Who can make BREAD (real bread)?

NYCNika

I was looking for a cast iron pan online and came across a combo cooker, so these pictures and got reminded how much I love fresh real bread and how it would be nice if I could learn it.

Does anyone have a recipe with detailed instruction?





I would especially be interested in real, heavy, dark, Eastern European breads.

Would I need both parts of a cast iron set like this:

or would cast iron be enough?

VeganLexi

Check out Paul Hollywood!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/programmes/b01rhdgt

lngman

I have made this bread dozens of times with perfect results...and I am NOT a baker. It is from Mark Bittman of the New York Time. This is the quick version (only 4 hours of rise). Mark had done an earlier article about a version that takes 12 or more hours. By changing the yeast concentration he came up with a quicker version.

In the winter I mix it up around 6 am on Satureday morning and we have fresh bread by lunch time. The house smells incredible. Unfortunately, this bread dissapears quickly and I never seem to have any bread for Monday's lunch unless I hide a couple slices from the family.

http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/speedy-no-knead-bread-332565

RunningForeverMama

I make nearly all our bread and grind my own wheat even. I just use a basic recipe and typically don't make anything fancy, so I can't help you there but I do know you wouldn't need lidded pan. I love to make cornbread in a cast iron skillet.

sympha01

Unless you have a commercial / restaurant bread oven, YES you need a heavy covered pot to make bread that beautiful. Something like what you showed in your picture would work great. Also a big dutch oven would work (and would be multi-purpose). Like this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00063RWYI/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_Iasfsb1GBF3HH

Baking bread like this is super-easy, but takes a bit of patience because you have to start at least the night before. Here's a < 2 minute walkthrough from America's Test Kitchen with all the detail you need for a basic, delicious white loaf.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsXIl8KEfpk

FerretBuellerr

I bake real bread - a recipe given to me by my boyfriends mother (I believe it was her mothers recipe originally) but I just bake it in regular bread pans :indifferent:

ETA: As was mentioned by others, making your own bread is actually really easy - it's just getting the technique down and knowing the proper texture of the dough and knowing how long is long enough to bake it.

I'm sure you can find a million how-to videos online

jetlag

I make bread and have never used cast iron anything.

Good bread is in the kneading, unless you make soda bread, which doesn't need kneading.

amyk0202

I used to make our bread all the time when bread here got so expensive. I found a recipe online for honey wheat bread. If I was only making a loaf or two at a time, I would use my stand mixer & a dough hook for kneading--it's the best thing ever. If I was making 4 loaves at a time, I would knead it by hand. That is a good way to work your arms. Those women back in the day must have had some muscles! Bread is super easy to make & soooo delicious. I just made it in bread pans. I never tried cast iron. I tend not to use anything I can't throw in the dish washer.

emartin17

I use my bread machine often. Bread machine or not I'm great at breads. It really is all in the kneeding. You can certainly make bread in a crockpot too if you have the right recipe.

xcga33i

I have pcos and don't like to eat 'extras' in my bread so I made my own. Do you have a large mixer like a Kitchen Aid? I use it for the kneading. I use 2 bread loaf pans but you could use one cast iron pan if you wanted it to turn out like the picture. You don't need the lid or a special oven only a large mixer and 3 hours. I listed my recipe and instructions below. Please send me a message if you need help. Sorry I don't have any pics. I make 2 loafs at a time and we eat them in 4-5 days so it doesn't stick around long.

White Oat Bread
(I only use Golds unbleached flour in the orange bag for bread making)

Add 2T, 2t & 1/2c warm tap water
1 pkg active dry yeast
1T & 1t bread flour
1t white sugar
Mix together in your mixing bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes. Should start to bubble.

In another bowl I mix
1c warm tap water
3T & 2t veggie oil

In another bowl I mix
2/3c old fashion oatmeal
4c bread flour
1 1/2t salt
3T & 2t brown sugar

After your 5 minutes are done pour wet and dry in the yeast mix. Knead with the dough hook for 2 minutes or until mix is on hook and totally pulling off the bowl. You might need to add a little extra flour but not much. Give it a minute to mix well and pull away.
Spray crisco spray in a large bowl, turn bread out into bowl and flip to grease top side. Place a towel over bowl and sit Ina warm place for an hour.

Flip bread out of bowl and cut in to two pieces. Flip into grease loaf pans and flip again tigresses both sides. Sit in warm place with a towel over it again for an hour. If you want one large loaf in a cast iron don't cut bread just put in greased cast iron pan to rise.

Bake on 350' for 35 minutes. Turn bread out on cooling rack to cool. Enjoy. We love this bread for everything but especially toasted with butter or light cream cheese on it for breakfast. Yummy!

Warchortle

So no half nattie g4p bread? (bonus points if anyone gets the reference)

xcga33i

Oh and we use an electric knife to cut it really thin, about 1/2 inch. 16 pieces to a loaf makes it 73 yummy calories a slice.

Bekahmardis

I make nearly all our bread and grind my own wheat even. I just use a basic recipe and typically don't make anything fancy, so I can't help you there but I do know you wouldn't need lidded pan. I love to make cornbread in a cast iron skillet.

Exactly. Breadmaking is a fairly easy process. I make mine on a pizza stone on occasion!

ChrisM8971

Try this site

http://www.bakingmad.com/

More bread recipes than you can shake a stick at

ChrisM8971

Oh and kneading for 10 straight minutes is a work out in itself lol

chani8

I make bread for an army! Do you want such a large recipe? Well, here it is just in case:

Take a very large bowl.
Pour in 6 cups of water
1 package of instant dry yeast
1 tsp of sugar
1/2 cup of olive oil

In another bowl (or large bag), sift together
1 bag (1 kilo) of organic whole wheat flour
1 bag (1 kilo) of bread flour
1 Tbs of salt

Pour the flour mixture into the water mixture. Stir until all the water is gone. Turn out dough onto counter and knead until it forms a nice ball (5 - 10 minutes). Plop the dough back into the bowl. Spray with a little olive oil and cover with a baking paper. Raise until double in size.

Split dough into 6 portions, placing them in loaf pans. Raise again. Bake 3 at a time, until golden brown. Freezes well.

delicious_cocktail

I definitely recommend using an internet search engine to find recipes. I'm certain that I've seen one instructional about making bread before. Try altavista or lycos, or AOL keyword "baking"!

TheRunningGuppy

Found this recipe via pinterest, and have been making it for about a year now. I make two batches each time so I end up with 8 loaves. I love it, and so does my family! I know this is not a crusty European bread, but it's great for sandwiches.

http://cranberrymorning.blogspot.com/2011/04/baking-bread-with-whey.html

jonsey_s

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/bread/plain-and-simple-white-bread.html

SoDamnHungry

Bump because now I want to bake bread...

j75j75

I used to make bread all the time, not so much anymore