Do any of you bake bread?

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Recently I have gone back to baking bread....a challenge because of dry climate and altitude....but I have had a few successful loaves.

Do you bake bread? What special techniques or recipes do you use?

I have some success with King Arthur no knead wheat bread recipe and with a ciabatta bread recipe which is fast becoming our favorite. But I am hoping to find a great whole grain recipe that can become a go to recipe.

[falmouth3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close falmouth3]

It sounds like you're kneading and doing the whole thing by hand. I used to make bread often with my bread maker. I had a great oatmeal bread and I'll see if I can find the recipe for you, but you'd have to adapt it to making it by hand. I'm sure there are a ton of bread recipes out there on the internet - and on the King Arthur site in particular.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

Are you talking bread machine or hand bake?

I do bread machine once in a while. Don't do it often because the results are more inconsistent than they should be. Bread seems to be falling apart sometimes, so it can’t be used for sandwiches.

Pizza dough works well in the machine.

Before DW changed her diet, I used to mix my pasta in the bread machine.

I haven’t done regular / hand kneaded bread in a long time.

[mshatty Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close mshatty]

The secret I found was buying a Cuisanart mixer with a dough hook. My bread making ability was enhanced a great deal.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

My better half makes bread all the time in a Welbilt bread maker. Only once in a while does it come out strange. Nothing like a hot buttered piece of good home made bread.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

I am using a kitchenaid mixer with a dough hook.

I once had a bread machine, and after a short period I sold it...just didn't have the same quality of bread that I wanted.

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

I use a Zojirushi bread maker, but I rarely use it to bake the bread--I make the dough in it, then bake it in the oven.

With the bread maker, the trick that seems to make the difference for me is to fill the baking pan with hot, hot water first and put it into place with the lid closed so the whole machine interior is warm when you start with your ingredients.

Also, I use much hotter water than you would use for regular bread making, since the order of ingredients is liquid, dry ingredients, yeast. The yeast is sitting on top of the flour, protected from the very hot water, and the heat goes into the flour.

I have a good sour cream rye recipe that I'll post for you. You can use it with any whole grain--I've done it with whole wheat, buckwheat flour, and some others and they've always been good, although different from each other, of course.

[Kay H Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Kay H]

I used to bake bread frequently kneading by hand, now I use a bread machine. I love home made bread but my whole wheat bread is too heavy for me. I've tried several recipies but I prefer store bought whole wheat or 7 or 12 grain bread.

I still make other breads in the machine though.

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

The secret I found was buying a Cuisanart mixer with a dough hook. My bread making ability was enhanced a great deal.

YES. I do not hand-knead anymore. takes too long, too hard with my hand/wrist problems. even so, have not done it in a long while.

We have a family raisin bread recipe we used to do every year on CHristmas Eve so to have homemade raisin bread Christmas morning.

Would you be interested in that?

I'm not fond of the bread machine. One thing I really hate is that the loaf doesn't pop out of the non-stick loaf pan and it takes a lot of spatula'ring to make it come out. don't like texture as much either.

YAY to those who still do it by hand! The results are worth it.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I used to bake a lot of my own bread, I mostly used a bread machine. I haave bought mixes and I have used a few bread cook books,

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

We have a family raisin bread recipe we used to do every year on CHristmas Eve so to have homemade raisin bread Christmas morning.

Ooh, I would like that!

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

It sounds like you're kneading and doing the whole thing by hand. I used to make bread often with my bread maker. I had a great oatmeal bread and I'll see if I can find the recipe for you, but you'd have to adapt it to making it by hand. I'm sure there are a ton of bread recipes out there on the internet - and on the King Arthur site in particular.

If you come across that recipe, yes! I am seeking some tried and true...as I fumble my way back into the baking.

I use a Zojirushi bread maker, but I rarely use it to bake the bread--I make the dough in it, then bake it in the oven.

With the bread maker, the trick that seems to make the difference for me is to fill the baking pan with hot, hot water first and put it into place with the lid closed so the whole machine interior is warm when you start with your ingredients.

Also, I use much hotter water than you would use for regular bread making, since the order of ingredients is liquid, dry ingredients, yeast. The yeast is sitting on top of the flour, protected from the very hot water, and the heat goes into the flour.

I have a good sour cream rye recipe that I'll post for you. You can use it with any whole grain--I've done it with whole wheat, buckwheat flour, and some others and they've always been good, although different from each other, of course.

That is a clever way to approach using the machine...and definitely, if you find that rye recipe, most interested in it!

YES. I do not hand-knead anymore. takes too long, too hard with my hand/wrist problems. even so, have not done it in a long while.

We have a family raisin bread recipe we used to do every year on CHristmas Eve so to have homemade raisin bread Christmas morning.

Would you be interested in that?

I'm not fond of the bread machine. One thing I really hate is that the loaf doesn't pop out of the non-stick loaf pan and it takes a lot of spatula'ring to make it come out. don't like texture as much either.



YAY to those who still do it by hand! The results are worth it.

Yes! to the raisin bread, we love that!

[Fern Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fern]

We're at just under 3200 ft., and live in a dry climate too. If something doesn't turn out right, we use the high altitude directions the next time. You only need to do that on some recipes, though, so it is hard to know when.

Fern

Recently I have gone back to baking bread....a challenge because of dry climate and altitude....but I have had a few successful loaves.

Do you bake bread? What special techniques or recipes do you use?

I have some success with King Arthur no knead wheat bread recipe and with a ciabatta bread recipe which is fast becoming our favorite. But I am hoping to find a great whole grain recipe that can become a go to recipe.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

Sunday on QVC they had a cook essentials bread machine. It was much cheaper than the older bread machines and supposed to be much better than the older ones. Who knows? shaggy

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

Here's the sour cream rye recipe. It's from Cooks.com. Sometimes I have gluten on hand, sometimes not...I used to use it and I found it didn't really improve the bread. I do use bread flour.

For this I use the Zoji to mix and warm the dough, and then I shape the dough into a free-form loaf and let it rise once more at the back of the stove. Or I turn my oven on to its lowest setting (175 degrees), then immediately turn it off and put the dough in the oven to rise. (I have a really cold kitchen!) Use a sharp knife to make a slash before you put it to rise.

When I bake bread in the oven, I put a shallow pan of water on the lower shelf and the baking bread goes on the upper shelf. The water makes the crust crustier.

SOUR CREAM RYE BREAD

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup bread flour
1 cup rye flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)
2 1/2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water

Add ingredients to bread pan in a bread machine in the order recommended by manufacturer. Recipe recommends using whole wheat setting or use the sweet bread setting.