Does anyone still make their own bread ?

Murrmurr said:
Sweet rolls, crescent butter rolls, 3-seed loaf, rustic white rounds, potato bread, raisin bread, and cinnamon rolls.

I make really good biscuits, too. (not to be confused with cookies. If we're talking cookies, I make a mean shortbread...not to be confused with bread)
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Show off 😂😂😂😂😂. (Joking, just joking). I didn’t cook much but I baked a lot. Which is why I got fat. 😉. Have not baked in years but sadly I learned to buy stuff from a bakery. 😂
 

Aneeda72 said:
Show off 😂😂😂😂😂. (Joking, just joking). I didn’t cook much but I baked a lot. Which is why I got fat. 😉. Have not baked in years but sadly I learned to buy stuff from a bakery. 😂
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I only cook because I have to but I love to bake. It hurts my back, tho, so I use a chair whenever I can and sometimes I wear a brace.

Michelle does most of the cooking now, which is awesome. I do the housekeeping.
 

PamfromTx said:
Do you make tortillas? Please say no! I don't even know how to make them and I'm Mexican American.
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Since I have Native American blood-The Native American way-after you plant the corn, and water the corn, and pick the corn; you grind the corn in a bowl, add water, mix, throw the whole mess in the garbage, and run down to the Walmart to buy some. 😂. Never could master it.
 
I have been making bread for years and make several loaves around the holidays.
As a child I baked before I learned how to cook.
I love working with yeast, its so satisfying.
I was diagnosed with celiac disease over 30 years ago and now make my own gluten free bread. I make several loaves, slice it up and freeze the slices.
It lasts me a long time. If I had to eat store bought gluten free bread I'd rather not eat it at all.

I prefer using my kitchen aid mixer with the dough hook attachment. It saves a lot of kneading. I get it to the point where it doesn't stick to the bowl then finish it up by hand. That way it doesn't require to much added flour for kneading and I think it rises more,

I have a bread machine but when I make a loaf for the holidays or to give to someone I don't like the hole the blades cause in the bottom of the loaf,
 
Yes i've done my share of bread making......old fashion way.....also with a bread machine.....very seldom bake in it, use it for mixing and rising.
Like a lot of us, the bread attaches to us, but doesn't detach very well.
I do treat myself sometimes and get out the yeast and flour.

Did the donuts, fritters, and all sorts of things to die for.

ohhhhh.........how could i forget......Cinnamon buns!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm no way near your baking skills, but love to hear about your passion @Murrmurr
 
senior chef said:
I am curious to know if anyone, besides myself, still makes their own bread ?
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Yes, of course

My lady has yet to stop
(pretty much a 52 year career....no retirement in sight)

Even up in the mountains, at our off grid cabin
(BBQ ovens are not just for show)






homebaked bread.jpg




senior chef said:
If yes, what do you make ?
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She makes it......good

I make it....disappear
 
Gaer said:
hey, Senior Chef, Tell us what YOU like to make? What's your signature dish?
What is YOUR favorite bread to make?
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I love to bake. But the ones I make to most often are, a Big Fat Italian bread, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. I also usually make baguetttes, batards, soft rolls, biscuits, and banana-nut bread. Also, very often I make my own pizza dough.
For the Italian loaves and the batards and the baguettes, I always make my own pre-ferments which I set aside for 12 hours to develop the good "bacterias".
For the Italian loaves and the batards I always use my clay bread bakers.
PS: I almost always use King Arthur's un-bleached bread flour, except for the biscuits, and then i use White Lilly flour.
I would have included photos but I have not yet figured out how to do that on this forum.
 
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Ruth n Jersey said:
I prefer using my kitchen aid mixer with the dough hook attachment. It saves a lot of kneading. I get it to the point where it doesn't stick to the bowl then finish it up by hand. That way it doesn't require to much added flour for kneading and I think it rises more,
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Same here. When the weather is cooler I bake bread. These days I indulge in whole wheat lavash or bagels. Will start baking bread again when the temperatures drop.
 
senior chef said:
I love to bake. But the ones I make to most often are, a Big Fat Italian bread, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. I also usually make baguetttes, batards, soft rolls, biscuits, and banana-nut bread. Also, very often I make my own pizza dough.
For the Italian loaves and the batards and the baguettes, I always make my own pre-ferments which I set aside for 12 hours to develop the good "bacterias".
For the Italian loaves and the batards I always use my clay bread bakers.
PS: I almost always use King Arthur's un-bleached bread flour, except for the biscuits, and then i use White Lilly flour.
I would have included photos but I have not yet figured out how to do that on this forum.
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Do you add non-fat dry milk to get extra softness?
Do you use a "starter" on your Italian bread?
So, You don't make sourdough bread?
I've got the King Arthur flours and stuff, but my starter won't last through the winter, too cold!
Can this be made without "starter"?
What do you do to get the extra-hard, crunchy crust? What's the secret?
 
Gaer said:
Do you add non-fat dry milk to get extra softness?
Do you use a "starter" on your Italian bread?
So, You don't make sourdough bread?
I've got the King Arthur flours and stuff, but my starter won't last through the winter, too cold!
Can this be made without "starter"?
What do you do to get the extra-hard, crunchy crust? What's the secret?
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For softness in certain breads, like soft rolls I use milk and butter but not non-fat milk. It works fine for me.

Starter is a term that specifically refers to making sour dough. I use a "PRE-FERMENT called a BIGA for my Italian bread. A BIGA is used to create a stronger gluten and results in a taller loaf AND, of course it adds much more flavor. I make my BIGA. It takes aprox 12-14 hours depending upon kitchen temp.
Back in the days when I cooked for special parties, I made sour dough. BUT, now all of my old friends have passed on and I no longer bother.

No, you can not make sour dough without making a STARTER, first. PS: There is a bakery in San Francisco, that has kept its starter alive for 170 years.

The secret of getting a super hard crunchy crust is STEAM and TEMPERTURE. Professional bakeries have special ovens that in inject steam into the ovens at the VERY BEGINNING OF THE BAKING PROCESS. You can never precisely duplicate that process at home BUT there are some tricks that do a decent job. Try this: when you turn on your oven and set the temperature on ultra high, place a heavy cast iron pan on the floor of your oven. When you have reached maximum temperature and are ready to bake your loaf, put your loaf in the oven and MOVING VERY, VERY QUICKLY, TOSS A HANDFUL OF ICE CUBES INTO THE CAST IRON PAN AND IMMEDIATELY SHUT THE DOOR. More ice cubes is NOT BETTER. DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR UNTIL BREAD IS NEAR THE END OF BAKING. DO NOT REMOVE BREAD UNTIL YOU GET PRECISELY THE CRUST COLOR YOU DESIRE. : )
PS: if you are going to use a clay baker with lid this method will NOT WORK.

I hope this answers your questions. Think positive and keep testing . : )
 
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Gaer said:
Do you add non-fat dry milk to get extra softness?
Do you use a "starter" on your Italian bread?
So, You don't make sourdough bread?
I've got the King Arthur flours and stuff, but my starter won't last through the winter, too cold!
Can this be made without "starter"?
What do you do to get the extra-hard, crunchy crust? What's the secret?
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Gaer,

How cold does your house get in the winter? I used to bake sourdough bread pretty much every week. I would keep my starter in the refrigerator for 5 days and feed it a couple of times the day before I planned to bake. I was thinking that you could devise an l incubator box with a small light bulb for heat, or leave your starter in a closed oven with the light on for the period of the starter or if you're baking everyday or two could be its winter home. Maybe someone here has a suggestion that would even work better for you?

Were you using high hydration dough, meaning there was a larger proportion of water to flour? If you are familiar with the no knead method of bread making, that's a high hydration dough. Baking it in a closed dutch oven keeps the moisture contained and that allows the crust to gelatinize, then removing the lid it crisps up. It's mimicking the steam injector process. Very similar effect from clay bakers.

My ideal baguette , yeast leavened not sour dough, would have a light fluffy interior like cotton candy and the crust would be crisp and be thin and shatter when one would bite into it like a soft serve ice cream cone dipped in chocolate. No matter how many times I'd try different things, I never got the crust to what I was looking for. Got crunchy and great flavor, never got the thin crispy crust I sought to emulate.

Due to dietary changes I don't do sourdough much anymore. I tried to get back to it last year, but wasn't baking enough to even use the discards from feeding it. These days a we eat less bread and what I make is home milled whole grain which while very good is a different critter all together.
 
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