I don't remember much about my first time. But it was definitely in the kitchen of a 19th-century farmhouse and I was nervous: My then-boyfriend's mother wanted me to help her make some honey whole wheat bread and I had to confess that I had never baked a loaf of anything. "Oh!," she said, and promptly set me to measuring ingredients and manning the KitchenAid.
It's hard to convey what an important moment that was for me. "Jane" is one of those practical, level-headed and widely-skilled women who always seem to know not just what to do but the best, most efficient and most tasteful way to do it. Her kitchen was warm and tidy and drew the family together. To be encouraged to be part of the work of this space meant that I had been accepted. It became part of a larger, loving apprenticeship and I spent many years visiting my boyfriend at Jane's house and learning to feed pigs, milk goats, walk a fence line, toss hay, and how to enjoy a steaming mug of coffee on the way to doing morning chores at the barn. But the nerve-wracking honey whole wheat bread came first.
Twenty years and countless loaves and bagels and baguettes later, I have my own stand mixer and often lose track of measurements as I add more flour until the dough looks right. My dough rises (mostly) and my home is often filled with the scent of baking bread. I'm not an expert baker, just someone who is grateful for the ordinary miracle of a steaming hot loaf.
It seems I'm not alone; MadLibrarian's recent rec list diary, "Frugal Cooking for Hard Times," brought out the bread-heads among us. I'd like to continue that conversation here and talk a little bit about why learning to bake bread is key to reducing your grocery bills and making you more independent in the kitchen and of corporate bakeries.
In the comments to her diary, MadLibrarian admitted that bread scares her. I laugh now, because I've made it so often, but it wasn't always easy. Do you remember how you learned to make bread? Do you come from a baking family? What were some of the first bread products you made? Do you have family recipes?
As with canning, I have a certain set of tools I use when baking: KitchenAid stand mixer; rubber spatula, measuring cups and spoons, my favorite proofing bowl, a dough scraper, a wooden cutting board, Silpats and cookie sheets. There's nothing terribly fancy there although I could spent a lot of (purely theoretical) money on specialty tools. I'll take one of everything from King Arthur Flour, thanks, plus a couple of bannetons from Fante's, just for starters. The toys look great but in truth, what I have works for me just fine. Do you have favorite bread-making tools? Gadgets that you lust for?
I have fallen hard for King Arthur flours and especially for their white wheat, which makes the most awesome chocolate chips cookies I've ever had. My freezer has an embarrassing number of yeast bricks in it but I go through the bags at a good clip. It's much cheaper for me to buy the bricks than those itty-bitty little packets or jars. Today's bread sticks were flavored with garlic powder, paprika and sea salt, a surprisingly delicious combination. Do you have particular ingredients that you favor?
Pardon the pun, but the rise of no-knead bread has introduced non-bakers to the joys of homemade loaves. I'm curious--how do you fit bread-making into your schedule? I've only recently discovered Peter Reinhart's technique of letting time do the work for me and I love to make dough one night and then bake the next day. Splitting the work up like that gives me a better bread and is more convenient than single-day baking. I've become somewhat cavalier in my baking--I can't give bread my full attention so I end up working on it between laundry loads or reading to the kids or doing chores. I get to it when I get to it (with the exception of bagels, which fall down if I let them rise too long before boiling). Bread is forgiving that way. How often do you bake?
More importantly, what do you make? What are the staples in your house? What would you like to try? What hasn't worked for you? For me, it's rye bread. Can't get it to rise for love or money. But I'm working on two loaves now and my fingers are crossed. (Update: Well, they're rising in loaf pans and things look good.)
Second update: Success!
Thanks to Peter Reinhart's excellent "The Bread Baker's Apprentice," I can make my own rye bread at last!
Finally, what resources should bakers know about? Web sites? (I like The Fresh Loaf.) Instructional videos? (Someone pointed out YouTube baking tutorials in MadLibrarian's diary.)
So, on this chilly Sunday afternoon, how are your loaves doing?
Blue Jersey Dad has the current "Filling Empty Bowls: 36 Hours for Feeding America (11)" on the recent diaries list now. Please go and visit. Many of our fellow citizens are in need of their daily bread and you can help.