baking bread!

[TulsiLeaf]

So, I just got a bread machine. I have been wanting to start baking bread for a while, and I was at bed bath and beyond the other day and picked up one for 20 bucks(display model).

I made a loaf tonight and it doesn't taste to bad, it was whole wheat with some flax. But I dunno. It's really dense. I found it to salty, not sweet at all. And I found that it didn't cook all the way. It was still a bit gummy in texture.


Any suggestions? Favorite recipes?

[Tjej]

Did you follow the recipie exactly? I find that whole wheat takes a more exact balance than white bread in my machine. It is easier to experiment with white and get a normal loaf and with WW I tend to get a gummy loaf if I am not really careful.

Could your water have been too cool to start? I think that I have had that happen too if I didn't use warm water to start so my yeast didn't get to do all it wanted to do.

Tjej

[artzy_fartzy68]

Honestly, I prefer to just run my machine on the dough cycle, take it out, knead, shape, put in pans, then let rise for as long as it needs to. The machine doesn't know when it's risen enough, it's on a timer. Dense breads like whole wheat sometimes need more time to rise.
Also, I prefer traditionally-shaped loaves, since we use my bread for sandwiches.
I let mine rise in the oven, with the light on. Mine takes between 90m and 2hrs, but you'll know w/ your own after a time.

I have a recipe here on my blog. Search for bread recipe.

Also, on Hillbilly Housewife there's a lot of info on bread machines.

[TulsiLeaf]

Originally Posted by Tjej

Did you follow the recipie exactly? I find that whole wheat takes a more exact balance than white bread in my machine. It is easier to experiment with white and get a normal loaf and with WW I tend to get a gummy loaf if I am not really careful.

Could your water have been too cool to start? I think that I have had that happen too if I didn't use warm water to start so my yeast didn't get to do all it wanted to do.

Tjej

Ahhh, I don't think my water was warm enough. Now that you said that, I don't think it was warm at all. It did rise, not as much as I thought it would though. I also had to add more water as when it was mixing it didn't come together in a ball enough.


I did follow the recipe exactly, and the recipe didn't call for warm water, which now that you mention it I found weird. Someone on my facebook told me that I needed to use a recipe with the flour under 4 cups. This one used nearly 5 cups of flour.

[TulsiLeaf]

Originally Posted by artzy_fartzy68

Honestly, I prefer to just run my machine on the dough cycle, take it out, knead, shape, put in pans, then let rise for as long as it needs to. The machine doesn't know when it's risen enough, it's on a timer. Dense breads like whole wheat sometimes need more time to rise.
Also, I prefer traditionally-shaped loaves, since we use my bread for sandwiches.
I let mine rise in the oven, with the light on. Mine takes between 90m and 2hrs, but you'll know w/ your own after a time.

I have a recipe here on my blog. Search for bread recipe.

Also, on Hillbilly Housewife there's a lot of info on bread machines.

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to try that out. I have to go to the store tonight for groceries, so I will get some more flour and yeast. I just want to get a good sandwich bread so I can stop buying bread. I would rather make it myself to know where it comes from.

I don't think it was risen enough. I will try what you said(I just don't have a light on in my oven. How should I work that then?)


Thanks for all the suggestions so far!

[TulsiLeaf]

oh!

How do you store your bread afterwards?

[jenniepaige]

Yea, it needs to be slightly warm. And it turns out much better if you do half ww and half bread flour. much better.

[TulsiLeaf]

ok.

So I took back the bread machine and got a baking stone. I am SO glad I did that. I enjoy the mixing and kneading process a lot more than I thought.

So I did half rye flour and half white flour ( I was hesitant to use whole wheat) and this http://www.thefreshloaf.com/lessons/yourfirstloaf

It's in the oven right now, smells terrific and I can't wait to tear into it.

[Jaxinator]

Did you use active dry yeast? If the recipe was for a bread machine is may have been tailored for using Rapid Rise, which you don't need to proof. I was having the same problem until I figured all that out. I just stopped using the bread machine though, instead of buying new yeast I always take the temperature of my proofing water and use it at about 110 degrees.

My first hand made loaf was using thefreshloaf.com too. I really like that site.

I usually store my loaves wrapped in aluminium foil. Although loaves without fats I think should be stored in brown paper, like how you would get French bread at the store.

How did you bread come out?

[elizawill]

here's a white bread recipe that rocks:

Country White Bread
-1 cup warm milk (or almond milk, soy milk, etc)
-1 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine
-1 large egg
-1 1/2 teaspoon salt
-4 cups bread flour (i've use 1/2 and 1/2 wheat and white)
-1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
-1 pack of active dry yeast (be sure to make a well hole and pour your yeast into the hole without touching or getting it near liquid at anytime)

now bake it.

this is a super yummy vegan bread too...

1 1/4 c warm water
1 T oil
2 T sweetener of your choice
1 t salt
1 c white flour
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c gluten
1 pack active yeast
2-4 T ground flax seed

[TulsiLeaf]

So I baked the bread last night.

Oh
Mah
gawd

It was amazing. Delicious, tasty, divine. I really enjoy the process of hand kneading rather than machine. It gave it a bit more of a better texture and I did two rises so it gave it a better flavor to(first rise was like hour 15 min and the second rise was near an hour). I am thinking that the first rise could have gone longer, maybe to two hours. But I will just have to do that next time!
It kept well over night just wrapped in a tea towel, the only thing is that the exposed cut side got crusty on the outside. But I toasted it and it was fine. I spread butter and wonderful organic strawberry jam on it and I was in heaven!

I am going to try a few other recipes, but I really want to do sourdough!

[elizawill]

Originally Posted by TulsiLeaf

but I really want to do sourdough!

i'm learning about sourdough through the ecourse at http://gnowfglins.com/ it's very good so far! hth.