Put it on a rack, brush it with butter, and cover with a dry paper towl. That softens the crust a little. I let it cool completely, store in a plastic bag.
I think the dark flours are more of a challenge to bake. They don't rise as easily. I don't remember for sure. If you find a recipe that works, hang on to it
I read in a science magazine years ago that each person has their own blend of bacteria on their skin, even with washing, some remain. The blend of bacteria influences the flavor of the bread. I stick with basic and old-fashioned recipes, and get a lot of compliments. I told a few people about this article and they said I had good hands. lol
NJCher
(37,864 posts)I've tried baking bread before but because of the peculiar way that I work, I mess up the sequence and timing. Not to mention that I'm not so good about clean up. Sigh. Maybe I'll try again.
My attempt at baking a rye loaf was a failure. I threw everything out: the loaf, the flour, and the bread machine.
Very interesting about the science magazine.
Response to NJCher (Reply #7)
Marthe48 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Marthe48
(18,984 posts)I had cooking home ec. in 7th grade. The teacher had us make cloverleaf rolls, and I think it was the first time I'd ever had fresh yeast bread, so I kept going in our kitchen at home. I know we had the Betty Crocker cookbook and The American Woman's Cookbook. I tried a lot of recipes over the years. My Mom was a great cheering squad. Lol
Marthe48
(18,984 posts)The first step, when I put all but the eggs together to rise is called the sponge. I used to start the bread and knead it, then let it rise. I'm older now, so using a sponge is a little less work