Making Home Made Bread

MB_Positif

Does anyone have any input on making any kind of home made breads without having a bread machine...I know that my great grandmother probably didn't have a bread machine, but I was looking for recipes online for a Multigrain Muesli Bread (they actually serve a teeny piece of it in a Starbuck's breakfast option) and found some but they ALL were for bread making machines! Anyhow, the bread at Starbuck's was tasty and I wouldn't mind making my own version to use as a snack or breakfast option.

snflwr04

My husband and I eat only homemade bread. I use the Betty Crocker Old-Fashioned Honey-whole Wheat recipe. I replaced the honey with Agave Nectar. I also do not knead the bread (I've found it makes the crust hard) and I rise it with a wet towel in a warm oven. It's a great recipe.

Kirstie_C26

hi , my dad buys the packaged bread making ingredients from our local morrisons on occassion and they usually work out pretty well, he uses a loaf tin in the oven to make it

hope this helps

best wishes
Kirstie x


ps i duno how low-cal it is

eatingmysandshoe

If you buy any strong white bread flour, they often have a bread recipe on the back of the packet - usually for making by hand.

singer201

Check out the website BreadInfo.com. You can usually adapt any breadmachine recipe to handmade once you understand bread making techniques. Google "kneading bread" on youtube, if you need visual help. Homemade bread is SOOO good!

CakeFit21

Bread machine recipes can be made by hand. You just have to mix and knead yourself. Unfortunately, after looking at all of these Muesli Bread machine recipes there is no way for the home baker to know how long to knead and how many times/how long to let it rise. If you are absolutely set on only making muesli bread here's what I would do, find a multi-grain, (hand made) bread recipe with similar ingredients. Follow the METHOD for that recipe but use the measured ingredients for the muesli bread, (types of flour, oats, cranberries, sunflower seeds, etc.).

If you feel like learning how to make bread in general, (a useful and satisfying skill) you should begin with a basic recipe, familiarize yourself with the process then experiment with the muesli. Bread is actually VERY easy and it is surprisingly forgiving as far as baked items go. I can't tell you how therapeutic kneading dough yourself can be. It's a proud moment when it's finished and you've actually baked bread for your family. I would buy a book. There are many on the market, get one with pics. Once you understand the method you'll be able to make any kind of bread. Good luck!

If you want add/PM me if you have questions, I'll try to help.

MB_Positif

Thanks so much everyone!!! I have some friends who have started making their own bread so I would like to try it....I would definitely try something easier than the muesli bread first!!!

eatingmysandshoe

If you want to start with easier breads, then why not try un-yeasted breads, that include other types of raising agent? This way you can dispense with the mix, knead, prove, knock back, knead, prove, cook thing, and just mix and cook! They do tend to be more dense than a yeasted bread, but it depends what you are into really. I love them fresh with soups, and they tend to make yummy toast too. Try googling 'soda bread' for a start - really simple and you can have it on the table within about 40 mins of starting.

That said, the yeasted ones look like a lot of work, but it's just lots of little bits that can be fitted around family life, so for example, I sometimes mix my bread after lunch, leave to prove, knock back and leave to prove again while I go on the school run, pop in the oven when I return from school, and it's ready and cool for our evening meal.

For books, have a look on Amazon and see what the reviews are like on books before you buy, or your library should have some (I'm in the UK, and our libraries have a large cooking/baking section, not sure about yours?)

rachmaree

I love making my own bread! I started with a pizza base, then a normal loaf, and since I have made bagels, pita pockets, dinner rolls, baguettes and foccacia... it is so fun and you know what is going into it.
As others have said, you can make bread machine recipes without a bread machine, and proofing yeast is easy. I would recommend you start with something easy and then start trying other recipes. I get most of my recipes from allrecipes.com. The amish white bread is really easy to make and you can cut down on the sugar and mix up the flour.
Give it a try for sure!

soysos

I bake bread all the time, my personal favorite is an italian bread. the principal is the same no matter what kind of bread your making, the difference between styles comes down to the proportions of the ingredients. you start with the water and the yeast just let it sit for about ten minutes then add the rest of the ingredients, you'll have to do this either by hand, or with the dough hook of a stand mixer. then just keep kneading until it stops sticking to your hand. at least half of the flour needs to be high protein bread flour, if you want whole grain make the other half whole wheat. any more than half, without added chemicals the texture will suffer.

the next step is the most important, the first rise, do not rush this step. most recipes call for about an hour in a warm place, this is a lie, two hours minimum, or you could put it in the refrigerator over night. regardless of the method you'll want to coat the dough in oil and cover loosely with either plastic wrap or a towel. when the dough roughly doubles in size flatten it out and shape it however your going to bake it. this includes throwing the dough into a bread pan. cover again until it doubles again. this can be enhanced with the oven. put a roasting pan on the bottom rack the dough on the top rack (in or on some kind of container) then pour boiling water into the roasting pan, and shut the door.

most breads bake at 400* for about an hour, but this will take some experimenting so until you know about how long it will take start checking at about 30min. you know it is done when you thump the side and it sounds hollow.

anyway this is the basic procedure for baking bread, it will take some experimenting before you get it right.