If I am
making toast out of store-bought bread, I like it burnt, otherwise, to me, it
is tasteless.
I knew an
old man in Newfoundland who lived around the bay. His wife made homemade bread almost every
day. He called the store-bought bread
Bakers Fog.
My wife and
I started making homemade bread in a bread machine in 1985 while we were
teaching in a Native village 150 miles north of Fairbanks. It was a six-hour drive on a single lane road
across the tundra, if the weather was good.
It was a potentially dangerous trip at the best of times.
Our first
machine was made by DAK and looked like the R-2 D-2 robot in the early Star
Wars movies.
After that
the Breadman was our choice of bread machine; but their quality went to
crap along with a collapsible paddle that would pop lose during the breadmaking
process. We have even tried the
expensive Swedish, two paddle machine which turned out inconsistent quality. We now have a Cuisinart and I am extremely
pleased with it. (I like most Cuisinart
products, but their toaster sux).
Bread making
is so easy and the quality of bread is so good, I don’t know why most people
don’t own a bread machine.
I think
people that have tried bread machines, but found them inadequate, probably
tried artisan and sourdough breads before mastering the basic white bread. They ended up with doughy or grainy or just
bad tasting results. It is like signing
up for karate classes and then jumping into a cage with a mixed martial arts
fighter.
The basic
white bread recipe is easy:
1 1/8 cup of
water
2 tbsp olive
oil
3 cups all-purpose
flour
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
In that order. Exact measurements of flour, olive oil and
water are critical. Many recipes call
for more than one teaspoon of yeast – but I have never found it necessary.
The next
step is optional: The Cuisinart beeps
after the final kneed. At that time, I
pause the machine, remove the bread pan, dump the dough onto a floured surface,
remove the paddle, reshape the dough and return it to the pan and the bread machine. Otherwise, the paddle gets baked into the
base of the bread and you end up with a hole in the bread when you removing the
paddle.
I let my bread
sit for about four hours before sealing it in a plastic storage bag. I let the bread sit on the counter overnight
before slicing.
The hardest part of the whole process is slicing. I have ended up with a bamboo bread slicing gismo that I like; but it has taken me many loafs of bread before becoming proficient.
Just like karate, you need to practice.
You can not
beat the taste of toast made with homemade white bread.
Did I run and
And am I
tired?
the Ol’Buzzard
I have been experimenting lately with homemade bread using a no-knead yeast bread recipe. So far I've made white bread (makes wonderful toast!), whole wheat bread, and garlic/oregano bread (tastes like focaccia).
ReplyDeleteI've tried your recipe a couple of times. It's saved sending our machine (also a Cuisinart) to the thrift store. Thanks for posting this again.
ReplyDeleteHave never used a bread machine. They take up space, a resource sadly lacking in our galley-type kitchen. The S.O. is still doing fine making sourdough the old-fashioned way so I guess we can manage without technology a while longer.
ReplyDeleteI never make one loaf of bread. I make up to 4 loaves at each baking. Give the other 3 loaves away. always make whole wheat with oatmeal. Found this great recipe and love it. But now that I'm getting old and cranky I may just start baking for me..fuckem.
ReplyDeleteI've used bread machines off and on in the past but ultimately decided I like making it myself rather than with a machine.
ReplyDeleteBack when I used to use our bread maker, all the recipes (basic ones) called for powdered milk. Haven't had the bread maker out in years! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteWe once had a Bread Machine and my only complaint was the loaves were too small and didn't last 10 seconds.
ReplyDeleteWe have a bread machine and use it periodically. But we eat way too much bread then. Store bought isn't tooo bad, wide variety and cheap as it is subsidized.
ReplyDelete