Am I the last woman in America to realize...

[Garga]

that there is high fructose corn syrup in bread? Even the wheat bread?

 

Egads. And here I thought I was feeding the kids a nice nutritious food. I'm going to start making my own bread in the bread machine.

[abbeyej]

It *is* possible to get good bread without that stuff in it -- but depending on where you are, it can be really tough.

 

I've been making no-knead homemade bread lately, and while I can get good local bread when I need it, I'm also really happy with this bread (the ease of it, and the taste and texture). I prefer it to bread machine bread, and don't find it much more work... (It's definitely better to wait to cut it till the next day, if you want it for sandwiches -- though it's great to tear and eat fresh from the oven.)

 

I think the recipe I have is unnecessarily verbose -- but in the end it worked out.

 

Here's my abridged version (but look below for the official one):

tonight, mix

* 3C flour (I used whole wheat and that seemed to turn out fine),

* 1/4 teaspoon yeast (mine was ordinary yeast, not the instant stuff listed below),

* 1 heaping teaspoon salt,

* 1 5/8 C (that's 1.5C plus 2 tablespoons) water

in a large bowl till it's well-mixed, then cover with a piece of plastic wrap till tomorrow afternoon.

 

I've sort of combined steps 2 and 3 below, and didn't notice any major difference from when I tried to follow the original recipe pretty exactly. So tomorrow, about two hours before you want to bake, flour your hands (and use a little extra if necessary to get the dough out of the bowl without getting all sticky -- it's a pretty damp dough) and pull all of the dough out of the bowl and fold it over on itself a couple of times, then pull it around into a ball (using a little more flour to keep it from sticking, as necessary). Put it down on a cotton kitchen towel (not terry-cloth) with more flour to keep it from sticking. Dust the top with flour, and leave it for two hours.

 

Pre-heat the oven to 450 with a large, heavy, lidded container inside. I used my larger Le Creuset dutch oven. When the oven has heated for about half an hour, take the pot out, remove the lid, and dump the dough in, upside down (so the ugly part on the bottom from when you made the ball of dough is now on top -- don't worry, it'll be fine). Put the lid on and slide it back into the oven for 30 minutes. At the end of 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for 15 more minutes.

 

Okay, it still sounds pretty complex, but it really isn't.

 

Recipe: No-Knead Bread

 

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising

 

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

1¼ teaspoons salt

Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

 

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

 

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

 

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

 

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

 

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

[Ravin]

There are a couple of fairly easy to get brands even at Wal-mart that don't have HFCS. Look for whole wheat bread in the $2/loaf range and read labels.

 

We get pretty much all our bread from a local outlet store. None of their breads have HFCS, and we get the "day old" bread for $1 or $.50 a loaf.

Edited June 4, 2009 by Ravin

[Karen in CO]

Corn is a migraine trigger for me so I read labels like crazy. It took me a while to find a bread I could eat. Read carefully, there are a few out there, but they are more expensive. HFCS is cheap and everywhere.

[Miss Peregrine]

It *is* possible to get good bread without that stuff in it -- but depending on where you are, it can be really tough.

 

I've been making no-knead homemade bread lately, and while I can get good local bread when I need it, I'm also really happy with this bread (the ease of it, and the taste and texture). I prefer it to bread machine bread, and don't find it much more work... (It's definitely better to wait to cut it till the next day, if you want it for sandwiches -- though it's great to tear and eat fresh from the oven.)

 

I think the recipe I have is unnecessarily verbose -- but in the end it worked out.

 

Here's my abridged version (but look below for the official one):

tonight, mix

* 3C flour (I used whole wheat and that seemed to turn out fine),

* 1/4 teaspoon yeast (mine was ordinary yeast, not the instant stuff listed below),

* 1 heaping teaspoon salt,

* 1 5/8 C (that's 1.5C plus 2 tablespoons) water

in a large bowl till it's well-mixed, then cover with a piece of plastic wrap till tomorrow afternoon.

 

I've sort of combined steps 2 and 3 below, and didn't notice any major difference from when I tried to follow the original recipe pretty exactly. So tomorrow, about two hours before you want to bake, flour your hands (and use a little extra if necessary to get the dough out of the bowl without getting all sticky -- it's a pretty damp dough) and pull all of the dough out of the bowl and fold it over on itself a couple of times, then pull it around into a ball (using a little more flour to keep it from sticking, as necessary). Put it down on a cotton kitchen towel (not terry-cloth) with more flour to keep it from sticking. Dust the top with flour, and leave it for two hours.

 

Pre-heat the oven to 450 with a large, heavy, lidded container inside. I used my larger Le Creuset dutch oven. When the oven has heated for about half an hour, take the pot out, remove the lid, and dump the dough in, upside down (so the ugly part on the bottom from when you made the ball of dough is now on top -- don't worry, it'll be fine). Put the lid on and slide it back into the oven for 30 minutes. At the end of 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for 15 more minutes.

 

Okay, it still sounds pretty complex, but it really isn't.

 

So not letting it sit for 12 hours is okay? I was going to make bread today, I think I will try this recipe!!

[abbeyej]

So not letting it sit for 12 hours is okay? I was going to make bread today, I think I will try this recipe!!

 

No, you have to let it sit for a minimum of 12 hours. It won't work for today, but it will work for tomorrow.

[elegantlion]

Isn't that horrible. I discovered it last year when I started reading labels on everything. Now it's kind of a game to look for HFCS is things I would never think would have it.

[JenniferB]

I didn't know this until I was pregnant with Gestational Diabetes with my last child, and I was watching my intake of HFCS as well as regular sugar. Otherwise, I would not have noticed this. It seems so silly to put it in virtually everything.

[Miss Peregrine]

No, you have to let it sit for a minimum of 12 hours. It won't work for today, but it will work for tomorrow.

 

I see. I read that wrong. Thank you!

[MomLovesClassics]

www.sweetsuprise.com

 

I just thought I would share the advertisement website for those who have not seen it yet.

 

Please keep in mind, it is said to contain mercury. Doctors are saying they are finding fatty liver disease in children and believe HFCS is the cause. Doctors say don't eat it, then companies put it in so many foods you would think should be healthy.

[mcconnellboys]

There are several brands of ready made breads that do not contain HFCS! You just have to read labels.

[KidsHappen]

Arnold Classic Italian Bread has no HFCS in it but it also is a white bread with no fiber. Healthy Life doesn't have any HFCS either and it comes in white and wheat both of which are high fiber, low carb. Both of these have this on the front of the package in big letters. They are usually sold at all grocery stores and Walmart. I believe that the healthy Sara Lee brand is also HFCS free but I don't know that for sure. You'd have to check the label on it.

[Miss Peregrine]

If you go to Costco, the store brand whole wheat has no HFCS in it.

[TN Mama]

Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat doesn't have HFCS (or transfats) either. I also discovered Arnold's Sandwich Thins recently and I think they are a great alternative to hamburger buns.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

Yep. We get the Kirkland brand multigrain bread (100% whole grain) at Costco... no HFCS. The kids love it.

[Mommyof4ks]

There are several brands without HFCS in it. The thing that bugs me is that some milk has HFCS also!

[DawnL]

Oh, my, you don't want to get me started on the evils of HFCS!

 

Franz has bread without HFCS. They have hot dog and hamburger buns without it, too. I think it's only their whole wheat kind, though.

 

Wheat Thins has HFCS, too, but I found a good substitute at Trader Joe's.

[BigMamaBird]

All Nature's Pride bread is HFCS free. It makes terrific toast!

[mom4him]

Just in case you are interested: companies can put 2% of almost anything in it and not list it. It is good to read labels but if you really want to know what is in something make it yourself. You can contact the company and ask for a complete discloser in writing of ingredients of the product and they will them give it to you. You might be surprised.

 

One more thing, there is called industry standard. If it is considered industry standard, in other words if most of the companies add this or that it doesn't have to be disclosed on the label. Irritating.:eek::banghead::thumbdown:

Edited June 4, 2009 by mom4him

[Paintedlady]

Oh, this is one of my biggest pet peeves. I've been known to spend 20 minutes in the bread isle reading ingredients to find anything that doesn't have that stuff in it. It's almost impossible, and when you do find something you pay double what everything else costs. :banghead:

[Garga]

Guys, thanks for the brands that don't have hfcs. I read about 6 different labels yesterday and they all had hfcs.

 

I got so fed up I guess I stopped reading too soon.

 

It was a day of reading labels. I realized that there is a ton of unpronounceable stuff in the "low fat" options of things. I ended up buying the "full fat" version because I didn't trust what I read on the low fat stuff. (Like the parm cheese that you sprinkle on spaghetti and the cooking spray)