Tap Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 Dd21 has found a new love in cooking. I have been sending her cookbooks recently and one that I just sent was a beginning bread baking book. I also sent her a live sour dough starter and a glass jar for storing it in. I was wondering what else you would consider part of you go-to arsenal for bread making. She can't work more that 2 days a week due to a health condition. Cooking/baking is helping to fill her days and it is fun for her to make a nice dinner for her dh and her to eat. Bread is a fun way to round out a meal. Also, how do you store fresh bread for 2 to 3 days and keep the texture nice? She lives in the desert so it is naturally dry where she lives. Do you have a preferred brand of yeast? Favorite bread pan? just off the top of my head that people may mention....She has a large pizza stone, heavy duty Kitchenaid (with dough hook), Large wooden cutting board to kneed on, dutch wisk, board scraper, and long bread knife. What I sent to get her started: Bread Baking for Beginners: The Essential Guide to Baking Kneaded Breads, No-Knead Breads, and Enriched Breads Sour Dough starter from Breadtopia, Weck 1L jar and $20 for a new type of flour/yeast etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 I make bread rolls, since I'm only cooking for myself. They don't dry out as quickly as a cut loaf. Sometimes I make dough and only bake a bit at a time, leaving the rest to sour. I've never lived in a desert, though, so I don't know what works there. Breads with milk in them don't dry out as quickly either. The only other thing I use reasonably often is a dutch oven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) I bake my bread in a Dutch oven. Great crust. To keep it, I only leave out what we eat in 1-2 days and freeze the rest in small portions. Edited February 15, 2020 by regentrude 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 4 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said: I make bread rolls, since I'm only cooking for myself. They don't dry out as quickly as a cut loaf. Sometimes I make dough and only bake a bit at a time, leaving the rest to sour. I've never lived in a desert, though, so I don't know what works there. Breads with milk in them don't dry out as quickly either. The only other thing I use reasonably often is a dutch oven. 1 minute ago, regentrude said: I bake my bread in a Dutch oven. Great crust. What kind of Dutch over do you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 1 minute ago, Tap said: What kind of Dutch over do you use? A cast iron frying pan with a lid that I got from Aldi a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 I'm pretty minimalist. I use instant yeast with GREAT results. A big container for proofing? I use a huge tupperware bowl I got 25 years ago., but this one is nice, I got french bread forms for a gift and they are fun. I like to use glass pans for loaves. I make rolls the most. So large sheet pans. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 1 minute ago, Tap said: What kind of Dutch over do you use? I have a 6 quart one I got at Aldi. I make a round loaf from 6 cups of flour. Also works great for soup. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 This is a fun recipe. It'd be weird to make a sandwich loaf out of it, but I made bread rolls that were good with salad, and some nice flatbreads. She might want to halve it though, since it uses about 12 cups of flour!http://uzbekcooking.blogspot.com/2009/12/pomidorli-non-tomato-bread.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 5 minutes ago, rjand6more said: I'm pretty minimalist. I use instant yeast with GREAT results. A big container for proofing? I use a huge tupperware bowl I got 25 years ago., but this one is nice, I got french bread forms for a gift and they are fun. I like to use glass pans for loaves. I make rolls the most. So large sheet pans. I sent her a Polish Pottery bowl last year. I think it is 10"x10" or a bit larger (160oz). If she covers that with a damp towel, do you think that will work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 5 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said: This is a fun recipe. It'd be weird to make a sandwich loaf out of it, but I made bread rolls that were good with salad, and some nice flatbreads. She might want to halve it though, since it uses about 12 cups of flour!http://uzbekcooking.blogspot.com/2009/12/pomidorli-non-tomato-bread.html Yum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 13 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said: A cast iron frying pan with a lid that I got from Aldi a few years ago. 13 minutes ago, regentrude said: I have a 6 quart one I got at Aldi. I make a round loaf from 6 cups of flour. Also works great for soup. I love my Dutch Oven and have been looking for an excuse to send her one. LOL This may be just the reason I need. :0) Do you find the 6 quart a good size for bread? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) I’m a fan of Red Star yeast. Also a flexible bench scraper and a lame is nice. Edited February 15, 2020 by SamanthaCarter 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 55 minutes ago, Tap said: I sent her a Polish Pottery bowl last year. I think it is 10"x10" or a bit larger (160oz). If she covers that with a damp towel, do you think that will work? Yes. That would work.:) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 I had my dh get me a dutch oven for Christmas, specifically for making round loaves of bread. I got a ceramic 4 qt one from King Arthur Flour. I like that size for bread, but I could see getting a bigger one and a cast iron one for more general cooking purposes too. You might have fun perusing the KAF website. I also got cinnamon chips with my order and used their recipe for cinnamon chip bread, but did a nice round loaf in my dutch oven. I was thrilled that it tasted so much like Great Harvest Bread's cinnamon chip loaf--our most local store closed and that was our favorite for French toast. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 Does she have a french rolling pin, or a silpat? More for baking instead of bread, but still useful. How about an apron? Does she need her herbs and spices refreshed? There are presses that make a pattern on loaves. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmsurbat1 Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 If she ends up liking to make no-knead breads, I suggest a Danish Whisk (which can be used for other mixing jobs as well). Available at both the King Arthur side and Amazon. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) 10 hours ago, Tap said: I love my Dutch Oven and have been looking for an excuse to send her one. LOL This may be just the reason I need. :0) Do you find the 6 quart a good size for bread? Yes. If I have guests, the 6 cup loaf is a good size for a crowd. If it's just DH and I, I freeze half of it right away (cut into two quarters) and we eat the other half while it's still nice. I also like the size because it is large enough as a soup pot to make soup for a group (I make soup for our potluck dinners whenever I host our women's group in our house over the winter) or to have enough soup for several days if it's just the two of us. My DD has a 6 qt one and bakes bread in it, too (she lives with her bf). If your DD is on her own, you could consider going a tad smaller, but I can always make a smaller bread in the big pot and find it's more versatile. Edited February 15, 2020 by regentrude 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvToRead Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 I haven't found any noticeable differences between brands of yeast. Currently I am using Fleischmann's from Sam's, which I store in the freezer. I have been storing yeast in the freezer for years and have never loose it's effectiveness. The individual yeast packets get really expensive if you bake a lot of bread. I slice the entire loaf of bread and only keep out a few pieces of a time, storing the rest in the freezer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 10 hours ago, Chris in VA said: Does she have a french rolling pin, or a silpat? More for baking instead of bread, but still useful. How about an apron? Does she need her herbs and spices refreshed? There are presses that make a pattern on loaves. She has a regular wood rolling pin, and 4 sheet pans with silpats, apron and her herbs/spices are stocked (blends from Penzys and individuals from other stores) and less than a year old. A press would be interesting to look into. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 Glass bread pans are my go to, but I think I'm going to like my new to me Pampered Chef ones even better, if their pie pans are any gauge. She would probably benefit from a big marble board for rolling out things like cookies or pie crusts, if she is baking more than just bread. Also, for pizza a peel is nice, although a flat cookie sheet works pretty well. "Chez Panisse Pasta, Pizza, and Calzone" has excellent and unusual pizza recipes. For desserts I love "The Back In The Day Cookbook". For applying baking techniques to non-sweet food, "Savory Baking" is just WONDERFUL. A supply of White Lily flour would be nice if she doesn't have it available locally. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 On 2/15/2020 at 12:38 PM, Carol in Cal. said: Glass bread pans are my go to, but I think I'm going to like my new to me Pampered Chef ones even better, if their pie pans are any gauge. She would probably benefit from a big marble board for rolling out things like cookies or pie crusts, if she is baking more than just bread. Also, for pizza a peel is nice, although a flat cookie sheet works pretty well. "Chez Panisse Pasta, Pizza, and Calzone" has excellent and unusual pizza recipes. For desserts I love "The Back In The Day Cookbook". For applying baking techniques to non-sweet food, "Savory Baking" is just WONDERFUL. A supply of White Lily flour would be nice if she doesn't have it available locally. I love my Pampered Chef stoneware bread pans. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet2ndchance Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 1 hour ago, Tina said: I love my Pampered Chef stoneware bread pans. Me too. :-) Because we like soft crusts on most bread, I bake it in the stoneware pan, remove it from the pan immediately and then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to keep the moisture in while it cools. It doesn't get wet or soggy, it just keeps the crust from drying out. Of course, the higher moisture content makes it more prone to mold so it needs to be eaten that day or the next and kept wrapped in plastic or foil to keep it from losing moisture and drying out. I would love to get a pullman loaf pan for making sandwich bread some day but right now I would just settle for an oven! lol I haven't had a real oven for the better part of two years now I think it has been. We had a very large toaster oven that we made due with but it died a couple months ago. Hopefully, we will be finally getting a new real oven and I can start baking again soon. This thread has made me realize how much I miss baking. :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 Well, I love my Pampered Chef stoneware for all other baking so I fully expect to love the bread pans, too. Also just recently scored a PC large bar cookie pan at a thrift store, and am looking forward to trying that as well. What I mostly use are the pizza pan (for dessert pizzas), the shallow baker, the deep covered baker (mostly for roasted meats though), and the 3 sizes of open rectangular bakers. They are absolutely awesome. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 20, 2020 Author Share Posted February 20, 2020 (edited) Well....Easter came early to her house LOL She got a 6qt Dutch oven today A 9" Banneton and supplies A digital scale 2 metal bread pans ( I may replace with stoneware if she wants in the future) Her sourdough starter came as well and jar to store it in. She is sooooo excited to start baking! Thank you for the great advice! Edited February 20, 2020 by Tap 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted March 4, 2020 Author Share Posted March 4, 2020 Update for those who helped me shop. She is doing great. Her and her husband are elated with her new endeavor. LOL She thinks she may have killed her starter, but is trying to revive it. She didn't realize she was supposed to store it in the refrigerator and went on vacation for 5 days. She came back to a stinky jar. LOL I hope she can save it! It cost me $12 to order and ship it to her and she hadn't even used it yet. Oh, well. A $12 Life lessons isn't too bad. Haha. She is loving her Lodge Dutch oven. I can't belive I haven't ever baked my bread it one. Guess I will have to try next. Thanks again for all the suggestions! ~Tap 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 On 2/19/2020 at 7:34 PM, Tap said: A 9" Banneton and supplies I've always wanted to try one of these. I need to be around more to make it worthwhile, but it's so intriguing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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