For those that bake...when do you bake?

[stacim]

I started baking most of our bread last year. Sometimes I make pitas and tortillas, and I would love to start making bagels. Trouble is, I can't seem to figure out a good schedule to fit in with homeschooling 3 kids (13,10, and 7) and dealing with an almost 4 year-old. Part of the problem is that I am also 21 weeks pregnant, and I just can't seem to figure much of anything out these days. :lol:

 

It would definitely help if I had the means to mix up more dough at once (right now, I am using a bread machine to mix my dough one loaf at a time, and my kitchenaid couldn't really handle any more dough than the bread machine). I am considering investing in a Bosch for this reason, but haven't made my final decision on that yet.

 

So, for those of you that bake all/most of your own bread, do you have a schedule? Please share.

 

Thanks!

Staci

[amy g.]

I like to do as much as I can on one day.

 

Today, I'm making cheese, so I put aside some of the whey to make bread dough. It is rising now. When it is finished, I'll bake half of it as bread, and store the other half in the refrigerator to make pizza later in the week.

 

When I roll out dough, I give some to my 3 year old to play with. That keeps her busy for awhile.

 

I'm 28 weeks pregnant, so I know how you are feeling!

[justamouse]

Do you have a bread machine with a timer? Can you set it off to go at night and just bake it in the machine? That's what I do. Or, you could time it so that it's done with it's first knead when you get up so that you just have to shape it and put it in a loaf pan?

 

Other than that--There's is this awesome book-Artisinal Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

 

http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253390049&sr=8-1

 

it's is SO GOOD, and it works! They've had some recipes in MOther Earth News lately as promo, but even if you have to get it from the library and rewrite them down, it's worth it.

 

Tell me how you like it if you get it. :001_smile:

 

Sometimes you can get an old hobart from a restaurant, too. *g*

[cjzimmer1]

I started baking most of our bread last year. Sometimes I make pitas and tortillas, and I would love to start making bagels. Trouble is, I can't seem to figure out a good schedule to fit in with homeschooling 3 kids (13,10, and 7) and dealing with an almost 4 year-old. Part of the problem is that I am also 21 weeks pregnant, and I just can't seem to figure much of anything out these days. :lol:

 

It would definitely help if I had the means to mix up more dough at once (right now, I am using a bread machine to mix my dough one loaf at a time, and my kitchenaid couldn't really handle any more dough than the bread machine). I am considering investing in a Bosch for this reason, but haven't made my final decision on that yet.

 

So, for those of you that bake all/most of your own bread, do you have a schedule? Please share.

 

Thanks!

Staci

 

During the summer, I pretty much only bake when we want BLT's, otherwise I haven't baked much because it's too hot. But I will make 4 loaves at a time. In the winter, I usually bake twice a week but only 2 loaves at a time. I do Tuesday and Fridays because those are the days we are usually home.

 

I really hesitated about getting the Bosch, but my husband talked me into it. I'm glad I did, because I can put my ingredients in and I'm pretty much done. I do have to turn the machine on and off a fee times but that's easy enough to do when I'm already working in the kitchen.

 

Other breads items like tortillas, I make only once a month or so, but I make a triple batch. Otherwise, it's just as needed for bread items.

[stacim]

Ooh, cheese making. Sounds intriguing but I don't think that'll make it on my list anytime soon. :) So, how much dough/bread do you bake at one time?

 

I like to do as much as I can on one day.

 

Today, I'm making cheese, so I put aside some of the whey to make bread dough. It is rising now. When it is finished, I'll bake half of it as bread, and store the other half in the refrigerator to make pizza later in the week.

 

When I roll out dough, I give some to my 3 year old to play with. That keeps her busy for awhile.

 

I'm 28 weeks pregnant, so I know how you are feeling!

[stacim]

Yes, my bread machine does have a time, but I don't care for bread baked in the machine. I do like the idea of setting it up to knead just before rising, so it's ready to go. I may have to give that a try. Thanks!

 

I have tried the 5-minute a day bread, but wasn't happy with my results. I may have to give that another try. I used all WW, which is what I typically use for my bread, and I just didn't care for how it turned out.

 

Thanks for the hobart tip. How would you go about finding about ones for sale? Ask around?

 

Do you have a bread machine with a timer? Can you set it off to go at night and just bake it in the machine? That's what I do. Or, you could time it so that it's done with it's first knead when you get up so that you just have to shape it and put it in a loaf pan?

 

Other than that--There's is this awesome book-Artisinal Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

 

http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253390049&sr=8-1

 

it's is SO GOOD, and it works! They've had some recipes in MOther Earth News lately as promo, but even if you have to get it from the library and rewrite them down, it's worth it.

 

Tell me how you like it if you get it. :001_smile:

 

Sometimes you can get an old hobart from a restaurant, too. *g*

[stacim]

I really think a Bosch, or something similar, would make all of the difference in the world. Maybe I'll start trying to sell some stuff to save up the money for one. Once I started baking bread at home, we really don't enjoy the store bought stuff. It would really help if I could do at least two loaves at once, but more dough than that would be even better!

 

What do you do for meals in summer, or do you just buy bread? We eat sandwiches for lunch quite a bit.

 

During the summer, I pretty much only bake when we want BLT's, otherwise I haven't baked much because it's too hot. But I will make 4 loaves at a time. In the winter, I usually bake twice a week but only 2 loaves at a time. I do Tuesday and Fridays because those are the days we are usually home.

 

I really hesitated about getting the Bosch, but my husband talked me into it. I'm glad I did, because I can put my ingredients in and I'm pretty much done. I do have to turn the machine on and off a fee times but that's easy enough to do when I'm already working in the kitchen.

 

Other breads items like tortillas, I make only once a month or so, but I make a triple batch. Otherwise, it's just as needed for bread items.

[amy g.]

I never measure anything. I pour enough whey to fill my mixing bowl 1/2 way. Then I add 1 envelope of yeast and let it sit. Then I add a little unbleached flour and salt and let that sit. Then I add four duck eggs and grind enough wheat berries into the mixture to make a sticky dough.

 

I usually get a double loaf and a lot of Pizza crust, but I made two kinds of cheese today, so I have two double loaves, dough for pizza, and another bowl of dough as well.

 

I spray Pam in a giant ziploc and keep the dough in it in the refrigerator until I need it.

[Cera]

If I am baking bread I usually start right after breakfast. Actually, at this point my 4 year old usually starts it after breakfast. It didn't take long for her to learn to measure out ingredients so she combines everything and then I knead it. Let it rise until lunch, knead and shape it while in the kitchen to make lunch then let it rise until I start dinner and throw it in the oven.

 

I love to assign baking tasks to my kids. I count it as school since they are reading and doing basic math.

[Melissa in Australia]

I spend one whole day baking, either Saturday or Sunday. I bake all the bread for the week and freeze it. I also make all the cookies for the week, and some of the deserts as well. I have a wood fired combustion stove, and it is easier to do all the baking on one day.

[Carrie12345]

I'm having a similar issue.

 

I find it easier to knead by hand and bake 4 loaves of bread at once. I did write up a schedule- Bread on Monday, bagels on Tuesday, tortillas on Thursday, miscellaneous on Saturday.

 

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to stick with it b/c the idea of cleaning up after baking 4 days a week makes me want to cry. Especially with a tile countertop that desperately needs its grout resealed!

[Peela]

I like my bread to rise for at least 8 hours (it makes it more digestible, especially for gluten sensitive people) so I always make it in the evenings so it can sit overnight- up to 12 hours. Then the next morning I knead it and let it rise again for another hour or two. I tend to do 2 loaves at once, and I do it by hand.

Even though it doesn't take very long, my family aren't enthusiastic enough about home made bread to encourage me to make it more often.

 

I did just get a Thermomix though, (not available in the U.S apparently) and it will grind my wheat then make my dough for me- I will still then leave it overnight so it's still an evening operation. I am looking forward to trying it- hopefully it will help me push past my family's resistance.

[justamouse]

You can find an old hobart in restaurant sales stores or check the papers for one that has gone out of business.

[cjzimmer1]

 

What do you do for meals in summer, or do you just buy bread? We eat sandwiches for lunch quite a bit.

 

We don't eat alot of sandwiches. The kids just pick them apart and eat them by layers or only certain parts so we just don't bother. For lunch we eat leftovers 99% of the time. So I just plan really big suppers and have the rest for lunch the next day.

 

But the kids love slices of fresh bread, so in the winter we have that as our afternoon snacks, or with supper. During the summer we eat fresh fruits/veggies for snacks.

[stacim]

Thanks for the tips and ideas! I will probably just have to try a few ideas shared here and then figure out what works for us.

 

For those who do the extended rise, do you just use a bit less yeast, and let time do the trick? Do you let it rise on the counter, or in the fridge. I am still quite the novice, and haven't really gotten confident enough to experiment yet.

 

~Staci

[JFSinIL]

Could the older two kids be enlisted as bread dough kneaders? It is not hard at all to make bread, and they could certainly help a great deal!!!

[kewb]

I always bake our bread in the morning. This way we have bread at lunchtime. I start the process while the kids are eating breakfast. For me, if I don't get to the baking first thing in the morning it just doesn't happen. Unless I am making hamburger buns. Those are usually a spur of the moment idea for me.

[stacim]

Could the older two kids be enlisted as bread dough kneaders? It is not hard at all to make bread, and they could certainly help a great deal!!!

 

I could do that, but with them doing school in the morning, still not sure how I would schedule it. I do want them to learn, but that will probably have to wait until we have our school schedule running a bit more smoothly.

 

I always bake our bread in the morning. This way we have bread at lunchtime. I start the process while the kids are eating breakfast. For me, if I don't get to the baking first thing in the morning it just doesn't happen. Unless I am making hamburger buns. Those are usually a spur of the moment idea for me.

 

Do you use a single rise recipe? By the time I am up and dressed, I don't seem to have enough time for a double rise, bake and cooling. Part of the problem is that I am having a hard time getting up this pregnancy. :blushing: If I could get myself out of bed earlier, that would be less of a problem. As it is, I usually end up making pitas, which take less time end-to-end, and we just eat those right after baking.

 

~Staci

[kewb]

I do use a single rise recipe. It makes two loaves of a nice dense bread. I usually give it a second rise though because my dh prefers a softer bread. Even though everyone else in the house likes the dense bread. What we do for love.

[Delighted3]

I love it. I bake bread every 5-8 days depending on my schedule.

HTH,

Joy

[JoyfulMama]

Do you have a bread machine with a timer? Can you set it off to go at night and just bake it in the machine? That's what I do. Or, you could time it so that it's done with it's first knead when you get up so that you just have to shape it and put it in a loaf pan?

 

Other than that--There's is this awesome book-Artisinal Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

 

http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253390049&sr=8-1

 

 

 

My DH's fave bread is from this book. (It's on my Wish List.) If I make this, I get it out first thing in the morning, so i can bake it while in the kitchen for breakfast and cleanup. (And then it is fresh when he comes home from working all night.)

 

However, I have found that making loaves of bread is easiest for me later in the day. At around 3 I can mix up a batch, and work through it while I am doing dinner prep. Then it can cool and be ready to store before bed, and be easy to cut in the morning. If I make rolls or buns for dinner, I use a 60 minute recipe, so I can start that before I do other dinner prep.

Oh, and for cleanup, very rarely do I knead on the counter anymore - I do it right in my mixing bowl. Starting my bread later in the day allows me to feel like I can exit my kitchen and get other things done. I do also have a bread machine which I can set on a timer, which I will use to bake bread in a pinch, or to mix up dough when in a pinch, too (more often).