Hello everyone, I have a bread question. Today I made homemade bread for the first time. It was a very simple recipe 6 cups bread flour-- I used all purpose flour yeast, and sugar. It turned out beautiful, it was a little slow to rise and I know that regular flour is heavier but the bread had a flour flavor to it. Does anyone know how I can make it taste less like flour. Or in substuting all purpose the ratio. I refuse to pay the extra for bread flour.. I want to save money not make bread just for the fun of it. Well thanks in advance for your advice you guys are always so helpful. Jennifer

-- Jennifer (jfisher4midsouth@rr.com), May 08, 2002

Answers

Jennifer -- I don't know, without having seen you do it, what might have gone "wrong" -- how long did you bake it for? If you bake it until it has a real nice golden color you shouldn't get that "pasty" taste.

Here's my recipe -- and I use whatever flour I've got -- I would NEVER pay the extra for "bread" flour!

Mix in a mixing bowl or measuring cup (not metal):

1 & 1/2 cup real warm water (not hot!) 1/2 tbsp sugar 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast

Let it sit until it bubbles good.

In a separate bowl (I use my food processor, but a mixing bowl works just as well) mix:

4 cups flour (any kind or combination -- we like 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 multigrain) 1 tbsp shortening (butter or margarine -- or oil, whatever) 1 tsp salt

Mix this up well. Then add the bubbly yeast mixture to it and knead up real well (this is where the food processor comes in REAL handy!)

Turn out onto a floured board and knead until satiny and no longer sticky. Turn into a greased bowl and cover -- sit in a warm place for 1/2 hour.

Turn out onto lightly floured board, knead a couple times, then roll into loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and let rise 1/2 hour.

Place in 350F oven and bake for about 1/2 hour -- or until golden. Let cool -- if it lasts that long!

I bake two or three loaves a day -- the kids love it.

-- Tracy (trimmer31@hotmail.com), May 08, 2002.

Hi Jennifer, I can't help you on your bread ? but maybe you can answer mine. I was just wondering how you were doing in deciding to move or not or did you update and I missed it? Nosey ain't I?? :)

-- Terri in WV (mrs_swift_26547@yahoo.com), May 08, 2002.

Bread flour has a higher gluten content , which makes a better tasting loaf without that processed paste taste and it isn't that much more expensive here. Kroger gets an extra 14 cents and Wal Mart sells it for the same price as all purpose. I gladly pay the few extra pennies to ensure a full bodied flour and avoid baking "slice glue" :>)

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 08, 2002.

My favorite grocery store often has bread flour on sale cheaper than regular - I buy whatever is cheapest, as long as it's unbleached. When I use reg. flour I add gluten - you can get it in the bulk foods dept. or at health food store.

When you're kneading the dough, don't add too much flour. It's better if the dough is a bit sticky.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), May 08, 2002.

I also have salt and fat in mine. I will add eggs to bread that will be eaten quickly, say made especially for dinner. Homemade bread tastes so much different than store bought, sure you aren't tasting the yeast and not preservatives from the store? Even all purpose flour will make a good loaf. Nothing beats bread flour, even if you just use it as part of your flour. In fact I cheat and use bread or allpurpose flour, as at least part of the flour when I grind my own wheat. Winter or red or spring, 100% whole wheat bread won't get eaten in my house, everyone hates it. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), May 08, 2002.

My recipe--- 8 cup stone ground wheat--5 cups white flour--3 pks of yeast dissolved in 100 degree water--8 tbls of shortening--3 cups of whole milk--3 tbls of molasses--1/2 cup of honey-1 heaping cup of oatmeal-3 eggs and a handful of sesamee seeds. I do a double rise because the grain is healthy than cover for 20 minutes -uncover to desired crust thickness. Sprinkle buttered crust with seeds. Cool for 1 seconds than eat as much as possible before family realizes it's done and leaves you no bread to eat !

-- Joel Rosen (JoelnBecky@webtv.net), May 09, 2002.

Since we make so much home made bread now we buy bread flour in bulk from Sams Club - $4.50 for 25 lbs of bread flour - a lot cheaper than the grocery store.

-- Anita in NC (anitaholton@mindspring.com), May 09, 2002.

You can also use high gluten flour in the recipe. 1 Tablespoon for each loaf of bread. I know that Walmart sells it, I think it's the Arrowhead brand, it's in a small box. You can also get it in the healthfood store, it doesn't cost much more than the bread flour. It really helps the whole wheat loaves to rise.

-- Lynelle SO.wesVA (x2ldp@aol.com), May 09, 2002.

Salt is a MAJOR componant of bread. It will also help it rise faster and improves flavor. Just don't add to much or it works in reverse and inhibits the yeast...go figure!

-- Karen (mountains_mama2@hotmail.com), May 09, 2002.

There is also a whole bunch of bread recipes at the Cooking and Crafts Forum.

-- Karen (mountains_mama2@hotmail.com), May 09, 2002.

I agree with the salt addition. Also, a baker once told me a little taste secret--add a tsp of grated lemon or orange rind. It adds a lovely indescribable flavor.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), May 09, 2002.

So do we Anita. We can get 50 pound flour for $8 at Sam's and buy 4 or so at a time(it's a drive we don't want to make often). We invested in some airtight, food grade buckets to store it in.

Joel, your recipe sounds awesome. My hubby is great with that stuff too.

My recipe is simple (almost the same as one above)for everyday bread with not a lot of extra's (since we go through so much and I want to keep it cheap most of the time):

1.) 4 1/2 cups warm water 2.)dissolve in 2 packets yeast 3.)5 or 6 tbls each of sugar (or honey) and oil(lard, softened shortening)4.) Aproximately 12 to 14 cups of flour. This makes a good 4 (we never have any other)loaves so you'll want to cut it in half or so.

I have made it with all white, all wheat, and any combination of the 2. More wheat will be heavier, need less flour, and longer rising. All white needs a little more flour, will rise faster and lighter and needs to be cooked well to not taste doughy inside.

play with it though. Once you can make a basic loaf you can add an egg or 2 (they go stale faster so only do that if you'll eat it in a day or so.), honey, other grains, herbs, then try sourdough! MMMmmmmm...... well I'm off to make bread now...seriously!

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), May 09, 2002.

One of the main things that never gets done properly is kneading. Did you knead the dough long enough? A good ten minutes, set a timer, is a must. Especially if you are using an AP flour, you need to get that gluten out and doing its job. I learned to make bread in Enland from an Irish woman that was 20+ years ago. The only white flour was AP flour at the time. Karen is right too, if there is no salt in the recipe the bread will taste really flat, yucky. It is amazing what a teaspoon of salt will do for bread. You could also try substituting some whole wheat flour for some of the AP flour, say 5 cups of AP to 1 cup of WW to start and work with it from there and vary the amounts.

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), May 09, 2002.

Jennifer,

Thank you for asking about breadmaking. In reading the responses, I have learned somethings I had wondered about. Mainly about how much gluten to add. 1 tablespoon per loaf.

I think the weather affects how quickly/slowly bread will rise. I made a basic sweet bread recipe a couple of weeks ago and the recipe said to let it rise the first time about 1 hour, the second time about 40 min. Well, for the second rise I let it go all night and baked it in the morning. That evening, there were severe thunderstorms...the one with all the tornadoes that killed 6 people from Missouri to Maryland. Could be barometric pressure had something to do with the rising.

Don't be stubborn about the bread flour, :-). Give it a try. See if you can find some Prairie Gold Whole Wheat flour. It is more healthy than the unbleached All Purpose flour and is more flavorful. It is not as coarse as the Whole Wheat Graham flour. The Prairie Gold looks very much like reg flour but with more color.

As for saving money....I've never considered making my own bread as saving money. Not when I can buy whole wheat bread for .99 a loaf at the grocery or a whole big tray of Arnold bread at the misc. auction at the stockyard for $4.00. What you get by making your own bread is assurance of the quality, freshness, and taste. You get a healthier bread which is the best thing in the long run for your family.

I "cheat" when I make bread and use my Kitchen-Aid mixer to mix and knead the dough for me. I've tried kneading on my own and just haven't gotten the knack of it.

Someone mentioned about the yeast getting bubbly. I almost always let the yeast and liquids begin to bubble before adding to the flour because then I know for sure the bread will rise. Too many times I've had bread not rise because I either killed the yeast with too hot water or didn't activate it because water was too cool. Since I don't trust myself to get the temp right, I use a candy thermometer to make sure before disolving the yeast in the water or milk.

Keep trying and experimenting. You and your family will enjoy the results. When I make Honey Oatmeal bread (a recipe in my Kitchen-Aid book) it is usually gone by the end of the day.

-- Lavender, Central Maryland (lavenderbluedilly@hotmail.com), May 09, 2002.

2 loves of bread

5 to 6 cups flour all purpose is good 1 pkg of yeast 2 tbls. marg. 3 tabls. sugar 1 1/2 teas. salt 1 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup milk

heat water , milk, salt, sugar together until 110 degrees pour over remaining ingredients and mix with a bread hook until it had formed a ball continue keading for 10 mins and turn into a greased bowl cover and let rise until double in bulk. punch down and form 2 loves put int greased bread pans let rise again then bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 mins turn out on rack and lightly butter top crust. mmmmmmmmmm good

you may also use this recipe without a dough hook by starting with 2 cups of the flour and the other dry ingredents put in the liquid and stir until you have a batter and then slowly add 1 cup at a time putting in the remaining flour until you can't stir any longer then on a floured board work in as much of the remaining flour as possible knead 10 mins. and follow the rest of the directions

I have used this bread recipe for over 40 years and have yet to get any complaints except for not enough.

-- (mallardhen67@hotmail.com), May 09, 2002.

Like grain, I believe flour can have varying levels of moisture.

Just because a bread recipe calls for 'n' cups of flour doesn't mean you'll use exactly that amount.

I always measure out the liquid and add the flour 1/2 cup at a time until the texture is feels right. The dough usually takes up more flour while kneading, too.

Forcing 'n' cups of flour because the recipe says to often leaves me with dough which feels too dry or too moist. I find it painful to try to add water to dough.

Anyway, my two cents, take it for what it's worth ;)

-- pff (pfuhlman@skypoint.com), May 09, 2002.

this is the bread recipei use, youll note i dont make 100% whole grain flour, as none here eats it but me, and i dont eat enough bread to justify it...

7 cups flour ** i usually use 5 cups white and 2 c wheat 2 cups hot water 1/4 cup oil 1/4 cup sugar 2 eggs 1t salt 1 1/2 T dry yeast, i buy in bulk, but i believe this is close to 2 packets of dry yeast

mix eggs water oil and sugar, sprnkle on yeast , and mix in 2 cups flour, let sit 15 minutes, till it starts working add 3 more cups flour, till it pulls from sides of bowl

then turn onto board with the other 2 cups of flour on it, knead till nealry all the flour is in the bread, return to bowl , and set in warm place for an hour to hour and a half, depending on temp..or till it doubles punch bread down and divide in 1/2 , put in lightly greased loaf pans, and lightly butter tops of bread, when to the top of the pan , about another 45 minutes, bake in 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, remove from oven , let cool in pan , butter top immediately when removed from oven for tender crust...

i been using this recipe for a long time, and even my city boy hubby loves my homemade bread... i am extra carefull not to make it right before he gets home from work ... warm bread has a way of evaporating fast......

due to eggs , i store this in the frige, i dont know how long it lasts.. since ours is usually gone in a day or so...

-- Beth in ND (famvan@drtel.net), May 09, 2002.

Use potato water instead of plain water. It will add gluten to the flour and make the bread have a softe texture. Also, try to buy you bread flour in bulk when it goes on sale at the grocery store. I use whole wheat pastry flour (from a local natural food stoe) and mix it with the unbleached white flour. Oat flour is very good too. It has a nutty flavor that my family loves.

-- sandra mathis (sancraft@bellsouth.net), May 11, 2002.