PentecostalMom Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I am busy, I know we all are! I have three littles at home, am expecting another (think first trimester tiredness) and dh is in school/studying 10-12 hours a day/5 days a week. I really, really, really, want to make my own bread. I have read threads on the old forum but cannot find any for some reason since the change. I have a KitchenAid Artisan mixer, I have a KitchenAid blender. I have two ancient metal loaf pans (were dh's grandmother's). I don't have a lot of storage room in my tiny fridge, but could possibly make some if I need to keep dough there. Please help me! We are currently eating whole wheat or whole grain bread with no high fructose corn syrup, but I use white flour for all other baking. I would like to try starting with 1/2 white and 1/2 something else (maybe whole wheat?) and transition over to organic/all natura/whole wheat/whole grain....something that is really good for my family but it also soft and yummy. I also wouldn't mind something that can be made into different kinds of breads. We like soft for sandwiches, but crusty with soups, etc. If there is an easy way to get started, please let me know. I do remember reading something about bread in five minutes but that seems too good to be true and I don't recall much more than that. I'd love to get started this month. Thanks for guidance/help/tips! Oh, willing to buy a bread machine if that will help, but don't want to get it if the mixer is enough. We don't have a big kitchen and storage space is limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Here's the no-knead recipe. It's easier than anything else and involves very little hands on time. http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/02/09/back-to-basics-tips-and-techniques-to-create-a-great-loaf-in-5-minutes-a-day It's easier to handle when the dough is cold, so you can start it the day before. Aside from the dough being very sticky to handle, it really is a VERY quick and easy method to get you started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb in NZ Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I've bought no bread since New Year's Day. I'd had a breadmaker for over a decade, but had only been using it recently to make dough as it was beginning to die. My breadmaker finally fell apart just before Christmas & I treated myself to a new breadmaker with the Boxing Day sales. It has just about paid for itself already in the $$$ we've saved with me making all our bread products. I put a loaf of bread into cook every evening timed to finish mid-morning. This loaf has cooled enough to cut easily for lunch. Toast is only an option for breakfast if there's a bit left from yesterday's loaf. If I want buns, pizza, etc. for dinner, I put in a batch of dough after lunch. Using a breadmaker is so-o-o much easier & less mess than making bread in a mixer or by hand. I make Wheat/White bread, Oatmeal Bread, French Bread, etc. I made some Honey Wholewheat buns for hamburgers last night & the left-overs got sliced & toasted like English Muffins this morning to eat with our eggs. Yum! If you can afford a breadmaker, it is worth the price as is worth the time you'll save. JMHO, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 If you go with WW, it helps to add vital wheat gluten to help the bread rise more. 100% WW can be like a brick. You can bake bread in any pyrex glass dish. I would use a pyrex instead of the old metal pans (especially if the metal had any rust or issues). You don't have to refrigerate, but if you want to make more dough than you are going to bake at one time, then you do have to refrigerate. I would start out simply and get the rhythm of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khselee Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I use this recipe for our sandwich bread sometimes.: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breads/amish-white-bread-loaves/#reviews I use either half white/half wheat, or all whole wheat flour. I cut the sugar down to 1/3 c., or use 1/3 c. honey, and use coconut or olive oil. This is so easy it's nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Yes, it comes out great. My dd just made it two days ago for the first time. I used to make it regularly in VA but got out of the habit here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 The best investment I've made was the Encyclopedia of Country living. The author explains the nitty gritty of bread making and how to make bread from almost anything without a recipe. Once I added the knowledge of how to make artisan bread to that, I felt like I could make almost anything. The breadmaker is nice and time saving if you are going to stick to standard recipes. When I use it, I prefer to only to make the dough with it and put it in pans to rise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northwoodsmama Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 This is my go-to bread recipe, even my picky nephew loves it! http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/01/light-wheat-bread/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Yes, it comes out great. My dd just made it two days ago for the first time. I used to make it regularly in VA but got out of the habit here. I've made this and while my loaves sometimes came out looking lopsided, they were always delicious. I'm really interested in trying it again - it would be great for making homemade pizzas. They also have gluten-free recipes! http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/01/05/gluten-free-crusty-boule Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Here's the no-knead recipe. It's easier than anything else and involves very little hands on time. http://www.artisanbr...5-minutes-a-day I am so intrigued by this. Does it really come out good? It's delicious! I no longer have room to store the dough but I was making it regularly when I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I am so intrigued by this. Does it really come out good? It does. It's a delicious, rustic loaf that's really nice to have with dinner. I also have the OPs exact mixer. I retired my bread machine once I got that thing. The bread machine was really cool for a few years, but you hit a point where you get picky and start doing your baking in the oven anyway. Oven baked loaves are just better IMO. I use my mixer for so many things anyway and clean it in the dishwasher, so I eventually gave my bread maker away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brookspr Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Check out this website, I have both of the books and use them often. You can make bread in 5 minutes a day. Ok, a little misleading, but esentially it takes very little time. You make a large batch of dough which only takes about 10 minutes for most recipes (no kneading required) and the dough stays in the fridge for up to two weeks. You take hunks off as needed and form your bread (loaves, rolls, etc...), let it rise and bake. I mostly use recipes from the Healthy Breads in 5 Minutes book because we eat very little white flour. I also usually end up just making all of the loaves at once and freezing them because I don't have room for a bucket of dough in my fridge. You will need a good sized lidded container for the dough. I have also found that, although the recipes may say it makes 5 loaves, the most I can get out of them is 3 large loaves. But they are always delicious! http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com Oops, just saw that Kathy posted the same thing above. So I can second that the recipes are easy and always come out good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Bread made from the wheat berries you just turned into flour in your grain mill...ahhhh...that's the best.bread.ever. :-) So that might be a purchase to consider: a grain mill. Nutrimill is the brand that many of us seem to have. Then you can mix the dough in your KA. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I'll sound like the "Junk Food Mama" with this recommendation. If you are a total beginner at breadmaking, I would begin with a good recipe using unbleached flour only. Not even a mix of flours until you master the basic, springboard recipe. I'll come back later today with the recipe I used for this purpose. No need for a bread machine unless you have money to spare for a back-up system to use during rainy weather (when regular dough may not rise well because of the humidity). A bread machine makes small loaves, even when claiming that they are "large" size. Your stand mixer is the perfect equipment! You can make two or three loaves at once, depending upon the size of your workbowl. Recently I priced out making bread using that "basic" recipe. Ignoring fuel costs (oven), it costs me about $1.00 per excellent loaf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 For crusty bread I use the 5 minute a day recipe. We especially like it with chunks of Asiago cheese in it. For sandwich bread we use this recipe. http://tadmitchell.com/cookbook/wheatbread.html It's 100% whole wheat and it's fabulous. It includes instructions for mixing in the KA. I disagree with the previous poster about starting with white bread first. I've never made white sandwich bread and the above recipe is the first I ever tried. It was so good I never tried anything else. I actually sell this bread at bake sales at our church and I can never make enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 While I don't post to this blog anymore, I outlined the steps to make whole wheat bread that is soft and squishy. I used to sell it to my dh's co-workers years ago and they still ask when I'm going to start doing that again. You can do this recipe with a kitchenaid, but you need to cut the recipe in 1/2 because a kitchenaid can't handle kneeding 5 loaves of whole wheat bread (my mom's professional kitchenaid couldn't handle it). I make this recipe every week and freeze the bread. Works great. http://myobviousfamily.blogspot.com/search/label/Bread%20directions Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFM Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I, too, use a Nutrimill and love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Oh, willing to buy a bread machine if that will help, but don't want to get it if the mixer is enough. We don't have a big kitchen and storage space is limited. CAUTION: BUNNY TRAIL ALERT!! I watched some home-design-DIY show where a woman had something like five or six bread machines, and the design crew built some shelves where the bread machines could live all the time because she used them every day. I wanted to tell her, "WAIT!!! Buy a Bosch and a grain mill!!! You can make up to five loaves of bread at one time with one machine!!!" :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbanSue Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I am so intrigued by this. Does it really come out good? I've baked my own bread for years. And I always made good loaves but they were always just "good for homemade". The no-knead breads out there baked in a dutch oven are just amazingly good and shockingly easy. And the very long rise time make them a lot easier to digest. I'm working on making them using sourdough now (some people call these sourdough but they really aren't) with no yeast and my last loaf was pretty decent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbanSue Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 It does. It's a delicious, rustic loaf that's really nice to have with dinner. I also have the OPs exact mixer. I retired my bread machine once I got that thing. The bread machine was really cool for a few years, but you hit a point where you get picky and start doing your baking in the oven anyway. Oven baked loaves are just better IMO. I use my mixer for so many things anyway and clean it in the dishwasher, so I eventually gave my bread maker away. I hate extraneous appliances that only do one thing. Really, give the no-knead bread a try before buying any more appliances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I am a bread making failure. I have a bread machine. The dough never rises. I think I may be accidentally killing the yeast when I add warm water. How warm is too warm? I am not a bread expert except for the recipe that I make. There are different kinds of yeast and perhaps you are using a quick rise yeast which does not need to be proofed, but rather just added with the dry ingredients. My DIL was having this same issue until I made her tell me every step of the process and yes, in fact she was killing the yeast by adding it to hot water before putting it into her mixer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I hate extraneous appliances that only do one thing. Really, give the no-knead bread a try before buying any more appliances. I actually love my small appliances. I have lots of them, use them all, and plan to get more. That said, I did give that bread machine away. It turned out that I just wanted to mechanize the kneading process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 http://www.amazon.co...n/dp/0812969677 Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book. The best. You are killing me, I had a hardback Laurel's Kitchen and I must of gotten rid of it because I can't find it. I want to just look at the illustrations. I'm an idiot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I make bread and I love it . My best advice.... Practice, practice, practice. Learn what good dough feels like in yur hand. IMO, baking bread is more of an art than a science. Have fun. It's a rewarding hobby. And tasty, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I am a bread making failure. I have a bread machine. The dough never rises. I think I may be accidentally killing the yeast when I add warm water. How warm is too warm? In my experience, if it feels warm against your hand it's probably too warm. I use a bread machine too, and I put in barely lukewarm water. Also, some bread machines seem to get too hot during the rise cycle and dry out the dough. If that happens, a sort of dry, hardish crust can form on the top that prevents rising. If you know that's not the problem, try letting it rise for a couple of hours. Some bread just takes longer. And check your yeast. The little jars are only good for six months after you open them, and must be kept refrigerated. The little packets have a date on the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I am not a bread expert except for the recipe that I make. There are different kinds of yeast and perhaps you are using a quick rise yeast which does not need to be proofed, but rather just added with the dry ingredients. My DIL was having this same issue until I made her tell me every step of the process and yes, in fact she was killing the yeast by adding it to hot water before putting it into her mixer. In my bread machine, even regular active dry yeast has to go in with the dry ingredients. No proofing required. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 My sister killed her yeast by storing it in the pantry after opening the jar. We just split a big Costco bag of yeast. I made her swear to keep a little bit in the fridge and the rest in the freezer, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 My sister killed her yeast by storing it in the pantry after opening the jar. We just split a big Costco bag of yeast. I made her swear to keep a little bit in the fridge and the rest in the freezer, I keep all my yeast in the freezer. I have a vintage tupperware container about the size and shape of one of those bricks of yeast. I dump it all in there and use it straight from the freezer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day standard recipe is a little high on the yeast, so feel free to use less if you can taste it (I can and it drives me crazy at the recipe level). They also have a whole wheat book (Healthy Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day?). Check them out of the library and see if you like them. Sam's Club has large plastic 4-6 quart containers back by the freezer section if you decide you want to do this full time. They're more reasonable than anything I've seen on Amazon or other stores. Jim Lahey wrote the original no-knead recipe published by the New York Times. He has a book called My Bread. His recipe is even easier than the 5 Minutes a Day book. It makes less but you can leave his out on the counter. The Artisan recipe needs fridge room. Warm water for yeast should never go over 100-110 degrees F. If you have a digital thermometer use it. They can be really helpful (and Walmart one isn't very expensive--less than $10). If not, the water should not be more than tepid to the touch. It should not be hot! Remember body temperature is @100 so no more than your hand temperature. When in doubt let it sit on the counter for a few minutes. I recommend checking out a few books from the library (Healthy Artisan Bread/Jim Lahey/something by Peter Reinhart, such as The Breadbaker's Apprentice) and trying a few recipes from online. In baking bread, nothing can really replace experience. Get some experience. There's a certain feel to bread: when its ready, how its shaped. It takes time. However, you should be able to do some passable loaves reasonably soon. www.thefreshloaf.com has forums for bread bakers that can be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 King Arthur Flour has lots of great recipes. Their website is great and their staff and wonderful at answering questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 three kids and one on the way? get a bread machine. I baked bread for years and years by hand. I always turned up my nose at a machine. Then baby #2 arrived and I got thunked on the head by reality. I love my machine! I an make bread dough in it and put it in a pan and bake it, I make my own pizza dough so I never use take out. But, and this is the truth: It is a job. It is one more thing to do. The bread machine doesn't do the work for you. I have taken several loooong breaks from bread making, mostly baby and toddler induced. Now that my kids are 12 and 8 I am once again baking all the bread. But, I still use the machine to knead the dough. It does such a fantastic job that I can't say no. It is very nice to be able to load up the machine in the morning, and have dough to bake for lunch. Or, bake it in the machine and it is 3 hours and 45 mins to fresh bread! But, with a baby on the way, do you really want to take on another job? Maybe aim for bread once a month? Work your way up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb in NZ Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 three kids and one on the way? get a bread machine. I baked bread for years and years by hand. I always turned up my nose at a machine. Then baby #2 arrived and I got thunked on the head by reality. I love my machine! I an make bread dough in it and put it in a pan and bake it, I make my own pizza dough so I never use take out. But, and this is the truth: It is a job. It is one more thing to do. The bread machine doesn't do the work for you. I have taken several loooong breaks from bread making, mostly baby and toddler induced. Now that my kids are 12 and 8 I am once again baking all the bread. But, I still use the machine to knead the dough. It does such a fantastic job that I can't say no. It is very nice to be able to load up the machine in the morning, and have dough to bake for lunch. Or, bake it in the machine and it is 3 hours and 45 mins to fresh bread! But, with a baby on the way, do you really want to take on another job? Maybe aim for bread once a month? Work your way up? :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Here's the no-knead recipe. It's easier than anything else and involves very little hands on time. http://www.artisanbr...5-minutes-a-day It's easier to handle when the dough is cold, so you can start it the day before. Aside from the dough being very sticky to handle, it really is a VERY quick and easy method to get you started. I used this for crusty bread to serve with pasta dishes or soup. I cut the original recipe in half and make a large round with it. After the initial two hour rise, I flour my hands well, grab the wet dough, and drop it into my flour bin. I cover the whole thing with flour and then can easily shape it despite it being warm. I put a generous amount of corn meal on my pizza peel before placing the round onto it to proof while the oven and stone heats up. When the oven is ready, I slice the top a few times and push the round onto the hot stone with a dough scraper (the corn meal makes it not stick). It bakes and is ready to cut as soon as it is cool enough. No refrigeration required. It takes about three hours from start to finish but only about 5 minutes of that is actual hands on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I use this recipe for pizza. It takes 10 minutes to dump the ingredients in, mix it with my the dough hooks on my hand mixer, and roll it out on my pizza stone. Then top it and toss in the oven for 20 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I used this for crusty bread to serve with pasta dishes or soup. I cut the original recipe in half and make a large round with it. After the initial two hour rise, I flour my hands well, grab the wet dough, and drop it into my flour bin. I cover the whole thing with flour and then can easily shape it despite it being warm. I put a generous amount of corn meal on my pizza peel before placing the round onto it to proof while the oven and stone heats up. When the oven is ready, I slice the top a few times and push the round onto the hot stone with a dough scraper (the corn meal makes it not stick). It bakes and is ready to cut as soon as it is cool enough. No refrigeration required. It takes about three hours from start to finish but only about 5 minutes of that is actual hands on. I skip the cornmeal step and let the bread rise on parchment paper. It's easy to just transfer the bread to the baking stone parchment and all, then after it has baked about 10-15 minutes I can slip the parchment out and let it finish on the stone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 three kids and one on the way? get a bread machine. I baked bread for years and years by hand. I always turned up my nose at a machine. Then baby #2 arrived and I got thunked on the head by reality. I love my machine! I an make bread dough in it and put it in a pan and bake it, I make my own pizza dough so I never use take out. But, and this is the truth: It is a job. It is one more thing to do. The bread machine doesn't do the work for you. I have taken several loooong breaks from bread making, mostly baby and toddler induced. Now that my kids are 12 and 8 I am once again baking all the bread. But, I still use the machine to knead the dough. It does such a fantastic job that I can't say no. It is very nice to be able to load up the machine in the morning, and have dough to bake for lunch. Or, bake it in the machine and it is 3 hours and 45 mins to fresh bread! But, with a baby on the way, do you really want to take on another job? Maybe aim for bread once a month? Work your way up? :iagree: And this book is great: http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Lovers-Machine-Cookbook-Perfect-Every-Time/dp/155832156X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359931487&sr=8-1&keywords=bread+machine+bible It has a lot of different types of bread and walks you through a kind of teaching course at the beginning of the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 This is my go-to bread recipe, even my picky nephew loves it! http://smittenkitche...ht-wheat-bread/ Mmmm! I made this today and it's delicious. Soft and light, good flavor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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