Bread and Board

In general, I think that Americans take their bread for granted. With the demonization of carbohydrates on one hand, and the profusion of Wonderbread on the other, what's a concerned foodie to do? 

Well, there are a couple of options. You can forego the pleasure of a heavy-textured, crusty loaf entirely, you can spend a ton of your hard earned cash on decent bread from an artisan bakery (between $5-$7 a loaf at the Giant Eagle Market District), or you can get baking! 

In my house, we're too snobby and cheap to buy bread. So, J and I carry on the tradition started by J's mother, and we bake our own! (That's right folks - every week.) 

Now, every bread baker will likely give you different instructions. The diversity of methods, while adamantly upheld by the partisan bakers of the world, can be a little intimidating. But if you’re trying your first loaf, I’d like to give you some words of encouragement: baking bread is not rocket science.

Even if you mess something up, and the results will probably be okay, and still better than anything you can buy at a grocery store. In fact, it’s more like playing the game Othello (A Minute to Learn, A Lifetime to Master) than rocket science.  

In the five years that I’ve been baking bread for daily consumption, I’ve baked two or three inedible loaves, a couple of bad loaves, many good loaves, and few great loaves – and have survived each of them. (J, however, makes consistently wonderful bread.)

Baking bread, while relatively simple, is a subtle process. The temperature and humidity of the air, the types and quality of flour used, and the addition of various ingredients can all have an impact on how the bread turns out. On that note – don’t be scared to give it a try. And another try. And another try. Eventually you will find the recipe and method that works best for you.

I’d like to share the basic bread recipe that J and I use, along with some of my personal tips. Neither the ingredients, nor methods are absolute. However, as a relative beginner myself, I think you will find some of the instructions helpful.

Everyday Bread

This recipe is one of the simplest you’ll ever come by. It’s hard to mess this one up. Makes two, decent sized loaves.

Ingredients:

·        4 Cups Unbleached White Flour

·        4 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour

·        4 Tablespoons Dry Active Yeast

·        2 Teaspoons Salt

·        4 Cups Warm Water

·        Common variations: Add ½ Cup of Ground Flax meal, Add 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions:

1.     Heat water in a kettle until it is pretty warm (It should be like bath water – warm, but not enough to scald you. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast, but if it is not hot enough, it will not activate the yeast)

2.     In a (very) large bowl, mix together the flours, yeast, salt (and Ground Flax Meal if using)

3.     Add the water (and Olive Oil if using), one cup at a time, while stirring the flour mixture

4.     Stir until the dough begins to ball together on the sides of the bowl. At this point, go ahead and get wrist deep in the dough, and start kneading!

Tip: The dough should be moist – almost too moist to handle. Add more flour, half a cup at a time, if the dough is too moist. It is better to have a softer, rather than a firmer, dough

5.     Knead like your life depends on it, until the dough feels smooth and the ingredients feel thoroughly mixed. If you are unsure of how to knead a loaf of bread, check on this video.

6.     Place in a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm for 30-50 minutes (depending on how hot it is), or until the dough doubles in size

7.     Pre-heat your oven to 350°F

8.     Line two bread loaf pans with cornmeal

9.     Turn the dough out onto a floured board, and split the dough in half. Proof the dough, and shape each piece into a log about the length of your bread loaf pan. Place each log into a loaf pan, cover and allow to rise for about 30 minutes. (Proofing is like kneading-light. Check out the following video for instructions. Note that in this video, they are only making one loaf, whereas we’re making two loaves in our recipe.)

10.  Place the loaves in the oven, and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the tops of the loaves turn a deep, golden brown.

11.  Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for a few minutes in the loaf pans. Turn out the loaves onto a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely.

Tip: The bread is going to smell amazing at this point. Resist. If you cut the bread before it’s cooled completely, it will be difficult to cut (though still delicious)

12.  Enjoy!