On Baking Bread
Dear Jane asked me for bread recipes in a comment on the previous post and so I thought that I’d share these thoughts here for all to read. First off, I should tell you why I bake bread:
1) I like the taste better. (This is an undertatement.)
2) It costs much less. And, you know, when you make your own bread you can then spend money you saved on wine. Talking about a “win-win” situation. 🙂
3) Sense of accomplishment. A loaf of bread is a finished project that can be used to nourish yourself/your family/your friends.

Contrary to most belief, bread baking is not hard. It does take a little bit of practice. I started with brioche. That turned out well. Then I moved on to a basic white bread. That turned out very well, my picky child likes it, and, seeing how white bread is one of his food groups, that is motivation enough to keep it going. I make a 10-grain wheat bread that Jon really likes. So I make that whenever we need it. Also, I make a hearth bread…which is basically a bread/whole wheat flour mixture. It is a versatile dough that can be used to make a round loaf, smaller buns, a torpedo loaf, or sacaduro rolls — which I make for us at least once a week. The recipe for the hearth bread is actually on the back of the bag of Harvest King, a flour that is now available from Gold Medal. If I picked a favorite, this would be mine.

The list is long for bread that I’d like to make in the future. I want to try a yeasted cranberry/walnut loaf. I’d love to make a fig bread, a procuitto ring, some olive bread, and I’d also like to try to make pumpernickel and rye for Jon. Not to mention all the sourdough breads that I would like to try.

I should say that anyone who would like to bake bread should check out The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum. She also has a blog with lots of recipes, Real Baking with Rose. In fact, you could start with the blog and then move on to the book. That might be a logical way to proceed.

With summer coming, we’ll have to see how the bread baking will continue around here. I’m guessing that it will keep going just because I am so spoiled with having bread that I like at a price that I love. And, dear readers, that is the main drawback to baking your own bread, you won’t want to go back to store-bought ever again.

Oh, and Jane, in answer to your question, I would suggest getting an inexpensive (metal) nonstick loaf pan and using cooking spray, as well. 🙂

Y’all let me know if you want me to post any specific recipes.