Homemade Bread

[NikonsAndVStroms]

Originally Posted by Bonsai Elephant

Looks tasty, all of it!



The Girl and I started baking our own Challah bread every Friday around the same time Charla started the PUAC thread.

It took us a few weeks of trial and error, but then she took over and we now have perfect Challah every week!



I'll post pictures after next Friday, and if anyone is interested I'll post the recipe from home any time.

Saturday morning french toast

[Denis]

Made two loaves this morning, no-knead style.



Denis

[a1fa]

Very nice!

[Bonsai Elephant]

Originally Posted by NikonsAndVStroms

Saturday morning french toast

Saturday evening cholesterol induced coronary!

[Barnstormer]

I read this thread earlier today. Got motivated
Just took these out of the oven. The house, of course, is smellgasmic.



Homemade blueberry preserves, too!

[a1fa]

Yum!!!!!!!!

[SatanInside]

No need to knead.

no need for a machine

[CA Stu]

Originally Posted by Denis

Stu, that book looks interesting, are all the recipes of the no-knead type?

Denis

I checked with the cook this morning.
All the recipes in there are indeed "no knead".

Thanks
CA Stu

[Denis]

Thanks Stu.

Denis

[potatoho]

What's the best way to store yeast? I had these little packets but only used half, stuck the rest in the fridge. Well the first loaf turned out well, but the second (using the two-day old yeast) came out like a brick.

[Parsley]

[QUOTE=SatanInside]No need to knead.

no need for a machine

This is not precisely new. Peter Reinhart ("The Bread Baker's Apprentice, 2001) uses the same loose doughs for some of his rustic breads and so did my 101 year old Neapolitan grandmother in her daily baking, which was daily until her nineties. Over kneading activates the gluten structure which constrains the gases, no rising and tough, dense bread.
I like the dutch oven technique since it traps steam and keeps the dough top elastic for the extra poof of rise before the crust sets. Easy gains there.
Reinhart posits further that the time that the yeast gets to digests the flour results in a fuller flavored bread. I don't know that I have the palette to get that.
Beautiful loaves in this thread!

Zollo

[Bonsai Elephant]

Originally Posted by potatoho

What's the best way to store yeast? I had these little packets but only used half, stuck the rest in the fridge. Well the first loaf turned out well, but the second (using the two-day old yeast) came out like a brick.

Our experience is buy the small sachets, if you don't use it all in one go bin it.

Seems to go off very quickly once opened.

[Eyes Shut]

Originally Posted by potatoho

What's the best way to store yeast? I had these little packets but only used half, stuck the rest in the fridge. Well the first loaf turned out well, but the second (using the two-day old yeast) came out like a brick.

I buy the containers of "Bread Machine" yeast, and then refrigerate after opening (per the manufacturer's instructions). You can use this yeast for any type of bread that requires yeast.

All yeast will have an expiration date on the package. If you are not sure that the yeast is still active, take a little bit out of the package or container, add it to some warm water (not too hot! and not too cold!) and a pinch of sugar. If the yeast is still active, it will bubble and foam after a few minutes, showing that it is fermenting as expected.

When making bread, make sure that the water or liquids that you use are not too hot, because you can kill the yeast. If the water temperature is comfortably warm to you, then it will be fine for the yeast.

[potatoho]

I will try again to make a loaf. I wasn't so exacting in my measurements last time. tsp versus tbsp

[MeanMoe]

you people are killing me... i'm working very hard to keep the 20 pounds off that i lost when we switched to the Eat for Live diet. now, with all this talk of bread, i want to pull out the lodge pot and heat up the house.