Bread, wonderful bread
Oct. 5th, 2009 06:16 amI'm having fresh, home-made bread for breakfast right now. NOM NOM NOM.
At one time I made all my bread, but I had drifted away from that over the last ten years--when you run a bakery that makes good bread, there is less of a need. Recently, though I've decided to get back to it, if only because then I have complete control over the flavors. (Hey, I think that anise-scented breakfast toast would rock.)
It is embarrassing to admit, but my first few loaves were...less than stellar. It was frustrating, since my bread at work is of a very high quality. Then I made my decision to ignore the recipe and add water as necessary, and my breads got about 253% better. It was gratifying.
The bread I made last night has whole wheat flour, white bread flour, oat meal, and oat bran in it. I think I'll make this recipe again, though I'll tweak the salt down a bit. (I cook with very little salt, with the result that I'm really good at tasting it.) I scaled out dough for two loaves and had about a pound of dough left, so I made an impromptu coffee cake by patting it into a cake pan, covering it with sliced apples, and covering that with struesel. I had a small slice of it as part of my breakfast to check the flavor (no, really) and the rest of it I'll take to work for my staff and co-workers to munch on. This week and the next will be challenging, and home-made treat is always good for morale.
At one time I made all my bread, but I had drifted away from that over the last ten years--when you run a bakery that makes good bread, there is less of a need. Recently, though I've decided to get back to it, if only because then I have complete control over the flavors. (Hey, I think that anise-scented breakfast toast would rock.)
It is embarrassing to admit, but my first few loaves were...less than stellar. It was frustrating, since my bread at work is of a very high quality. Then I made my decision to ignore the recipe and add water as necessary, and my breads got about 253% better. It was gratifying.
The bread I made last night has whole wheat flour, white bread flour, oat meal, and oat bran in it. I think I'll make this recipe again, though I'll tweak the salt down a bit. (I cook with very little salt, with the result that I'm really good at tasting it.) I scaled out dough for two loaves and had about a pound of dough left, so I made an impromptu coffee cake by patting it into a cake pan, covering it with sliced apples, and covering that with struesel. I had a small slice of it as part of my breakfast to check the flavor (no, really) and the rest of it I'll take to work for my staff and co-workers to munch on. This week and the next will be challenging, and home-made treat is always good for morale.