MAKING YOUR OWN BREAD IS A GREAT IDEA!
Many people think baking your own bread is somehow complicated. But bread baking was invented a very long time ago. So, how difficult can it really be? It takes less of the cook's time than getting into the car, driving across town to a grocery store, standing in line, and buying a cheap loaf of inferior bread. There are about ten million different recipes for bread, so we're just going to talk about the basics. One of the fun things about baking bread is that even if you make a mistake, the result is usually so much better tasting than anything you buy at the grocery store that everyone will think you are a genius. Bread making may not be the answer to life, the universe, and everything, but it isn't making nuclear bombs and destroying the rain forests either.
Frugal HINT: Buy yeast at a bakery supply store or large warehouse store. It is much cheaper in bulk than the little packets sold in grocery stores. (Those packets run a buck or so for about 3 tablespoon fulls, and a 4 ounce bottle is five bucks or more. But you can buy 2 pounds of yeast for five dollars or less. Store it in an airtight jar. An even more frugal strategy is to make sour dough breads, then you don't have to buy yeast!
Your Basic Bread Recipe
This kind of bread takes more time than the "Quick Breads", because it has to "rise", but the actual involvement of the cook is about 15-20 minutes, max. Bread is basically liquid, flour, oil, and yeast. The various possible combinations of these ingredients produce the various kinds of breads. Once you understand the Your Basic Bread recipe, which is based on my own grandmother's recipe, feel free to experiment.
Begin by measuring into a large mixing bowl 1 cup of warm water -- and the emphasis here is warm, not hot, about the temperature of a baby's bottle. Add 1 tbsp of sugar or honey, stir to dissolve. Add 2 tbsp of yeast (or two packets). Sprinkle the yeast onto the top of the entire surface of the water, so the little yeast buds are all moistened. Let this sit for about five minutes. The yeast will begin to bubble and form a foam on the top of the water. What's happening is that the little "yeastie beasties" are busily going to work, doing what they do. It's called a bloom.
Add 3 tbsp of oil or melted (and cooled) butter, 1 cup milk, 1 tsp salt (or less, depending on personal taste), and 2 more tbsp of sugar or honey. Mix well, add three cups of flour and stir 50 times clockwise, and then 50 times counter-clockwise, or use your mixer for 2 minutes. At the end of this step, when you dip a spoon in the batter and raise it out of the bowl, the batter kind of strings its way off the spoon back into the bowl.
Add another 3 to 4 cups of flour and mix until the dough forms a good ball, coming away from the sides of the bowl. (You may need to add a little more flour.) Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and let it sit for ten minutes (if you are in a hurry, you can skip this waiting time.) Knead the dough five to ten minutes. The more kneading, the nicer the crumb and the texture of the bread. The dough should be just a little bit sticky. If it is too sticky, however, sprinkle with flour during the kneading process.
To knead the dough, flatten the dough and fold it over, pressing on it with your hands. Turn the dough sidewise and do the same thing. Flatten, fold, press, turn, flatten, fold, press, turn and so on and so forth. Get the kids involved here. You can say the Lord's Prayer while you do this, and build a little rhythm. If you do this, you will find that at the end of the kneading you will be experiencing a marvelous feeling of inner peace and happiness. (It really does work.)
When you have finished kneading the bread, roll it into a big round ball and put it in a greased bowl, rolling the dough around in the bowl so a thin film of oil covers the dough, and cover the bowl with a cloth or paper towels. Say a little prayer and thank God for this bread.
Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour. It should double in size (that's those little yeastie beasties doing their job). "Punch down" the dough. That is, make a fist and press it right into the middle of the dough. It will deflate. That's OK. It's what it's supposed to do. Let it rise again until almost double, for about another 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into two equal parts and let it rest for 10 minutes. Shape into loaves and put into pans. Let it rise again, until sides of dough reach the pan and the top is well rounded (30 minutes to 1 hour). Be sure to grease the loaf pans first. (Shortening is best for greasing any baking pan.)
To make dough into loaves: flatten it into a rectangle. The width should be about an inch longer than the length of the pan, the length should be about 12 inches. Fold dough in half lengthwise. Flatten into a rectangle about 15 inches long and five inches wide. Press down on dough with hands. Fold in thirds by overlapping the ends. Press with your hands. Fold toward you, 1/3 of the way at a time, pressing on each fold with the heel of your hand, so it is making a round cylinder. Roll back and forth. Seal each end by pressing with the edge of your hands. Smooth the loaf with your hands so it is even. Put in a nine inch loaf pan with the edge down.
Bake the loaves at 425 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes. The loaf pans should not touch each other or the sides of the oven. To test for "doneness", tap the crust, it should sound "hollow". It is doesn't, bake a few minutes more.
When done, immediately remove the loaves from the pans. Set on wire racks or across the edges of the loaf pans so that air can circulate around it. Let it cool at least 20 minutes before slicing and eating. Do not skip this step. If freshly baked bread is sliced too quickly, the inside remains damp and "doughy".
Brush the baked loaves with melted butter after removing them from the pan, to make a soft, tender crust. To make raisin bread, add one cup raisins to the dough when you knead it. For sweet roll dough (such as for making raised cinnamon rolls), increase oil or butter 1/2 cup, increase eggs to 2 eggs, increase sugar to 1/2 cup, use 1-1/2 cups milk, reduce water to 1/2 cup. Make into desired rolls after the second rising. For Dinner Rolls, prepare as sweet rolls, use less sugar, use 1 cup water and 1-1/4 cups milk. Dinner rolls bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Form dinner rolls by rolling dough into small balls (after second rising), let rise a half hour, then bake. For whole wheat bread, you can use 100% whole wheat flour, or you can use some whole wheat and some white flour. Experiment until you find a combination you like.
Potato Rolls: add 1cup mashed potatoes to the water and yeast, increase sugar to ½ cup. This makes a good dough for keeping in the refrigerator for use as needed.
For Crescent Rolls, after first rising, divide dough in half. Roll each half into a circle, spread some melted butter over the dough. Cut like a pie, and roll each piece up starting with the large end first. Let rise until double, bake at 400 degrees until golden. Variation: in addition to butter, spread dough with some kind of filling, roll up, let rise, and bake.
Freezing bread: Use good freezer bags. Allow about 3 hours to thaw a 1 pound loaf of bread. Slices of frozen bread can be toasted in the toaster without thawing. Frozen rolls and biscuits can go directly from the freezer to the oven. Heat in a slow oven (275-300 degrees) for 10 to 15 minutes.
Cinnamon Rolls
Sweet roll dough | sugar | cinnamon | melted butter
Roll sweet roll dough into a rectangle, spread with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll up and pinch seam to close (sometimes it helps to dip your fingers in water as you pinch the seam). Cut into 1 inch rolls. The best way to do this is to slice the dough with a thread or dental floss. Holding the string in both hands, slide it underneath the roll of dough, then cross your hands so the thread pulls through the soft dough.
In a 9 X 13 inch pan, mix together the following: ½½ cup butter (melted), ½½ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons Karo white syrup. Coat the bottom of the pan with this mixture. Set the cinnamon rolls in the pan (don't crowd them). Let rise for 30 minutes or so. Bake at 350 degrees until done, about 20 to 25 minutes. This makes a cinnamon roll with a crunchy caramelized bottom. If you don't want the crunchy bottom, just place rolls in a greased pan to rise and bake. When you make this recipe, be sure to double it, or you won't have any left over to have with your coffee the next day.
Making Bread is Easy as One-Two-Three-Four!
1. Put 1 cup of warm water plus one tablespoon sugar in a mixing bowl. Add two tablespoons of yeast. Let sit for about five minutes.
2. Add three cups of flour, 1 cup of milk, dash of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 3-4
tablespoons of oil or melted (and cooled) butter or shortening. Stir 50 times clockwise, and then 50 times counter-clockwise.
3. Add another 3 to 4 cups of flour and mix until the dough forms a good ball. Turn dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and let it sit for ten minutes. Then, knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Let rise in a greased bowl for about an hour (it should double in size). Punch down the dough. Let it rise again for 30 to 45 minutes. Divide into two equal parts and shape into loaves. Place in loaf pans and bake at 425 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.
Homemade Bread for Busy People
Make a big batch of dough once each week & keep it tightly covered in the fridge. Each day, take some out, form into biscuits, buns, or loaves, let rise, and voila, daily home-baked bread. Use more yeast (up to double) for refrigerator dough.
Quick Breads
Quick breads use baking powder and baking soda to make the flour rise and are usually ready in less than 45 minutes, start to finish. Dry ingredients can be assembled ahead of time into mixes and they are convenient, nutritious, and oh so tasty. One of the secrets to good quick breads is to thoroughly combine the fat and the flour. You can use a mixer to do this. You can substitute whole wheat flour for white flour in any of these recipes.
Best Basic Buttermilk Biscuits
2 cups flour | 1/2 tsp baking soda | 3-4 tbsp butter | 2/3 cup milk | 2 tsp baking powder | 1 tsp vinegar | salt
Mix dry ingredients, add butter (or oil), mix thoroughly. Mix vinegar with milk, let it set for few minutes, add to dry ingredients (or use real buttermilk). Knead about 30 times. Roll11/2 inch thick, cut into biscuits, or form by hand into buns. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. This basic recipe can also be used as a topping for casseroles, meat or vegetable pies, and with extra sugar can be a quick raised cinnamon roll dough.
Biscuit Mix
6 cups flour | 3/4 cup oil or butter | 9 tsp baking powder | 3/4 cup powdered milk | 1-1/2 tsp salt
Mix dry ingredients, add oil or butter, mix well. Store in a tightly covered, airtight container, in a cool place. This makes enough for 3 bakings of biscuits. To make biscuits for 3 people, combine 2 cups mix with 3/4 cup water. For dumplings, use 1 cup biscuit mix 1/2 cup milk, and add 1 beaten egg. For cheese biscuits: add ½ cup grated cheese to recipe for biscuits.
Cornbread
2 cups corn meal | 1/2 cup flour | 2 tsp baking powder | 1-1/4 cup milk | 1/4 cup oil or butter | 2 eggs, beaten
Mix dry ingredients, add oil or butter, mix thoroughly, beat the eggs in the milk, add to dry ingedients, stir quickly but thoroughly. Bake in 400 degree oven until done. To test for doneness, insert a knife into the middle, and if it comes out clean, the cornbread is done - takes about 20-25 minutes. Note: don't add sugar to cornbread. It is reliably reported that the fall of Western Civilization began when people started adding sugar to cornbread. Instead of baking, you can cook this batter like pancakes.
Dumplings
1-1/2 cups flour | 3 tbsp butter | 2 tsp baking powder | 3/4 cup milk | dash of salt | 2 eggs
Mix dry ingredients, add butter,mix thoroughly. Beat the eggs in the milk and add to dry ingredients. Stir only until blended. Drop by spoonfuls into boiling soup. Reduce heat, cook slowly for ten minutes with kettle covered and ten minutes uncovered.
Quick Cinnamon Rolls
Add 4 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons oil or butter to 2 cups Biscuit Mix, add 2/3 cup water and mix thoroughly (or use your favorite recipe for biscuit dough). Roll dough into a rectangle, 1/4 inch thick. Spread dough with 2 tbsp melted butter. Sprinkle with mixture of 1/4 cup sugar and 1-2 tsp cinnamon, add raisings if desired. Roll up, beginning at the wide side, and seal the seam well by lightly wetting and then pinching the edge of the dough. Cut into 1" slices using a string. (Loop the string under and around the dough, cross over the top, and pull, voila, quick sliced dough.) Place cut side down on greased baking sheet or in greased muffin cups. Bake in 400 degree oven abou 12-15 minutes. Spread with Quick White Icing. Makes about 16.
Your Basic Muffin
1 egg | 2 cups flour | 1 cup milk | 1/4 cup sugar | 2-3 tbsp butter | 3 tsp baking powder
Mix dry ingredients together. Beat milk and egg, stir melted butter into dry ingredients, add milk to dry ingredients. Stir fast until flour is moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Do not overmix. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in 400 degree oven. Makes 12 medium muffins. Variations: Jelly - full muffin cups half full of batter, drop a scant teaspoon of jam o jelly in center of batter, add mor ebatter to fill cup 2/3 full. Blueberry: Add 3/4 to 1 cup blueberries, fresh or canned. Apple: Add ½ tsp cinnamon to dry ingredients, add 1 cup grated raw apple, decrease milk to ½ cup, decrease flour to 1-1/2 cups. Make 25 to 30 minutes. Maple syrup muffins: Substitute ½ cup maple syrup for ½ cup of the milk.
Cocoa Muffins
2 cups biscuit mix | 4 tbsp cocoa | 1 egg | 1/4 cup sugar or honey | 2/3 cup or water
Beat egg slightly, mix dry ingredients, and egg and liquids, stir until moistened. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 - 18 minutes. Makes about 12.
How to make and maintain a sourdough starter
Use a glass container that will hold at least 3 times the volume of the ingredients. Mix the ingredients lightly with a wooden or plastic spoon. Mix 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and water until it is the consistency of pancake batter.
Loosely cover the jar with a cloth until it begins to bubble. Let it rise and then fall, then it is ready to use. It will smell sour and have a greyish color..
Never use all of the starter. Most recipes call for one cup starter, so take that out, then add a half cup of water and a half cup of flour back to the starter.
From time to time, some water may separate out from the starter and rise to the top, just mix that back in with the starter.
Keep your starter in the refrigerator unless you are baking sourdough breads or biscuits every 3 days. If you are using it that often (the way our grandmother's did) you can leave it out of the refrigerator. Use it regularly! That's what its for.
To adjust a recipe to use sour dough, eliminate any leavening (baking powder, soda, or yeast) and an equivalent amount of the liquid. If you are adding 1 cup sour dough starter, and the recipe calls for two cups liquid, only add 1 cup liquid plus 1 cup sourdough starter. Sour dough products typically take a little longer to rise than those leavened with commercial yeast.
To make sour dough bread, combine 1 cup starter, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp of butter or oil, then add enough flour to make a a dough that can be handled without sticking. Knead as described on page 16. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Better Times Almanac Home | Better Times Website Index
Robert Waldrop