A couple of months ago, I saw a review posted for the book Make the Bread, Buy the Butter. The review was favorable, and it sounded like the kind of book I would enjoy, so I went ahead and checked it out of the library and devoured it in a few days. Reading this book re-reminded me of a plan I've been putting off implementing for quite some time now. With the start of the new year, and my push for doing-a-better-job-feeding-my-family in full swing, I decided it was finally time to start making the bread {while still buying the butter}. Hahaha. Not only is the ingredient list on a typical bag of store-bought bread full of long, funny-sounding words that I can't always pronounce -- that store-bought loaf just plain doesn't taste all that great. Really, the only reason I've been putting it off for so long is because it sounded like such a massive amount of work when I am truly such a lazy person. For the last several months I've been telling myself that as soon as the new year started I was going to finally bite the bullet. So, when January rolled around I knew it was time to get serious.
A blog that I have followed for a few years now features a mom of six kids living their daily life. Even though I don't REALLY know her, I kind of feel like I do. And since I have gleaned over the years that she makes her family's bread from scratch AND she also has a question-asking feature on her sidebar, I decided to make things super easy for myself and just ask Janalee for her recipe. Easy, peasy, lemon squeazy.
Janalee's {or perhaps Jessica's} Homemade Bread
{This is how I've BEEN making it -- I'll put Janalee's ACTUAL amounts in parenthesis.}
5 c. Water -- I get mine straight from the hot water tap.
2 T. Yeast
1 T. Salt
3/4 c. Olive Oil (Janalee uses 2/3 c.)
3/4 c. Honey (Janalee uses 2/3 c.)
1 c. Flaxseed meal
8 c. Whole Wheat flour -- I have a Nutrimill, so I grind my own. (Janalee uses half of a 5-pound bag of flour)
3-4 c. White Bread flour (Janalee uses 3-5 c.)
I essentially add the above list of ingredients all to my Kitchen Aid mixer (in that order) and let it mix away for a good 5-10 minutes. When it pulls clean from the sides you'll know it's done, but with the recipe I've been using the dough is usually a bit stickier than that. {Hmmm. So, I'm putting 2 and 2 together here and realizing that it's probably due to the extra oil and honey. Maybe I do need to modify my approach...} Also, I probably need to get something a little more heavy-duty like a Bosch at some point because the first time I made the full batch of dough, it burned my poor motor out. Thankfully, after unplugging it and giving it a day to rest, the Kitchen Aid bounced right back and has made SEVERAL more batches since then -- I just don't let it run quite so long in the bowl now but instead dump the dough out on the counter and knead it a bit more before setting it to rise.
I lightly oil the bowl, plop the dough inside, and then flip it over so the oiled side of the dough is now facing up -- that way the saran wrap doesn't stick. {I've also just used a dishtowel in lieu of the plastic wrap in case you were wondering.}
I saw a tip on Pinterest to use a heating pad under a bowl/pan of dough to help speed up the rising. I thought that was genius, but since I don't have a heating pad I went for a rice bag instead which we happen to have several of. {Pop a bag of rice in the microwave for a couple of minutes and you've got an instant heating pad.}
After letting the dough rise for 45 minutes to an hour (it should double in size), I punch it down and then knead it a bit more before dividing it into the bread pans (which have already been oiled or sprayed with Pam). This recipe makes four loaves of bread, but I only have 3 regular size bread pans and 2 mini ones so that's what I work with. After dividing them out, they only need to be covered once more (I always use a dishtowel for this part), and left to rise once more for another 45 minutes to an hour.
{A trick I've discovered for making it easier to cut is to wait until the next day. (And you DEFINITELY will need a bread knife with a serrated edge). Warm, fresh bread right out of the oven IS delicious, but it is REALLY hard to cut and you'll end up with a flattened, smashed, and otherwise mangled loaf of bread on your hands when you're done. Also, it's best to dump the loaves out of the pan as soon as they're out of the oven -- as it cools, the condensation inside the pan will turn the bread pretty spongy on the bottom. For storage purposes, once the loaves are cool I just wrap them in saran wrap and stick them in the cabinet. I haven't had to worry about them going bad because they are usually all eaten within a couple of days. True story.}
15 comments:
Youare so domestic Jessica! hahaha. I love home made bread!
hahahha. not as domestic as YOU freddie. hahaha.
hmmm, that sounds like a pretty good (and tasty) idea! I had a friend in Akron who would always make their own bread but I always just assumed it was too much work. Might have to look into this. Oh and also look into buying a kitchen aid or Bosch.
i will try this at least once. for you. and i thought i was doing pretty well with enhancing my cake mixes with sour cream and instant pudding. that's practically using my food storage.
I'll have to try that recipe. We love new bread experiments. And I've found that eventually the bread consumption slows down if you make it consistantly. I guess it stops being new and exciting.
I am going to have to have to try this. Bread making and canning are my fears when it comes to bring a home maker!
That should say being not bring!
Tell Scott you need a Bosch for your birthday. It is the best for bread. I still look at it fondly every day in my kitchen even after almost nine years of owning it. Haha. I am interested in the flaxmeal. Where did you get it? Is it cheaper than grinding flaxseeds? How much healthier does it make the bread? Does it eliminate the need for gluten and dough enhancer or vinegar? Anyway. I love making bread and trying new recipes. This may be my next try. Also, bread bags in the baggie aisle are really great too. If you cant find them, Ill send you some!
hey melissa -- i get my flaxseed meal from costco in a giant bag. i'm not sure if its cheaper than buying the flaxseed becasue i've never bought just the see before. i've done a lot of research trying to figure out what the deal is with it because i've heard that once its ground it loses its nutritional value really quickly so you really SHOULD buy it whole and grind it yourself. but for what else i've read, its exposure to heat that causes it to go rancid and that's when it is no longer nutritious. the giant bag i buy from costco is organic golden flaxmeal and according to the back of the bag it's good for a shelf life of like 22 months because of the "cold" processing they do when its ground. so i just do that for now because its a lot easier and i can't grind flaxseed in my nutrimill because its too oily a seed.
as far as health benefits, flax seems to be reigning supreme these days. its full of omega-3 fatty acids which are pretty essential and which we don't tend to get a lot of in the american diet. i pretty much add flax to every -- bread, pizza dough, my whole grain pancakes, smoothies and even sprinkled on top of oatmeal.
because flax is an oilier seed, i do think it helps the bread to be a bit more chewy. i've never tried using extra gluten or dough enhancer so i'm not really sure what the comparison would be. :) and as for the bosch, i got an email from a friend back in cincinnati shortly after posting this that has one in their basement they never use and says i can have it when we move back. so i'm super stoked about that! :)
oh and lachelle -- i totally know what you mean about canning. it's still my biggest thing that i feel like i really SHOULD do but i just don't know how. making bread isn't too hard once you get the hang of it. especially if you have a mixer. :)
Impressed !! I want to do this--- but a little overwhelmed at the moment. Ill have to give it a try in a few months
Ok, these are probs dumb questions, but I am not domestic at all. Do you just store the ones you aren't using in the fridge? Could you freeze some? Only two adults and one baby here.
Ok -just tried this recipe today and it was a huge hit. Even Steve was happy with the texture and he tends to prefer storebought for sandwich purposes. Thanks!
Just found your recipe on pinterest, and I just want to say it (and your blog) looks amazing!! Will have to try it!
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