When I have time to indulge in , all I like to do is hop , from one fabulous blog to another.In doing so, I have come to one conclusion - food bloggers out there are extremely talented !!!
To get fussy kids to eat and more importantly like what they eat, takes creativity of an entirely new level.Each blog that I visit, adds so many more recipes to my repertoire and more importantly stretches my mind just that bit, allowing me to see how much I can let my fledgling imagination soar and work wonders in the kitchen.
Well...I have miles to go before I reach that level of expertise, but every journey must begin with a single step. And every goal of becoming an experienced bread baker must begin with the first loaf of bread ! With such an exalted aspiration, I began scouring the virtual kitchens for easy sounding bread recipes. Most of them sounded either too intimidating or too time consuming..Eventually I stumbled upon this recipe ..
I decided to try it out and was nothing short of stupefied at the result !!!
I couldn't believe at the delicious looking and smelling loaf that came out of my oven and sat alluringly on my counter top ! When it finally cooled and let itself be sliced into generous sized slices, I was more than glad that I had embarked on this quest to try my hands at making bread from scratch ! It was crusty and crispy on the outside and tender inside...perfect !
I followed Trent's recipe to the letter, so I will not bother writing it up again, until I have enough courage to tweak it and make it my recipe ! I have already made this loaf twice now and anticipate making it again and again with different flours and flavours !
Will keep you posted !
Notes:
- I do not own a stand mixer and did the kneading by hand. For the dough that is required for a couple of loaves' worth, I didnt find it too hard to do the kneading. As has been mentioned in scores of blogs, it is indeed therapeutic to get your CLEAN hands into the dough and knead it until it goes from a sticky messy mass to a smooth, round , impressive looking ball of dough.
- I have only used white unbleached bread flour. I intend foraying into whole wheat and whole grain breads, because I am not too fond of including white bread in our diets.
- Temperature of water, freshness of yeast and allowing the dough to rise are very important to the end result !
I will leave you with some pictures and some links to expert bakers who can explain thge process so much cleary than I can !
http://www.thefreshloaf.com
http://ayearinbread.earthandhearth.com
http://breadbasketcase.blogspot.com
No doubt there are loads of helpful and expert resources available on the internet as well as in your local public libraries.I am just listing a few that make me drool every time I see the pictures!
Do you have any bread recipes that you rely on ? Do you have any tips and tricks that would make it easier for novice bakers to attempt this wonderful art ? Do share !
Looks good ... I bet it taste goooooood as well ;)
ReplyDeleteHi ya
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time here. You have a lovely space!
Bread looks perfect n moist! gr8 baking.
Do have a look at my blog!
First time here you have a wonderful space here, enjoyed reading your posts...doesn't it feel great to bake bread from scratch, I love it too, I recently baked a semolina bread and loved it quite a bit...your bread looks absolutely perfect....
ReplyDeleteYep, we do take snail mail for granted, don't we. I was reading through your posts and I am jealous of your vegetable garden! Can I outsource my tomato plant to you?!
ReplyDeleteBTW, a Japanese acquaintance I know loved to bake bread so much that she needed to tend a swollen wrist (read: too much kneading by hand). So don't get over-enthusiastic!