The Idiot's Guide to Bread making

A lot has been written about the art of bread making.  For much of the world, bread really is the staff of life and the making of it justifiably takes on almost religious gravity in many circles.  I won't pretend to have the deep and broad knowledge of bread making that would even allow me to comment knowledgably on the scope of bread types, or bread making techniques, or even scratch the surface of the vast knowledge that the most novice professional baker has at their command.  In short I'm no expert on the subject, and I know it. 

What I am though, is a person who has made a bunch of bread, spanning the entire experience curve from my first lead-like doorstops at a commune in La Honda, to some (self-proclaimed) masterloafies that still make my eyes glaze over in fond reverie.  In the process, I've made most of the common mistakes and tried a bunch of things until I found a bread making system that works really well for me and is easily adaptable for use by almost anyone.  The recipes I've provided below are guaranteed winners, but they are only three out of hundreds that are easily obtained from the Bread Maker books, and even more that you can create on your own once you get the hang of it.

The bread making technique I'm going to describe below has the following four important attributes:  

  1. It's dead simple, I'll tell you everything you need to know for complete success right here.
  2. It's quick generally taking 20 minutes or less, total preparation time.
  3. It doesn't require anything exotic.  In fact you can get everything you need at most any general grocery store.
  4. It makes a variety of really yummy breads

So with that as a prelude, let's get started.

Equipment & Supplies

The secret, if you can call it that, is that we'll use an inexpensive and readily available machine, commonly known as a bread maker. We'll let the bread maker do most of the work, while we take all the credit.  The bread maker will initially mix the ingredients, knead the dough, manage one or more rising cycles and finally bake the finished loaf for us.  Many readers already have a bread maker sitting on a shelf unused, I'd like to convince you to press them into service.  Others will know what a bread maker is, but never have gotten up close and personal with one before.  I'll show them what features to look for in purchasing a bread maker.  I'll also give you a short grocery list of the bread making ingredients used for all three of the loafs we'll discuss.  This will allow you to stock up on everything you'll need on your next grocery run.

Bread makers

If you already have a bread maker sitting around somewhere you can skip this section. Tens of thousands of words have been written comparing and contrasting the hundreds of different makes and models of bread makers available.  If that sort of thing interests you, by all means do the research and let us all know what you find. If you just want to make good bread as soon as possible, go on Amazon.com and purchase a Zojirushi BBCC-V20 Home Bakery for $149 U.S. This machine is a good value that will handle most people's demands on it with ease and last for many years.  It has all the features that I've found to be actually useful over the years and is reportedly as reliable as the day is long.  Amazon has them in stock and it currently ships for free.  Whip out that plastic and make it happen!

Grocery List

Add the following items to your shopping list the next time you go to the store.

  • Five pound sack of "Bread Flour."  If you see one that says "Bread maker Ready," or something similar on the label, that's the one you want.  Otherwise just be sure that it says "Bread Flour," somewhere. 
  • Five pound sack of "Wheat Flour." Wheat flour won't usually mention bread makers, but don't worry, it will still work fine.
  • Small jar of active dry yeast.  In the U.S. a popular and common brand is Fleischmann's.  Buy the kind that comes loose, in a jar, rather than in small packages.
  • A bottle of pure maple syrup.  This is an expensive but incredibly good substitute for sugar, so buy a small bottle of the best stuff they have.
  • Natural honey.  If you can find a brand that has a chunk of honeycomb in the jar, get that.  Otherwise just get one of those cute little Honey Bear ones and move on.
  • A head or two of fresh garlic.
  • Dried Basil and Rosemary
  • A 16 oz tub of Ricotta cheese.
  • A small package of shortening.  
  • A gallon of fresh natural spring water.
  • 8oz bag of Sliced Almonds
  • 8oz bag of shelled, unsalted sunflower seeds

Basic French Bread

Add the ingredients below in order, select the two-hour setting on your bread maker if it has one. Press the Start Button.

Simple huh? See, I told you so!  Come back in two hours to a mouthwatering loaf of hot fluffy bread that will satisfy some deep instinctual craving in your soul and make you want to immediately try the other, more advanced recipes.

  • 2 teaspoons dry yeast
  • 3 Cups Bread Flour
  • 1½ tablespoon honey
  • 1½ tablespoon shortening
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1½  teaspoon salt
  • Optional, ½ cup sliced almonds

 

Basic Wheat Bread

This recipe makes a nice healthy brown bread loaf.  After trying it, you can experiment with reducing the bread flour and increasing the wheat flour until you find a mix that suits you.  Sunflower seeds, wheat berries, sesame seeds, even caraway seeds are all nice additions, just don't get carried away or you'll end up with a brick rather than a triumph. 

As before, add the ingredients below in order, DO NOT use the two-hour (quick cycle) setting on your bread maker for any whole wheat flour breads. Press the Start Button.

Still simple huh? Slather this one up with some whipped butter and a quick shot with the Honey Bear and you'll be grooving.

 

Ricotta Basil Bread

Okay, now we're ready for graduate school  This cake-like bread substitutes several simple ingredients with more complex ones to produce a loaf that your guests will be talking about on the way home.  Served with homemade Mushroom Lasagna and a late harvest Zinfandel, it is elite. 

As before, add the ingredients below in order, You can  use the two-hour setting on your bread maker or not depending on how much time you have.  The longer setting will make a more textured and nuanced loaf, but the two hour run is a lot of bang for the buck when you are pressed for time. Press the Start Button.

Still under twenty minutes prep time, right?  You'll be smirking at those helpless little moaning sounds your people make when they walk through the door and are assaulted by the smell of this puppy!  

  • 3 teaspoons dry yeast
  • 1 cup Bread Flour
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2½ tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1  teaspoon salt
  • Optional ½ cup sunflower seeds

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One place to purchase the Zojirushi BBCC-V20 Home Bakery: Search www.amazon.com for "Zojirushi BBCC-V20"