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Making bread
Nov. 7th, 2005 12:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrsbrownI'm really enjoying making bread. I'm sort of doing it to save money. We eat a loaf a day, or about $20 worth of commercial bread a week. I can make our bread for about $4 a week. That doesn't seem like much, but that $20 is about a fifth of our weekly food budget at the moment.
Besides the budget stuff, I'm enjoying the sense of achievement that I get from producing a loaf every day. Despite an actual time investment of about 15 minutes, I've made bread. That my children like to eat. That they prefer to commercial bread. And with such a small time/energy investment, I can do it even if I'm feeling like crap.
Breadmaking also gives me a structure and a rhythm to a day at home. I have to time my activities and outings around it. When I start mixing, I think about my plans for the day and when I need to be around to knock it down the first and second times and when I need to put it in the oven - what time we'll want the next loaf; do I need to make it in time for lunch because we've been greedy with yesterday's loaf? Am I going out so I need to do a step before or after I go? As usual, I'm happiest when life is a little difficult and I have logistical problems to solve.
I also use the breadmaking as a reason to clean the kitchen. This morning I was feeling a little tired, but we need bread and, like I said, it doesn't take much time or energy. This morning I heard the following in my head; "I'll just clean the bowl and utensils I used yesterday... huh! I might as well fill the sink with water and wash last night's dishes." Later I heard, " While I'm washing dishes, I might as well clear the kitchen table and wipe it down.' When I'd finished with "just" doing the next thing, I had a kitchen in which I can do MORE cooking, or sewing, or homework with kids when they get home. That's how it happens most days. It's nice having one room in the house that I can do things in, that looks the way I like to have it for visitors and that inspires my children to activity.
Thankyou bread.
Besides the budget stuff, I'm enjoying the sense of achievement that I get from producing a loaf every day. Despite an actual time investment of about 15 minutes, I've made bread. That my children like to eat. That they prefer to commercial bread. And with such a small time/energy investment, I can do it even if I'm feeling like crap.
Breadmaking also gives me a structure and a rhythm to a day at home. I have to time my activities and outings around it. When I start mixing, I think about my plans for the day and when I need to be around to knock it down the first and second times and when I need to put it in the oven - what time we'll want the next loaf; do I need to make it in time for lunch because we've been greedy with yesterday's loaf? Am I going out so I need to do a step before or after I go? As usual, I'm happiest when life is a little difficult and I have logistical problems to solve.
I also use the breadmaking as a reason to clean the kitchen. This morning I was feeling a little tired, but we need bread and, like I said, it doesn't take much time or energy. This morning I heard the following in my head; "I'll just clean the bowl and utensils I used yesterday... huh! I might as well fill the sink with water and wash last night's dishes." Later I heard, " While I'm washing dishes, I might as well clear the kitchen table and wipe it down.' When I'd finished with "just" doing the next thing, I had a kitchen in which I can do MORE cooking, or sewing, or homework with kids when they get home. That's how it happens most days. It's nice having one room in the house that I can do things in, that looks the way I like to have it for visitors and that inspires my children to activity.
Thankyou bread.
Cut out one of the knockdowns
Date: 2005-11-10 01:32 pm (UTC)I used to bake bread and it was always a failure until a friend of mine who baked in a wood oven, suggested that my mix was too dry.
The following holds true especially for wholemeal flour, you can reduce the water a little for white.
To each kilo of flour be prepared to use a litre of water. REserve about a cup of flour for the kneading.
The dough is quite runny and nearly a batter in consistency, set it aside to rise to the top of the bowl. You can put it in the fridge to rise overnight, and it works perfectly well except that kneading cold dough is not such fun.
When it has risen turn it out onto a heap of flour and knead the dough, adding flour until it stops sticking to your hands. At this stage it has been kneaded enough and can be shaped into loaves to put in the bread pans. Score across and put aside to allow to rise. This second rising can be quite rapid, 20 minutes, and then without breathing on it gently into the oven to bake. Really hot for the first 10 minutes, then turn the loaves around (non-fanforced oven) and reduce the heat.