For thousands of years people made bread every day. From the long crusty slices of the French baguette to the soft, shiny braids of Jewish challah, bread is not only a staple of the human diet, but also a representation of the world’s cultures and traditions. My personal bread tradition centers around one aisle in the grocery store where I examine the breads like it’s the Spanish Inquisition: When does this one expire? Do this one have corn syrup in it? What does “Natural” really mean? The last loaf standing goes into my cart and home to my refrigerator, snugly wrapped in its little clear sack with a nice note from the manufacturer telling me when it expires. Welcome to American Modernity.
Well folks, it’s time to devolve because Pepperidge Farm ain’t got nothing on homemade bread. It’s fun, cheap, and tasty - a trifecta of awesomeness.
I decided to try my hand at making bread because I thought I would enjoy learning something new and because I’d been getting irrationally annoyed at the endless list of ingredients on the back of the bread sacks. I mean, surely the Native Americans made bread without “Calcium Propionate,” right? So I looked up a recipe online, and found one described as “fool proof.” Perfect because I had no idea what I was doing. In my mind, bread-making was something only French patissiers and food industry engineers knew how to do. But I purchased a few ingredients I didn’t already have, and put on my apron.
Two hours later, with the sweet smell of the baking dough hanging in my house, I pulled my first loaf of bread out of the oven. It popped up over the edge of the pan, teasing me with its gorgeous golden brown edges. It was the most beautiful loaf of bread I’d ever seen. (Bonus: It was also the cheapest loaf of bread I’d ever seen. The batch I prepared could make three of loaves. If you had to buy all the ingredients at the store, I’d estimate the cost per loaf to be around $1.) I nudged it out of the pan onto a cutting board and sliced a small piece off of the end, tossing it in my hands to cool it off. I took a bite. Soft, sweet, warm. No grocery store loaf could ever compete. It was the best bread I’d ever tasted. No Inquisition necessary.
Here are a few photos of the process followed by the recipe I used.
Well folks, it’s time to devolve because Pepperidge Farm ain’t got nothing on homemade bread. It’s fun, cheap, and tasty - a trifecta of awesomeness.
I decided to try my hand at making bread because I thought I would enjoy learning something new and because I’d been getting irrationally annoyed at the endless list of ingredients on the back of the bread sacks. I mean, surely the Native Americans made bread without “Calcium Propionate,” right? So I looked up a recipe online, and found one described as “fool proof.” Perfect because I had no idea what I was doing. In my mind, bread-making was something only French patissiers and food industry engineers knew how to do. But I purchased a few ingredients I didn’t already have, and put on my apron.
Two hours later, with the sweet smell of the baking dough hanging in my house, I pulled my first loaf of bread out of the oven. It popped up over the edge of the pan, teasing me with its gorgeous golden brown edges. It was the most beautiful loaf of bread I’d ever seen. (Bonus: It was also the cheapest loaf of bread I’d ever seen. The batch I prepared could make three of loaves. If you had to buy all the ingredients at the store, I’d estimate the cost per loaf to be around $1.) I nudged it out of the pan onto a cutting board and sliced a small piece off of the end, tossing it in my hands to cool it off. I took a bite. Soft, sweet, warm. No grocery store loaf could ever compete. It was the best bread I’d ever tasted. No Inquisition necessary.
Here are a few photos of the process followed by the recipe I used.
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| Proofing the yeast means "wait 10 minutes until it bubbles like beer" |
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| With the dry ingredients mixed in, time to knead. I put it on a floured cutting board and folded and pushed it down like I'd seen on TV. |
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| Ready for the yeast do its magic. A la peanut butter sandwiches... |
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| Ta da! Let's be honest, though, yeast is creepy. The way it grows reminds me of those indestructible dancing brooms in Fantasia. |
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| Split the dough and formed it into loves. Ready for the oven. Teddy is helping in the background. |
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| Just a peek! |
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| The final product! |
Amish White Bread Recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
6 cups bread flour
Directions
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.
Store leftover dough in a flour-coated resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator or freezer. When you want to make bread again, allow the cold dough to thaw to room temperature before repeating steps 3 and 4. Expect one loaf to stay fresh on the counter for 2-3 days.
Ingredients
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
6 cups bread flour
Directions
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.
Store leftover dough in a flour-coated resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator or freezer. When you want to make bread again, allow the cold dough to thaw to room temperature before repeating steps 3 and 4. Expect one loaf to stay fresh on the counter for 2-3 days.
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