THE RELUCTANT GOURMET COOKING COMMUNITY

[ninjabut]

I tried baking bread many years ago, with very little success. I'm sure much of the problem was not enough heat to help the bread rise.
I did have some success with beer bread made with self rising flour, but have since lost that recipe (probably from 20 years ago!)
My cooking has improved quite a bit since then, but I haven't done any baking beyond cookies, muffins and birthday cakes.
I LOVE soup and LOVE good bread to go with these home made soups, but the lovely breads I have been sharing with a co-worker have almost doubled in price and my co-worker has retired.
To give you an idea of the breads I like: sourdough frenchbread (I live in the SF Bay Area, so I can get this easily), rustic Italian, ciabatta and bread with all sorts of goodies like garlic in them.
I can probably get a bread machine for free or cheap, but that's just another "gadget" to clutter my small kitchen!
So, I'm looking for a very simple (to start) bread recipe to compliment my many yummy soups during the winter months. I would like one that I can change around and add different ingredients if possible.
TIA Nancy

[jfield]

RG just posted a really good basic bread recipe with really good directions on his blog. Search for "basic bread recipe." Four ingredients, and there you have it.

Also, to make a really nice approximation of a French loaf (and thanks to Chef Todd Mohr of Savor Hospitality here in Cary for the proportions) 18 oz. all purpose flour, 10 oz. warm water, 2 t. active dry yeast, a pinch or two of sugar for the yeast to eat to start and about 2 teaspoons of salt. Throw everything in a KA with the dough hook. Let mix/knead for about 10-12 minutes. Check for windowpane. Let rise till double. Punch down and do it again. Punch down, flatten, roll up tightly like a jelly roll, pinching the seam well. Taper the ends. Let rise again until almost double. Brush with water, slash if you want and bake at 425 degrees F until golden brown and delightful. The KA does most of the work--all you need is time, and you can be doing other stuff in between the risings.

[ninjabut]

I'll check out the basic bread recipe.
I don't own a KA. As I said, I'm not much of a baker. That being said, how long would I have to knead the dough by hand.
Does the dough have to be in a very warm environment in order to rise? At this time of year, I don't heat my house (It's still in the high 70-mid 80s during the day) the evenings are cool, though. I seem to remember when I tried baking before, that I had the same problem, not enough warmth.

[jfield]

No problem with a cooler room--just plan for a longer rising time. The flavor of the bread will actually improve with more rising.

You don't need the KA--I usually make my bread by hand. Use the RG 4-ingredient recipe as a guide--mix all ingredients, but only 1/3-1/2 the flour, whip it all together with a wooden spoon for a couple of minutes. Let that rise until double. Stir it down, dump most of the rest of the flour out on your board and pour the really wet dough on top. Knead in as much of the flour as it will take--you want the dough to still be slightly sticky, just not overly so. Use a bench scraper to help you fold over the dough (and help you resist the urge to add more flour). Knead for a good 10-15 minutes, checking the dough after ten minutes. It should be really smooth and "sproingy." If you poke it, it should bounce back. If you try to pull off a piece, it should stretch a pretty good long way before it tears. Do the windowpane test. If it passes, you're good to go. If not, keep at it until the dough is lovely and sproingy and pulls out to almost bubble gum bubble thin-ness for the window pane test.

In a cool room, you could increase the yeast some if you are rushed, but you'll be better off keeping the same amount of yeast and just letting it rise longer. You might even be able to do the dough and the kneading at night and then finish it all up in the morning, leaving the dough to rise covered on the counter.

[ninjabut]

Well woo hoo! My Americas Test Kitchen newsletter came yesterday and it came with a beer bread EASY recipe! Even came with a video!
Unfortunately, every time I tried to print it , everything froze, so I have to run back and forth to the computer to read the directions!
I'll be REALLY happy during the up coming soup season if this bread recipe pans out!
If it does, I'll post it.
I need to hit the thrift store to buy a dutch oven, though.

[Reluctant Gourmet]

Here is a link to the Basic Bread recipe Chef Jenni was referring to:
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/blog/baking-recipes/basic-bread-recipe/

RG

[ninjabut]

Thanks for that link. It seems nice and clear (although I still don't know what a windowpane test is)
If you want to print it, copy and paste it to something else or you'll get 3 pages of comments printed too. Oh well, more scratch paper to make notes on :D NT

[jfield]

The windowpane test is when you take a little piece of dough and make a wee little pizza crust out of it, holding it up to the light and stretching it really thin. If it gets so thin that it is translucent before it tears, your dough is ready. (If light gets through it, it's kind of like a little dough windowpane)!

[ninjabut]

Well, OK, then! I'll have wee little pizza crusts all over the kitchen, checking to see if I can see through them! LOLOLOL NT

[jfield]

lol :lol: You can pull off a piece and, if it isn't ready, put it back in the pile so you don't waste any dough. Otherwise, you'll have a loaf the size of a muffin, if you're not careful!