Homemade bread

[Fire Me Boy!]

I know there are some bread bakers here. The wife and I have started making our own, usually once a week for a couple loaves that will last all week. One goes in the freezer until we're done with the other.

I can't remember who, but there are a few accomplished bread bakers here. What are your top 5 tips for baking better bread?

[Fire Me Boy!]

So, I've been using a master recipe for some artisan bread that's pretty awesome. Best part of it is the recipe makes like 4 pounds of dough, then you just cut off what you need, shape, rest, and bake when you want it. The longer it sits in the fridge (up to 10 days or so), the more flavor develops. By day 10, it's sour dough, but days 2-6 are freaking outstanding.

Using a similar method, I made brioche this weekend.

So good. Wife's saving some for French toast.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

So, I've been using a master recipe for some artisan bread that's pretty awesome. Best part of it is the recipe makes like 4 pounds of dough, then you just cut off what you need, shape, rest, and bake when you want it. The longer it sits in the fridge (up to 10 days or so), the more flavor develops. By day 10, it's sour dough, but days 2-6 are freaking outstanding.

Using a similar method, I made brioche this weekend.

So good. Wife's saving some for French toast.

This reminds me of a quip in a bread baking book I have. Before there was readily available yeast, all bread was sourdough. Bread makers always saved a portion of the previous starter for the next batch (and fed it). Hence, all dough was sourdough. The advent of viable yeast made the need for a starter for bread unnecessary and people were elated. They were sick of the same sour flavor in their breads. Now, sourdough is considered an artisan bread and I love it. Of course, I don't have to eat it everyday.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Stewie

This reminds me of a quip in a bread baking book I have. Before there was readily available yeast, all bread was sourdough. Bread makers always saved a portion of the previous starter for the next batch (and fed it). Hence, all dough was sourdough. The advent of viable yeast made the need for a starter for bread unnecessary and people were elated. They were sick of the same sour flavor in their breads. Now, sourdough is considered an artisan bread and I love it. Of course, I don't have to eat it everyday.

I don't really care for sour dough, but I always keep a little of the dough from the previous batch. Seems to give it a good jump start on the flavor.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

...So good. Wife's saving some for French toast.

Cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in the dough?

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

Cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in the dough?

Not in the brioche dough, but in the French toast batter, yes.

[BigOlChiefsfan]

I've had good luck making this ciabatta as home made bread (no bread machine)

http://http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-hom-159913


http://http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/the-bakers-apprentice-ciabatta/

[Fire Me Boy!]

If anyone wants a really simple "almost" no-knead bread you cook in a Dutch oven, hit me up. Takes time for the yeast to ferment, but the whole thing is very hands off. Turned out great.

[threebag]

Post it up FMB. I am up for that it looks freaking awesome. Thanks

[Groves]

Always adding to the stable. Post it.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Groves

Always adding to the stable. Post it.

I will tonight.

[Fire Me Boy!]

From ATK:

INGREDIENTS

3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, room temperature
6 tablespoons mild-flavored lager (important to use a lager, not any ol' beer - ATK recommends something like Bud)
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Vegetable oil spray

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk flour, salt, and yeast together in large bowl. Add water, lager, and vinegar. Using rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 18 hours.

2. Lay 18 by 12-inch sheet of parchment paper on counter and spray with oil spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead 10 to 15 times. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. Transfer dough, seam side down, to center of parchment and spray surface of dough with oil spray. Pick up dough by lifting parchment overhang and lower into heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (let any excess parchment hang over pot edge). Cover loosely with plastic and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.

3. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Remove plastic from pot. Lightly flour top of dough and, using razor blade or sharp knife, make one 6-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slit along top of dough. Cover pot and place in oven. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bake bread for 30 minutes.

4. Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and registers 210 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours.

I did this exactly as instructed... I think next time I'll try to make the loaf in a loaf pan so I get that more traditional shape.

[TinyEvel]

A bit of a tangent but I just turned our halloween pumpkin into a pie and three loaves of pumpkin bread. The pie is awesome, the bread is too moist. I think I used too much oil, or the natural pumpkin has a high water content in it, as opposed to canned,which the recipe called for.

[Fire Me Boy!]

I'm bumping this thread because I continue to bake bread occasionally, but have really been trying to perfect an easy machine loaf. My wife likes toast in the morning for breakfast and often does some kind of sandwich for lunch.

Anyhoo, I've been working with this recipe a lot. It's a good solid white bread loaf with nice texture as it is, but it's lacking in flavor (as a lot of machine breads do).

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recip...-can-be-recipe

I've made a ton of adjustments to try and improve flavor:

• Overnight rest in the fridge to slow fermentation. This worked well for flavor, but it takes a lot of convenience out of a quick bread machine recipe.
• Replaced the milk with buttermilk. This worked well, and so far gave the best flavor while keeping the convenience.
• Added some "sour salt" (citric acid). This gave a nice tanginess - almost like a really mild sourdough. I did this at the same time as replacing the sugar with brown sugar, which I think was the culprit in causing the dough to be too loose and the structure didn't hold. I know, only make one change at a time.

I'm curious to try using some malted milk powder, but I've never used that in bread. Anyone done this? Would I just replace the sugar with the MMP, or what?

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

A bit of a tangent but I just turned our halloween pumpkin into a pie and three loaves of pumpkin bread. The pie is awesome, the bread is too moist. I think I used too much oil, or the natural pumpkin has a high water content in it, as opposed to canned,which the recipe called for.

Lovely! I make pumpkin bread every fall. Sometimes, I add walnuts.