Bread-a-rama

Bread has taken some hard knocks in the last decade or so as Americans' burgeoning waistlines have led to a move away from carbs.  Yet, most people love breads in all their varieties.  They are cultural statements. Imagine Indian food without naan, English tea with no crumpets, or French cheese without the baguette.  You're probably going to have some carbs with your breakfast or dinner.  Why not take a lesson from the French and make small, delicious additions to your meals count.  One slice of a really good homemade bread versus eating a bag of noxious baked potato chips:  which would you choose?

Plus, you can bake your own higher quality breads at home for a fraction of the cost of bread bought from a store.

When I was younger, I always associated a happy home with making your own bread.  So these recipes have a special emotional resonance with me.

Bread also does not have to be that complicated.  Each one is something of an experiment.  I've undercooked bread.  I've overcooked bread.  I've used old yeast that didn't rise.  I've used small bowls and had rising, raw dough spill over into my oven.  Experiment.  Learn.  Return to the flour to fight another day.

Here though is a basic recipe you'll find on a number of sites.  I forget exactly where I first found it.  I've since played and adapted it to my own kitchen.  I now share it with you:

Basic Crusty Bread

3 cups all purpose flour (Use bread flour or a mix depending on how chewy you want your bread.  The more bread flour with its higher protein content will result in a chewier bread.)

1.5 cups warm water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

Take a large bowl.  Mix these four ingredients together.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight. While you sleep, the yeast will be working their magic.  No need to proof your yeast or to add sugar.  The key is time.

If you want to make larger batches, you can refrigerate or freeze the dough after the initial overnight rise.  Then just pull off enough for a future loaf.

Preparing the Dough:

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450 F.

Coat your hands in flour.  Either use the entire dough or tear/cut off a grapefruit-sized piece of dough to make smaller loaves.  Pulling from the top of the ball of dough, pull the top down to the bottom of the ball. Rotate the ball a quarter of a turn.  Pull the top of the ball down to the bottom.  Do this a total of four times.

Place the ball of dough in a clean dish towel, piece of cheesecloth, rising basket, cookie sheet, or pizza peel (the flat wooden thing you see at pizzerias) after generously putting down corn meal, whole wheat flour, or regular flour to create a cushion to prevent sticking.  Also, this is the time when you shape your dough, cut the top into patterns, or top with seeds.  If you wish to cut your dough into decorate patterns, generously top the dough with flour to prevent the blade from sticking in the dough.  Alternatively, you can wet the dough and knife to keep them from sticking.

Allow to rise from 20 minutes to 2 hours depending on your schedule and preference.

Cooking Methods:

Professional bakeries use steam-injected ovens that produce a crisp crust.  There are at least two ways to get a similar outcome at home:

A. If you have a Le Creuset or Lodge Dutch oven made of enameled cast iron, you can place the bread in the Dutch oven.  (Be careful:  the Lodge brand's top knob has been known to melt at 450 F in the past.)  The bread's own moisture content will steam the bread.  Bake for 30 minutes covered.  Then bake another 15 minutes uncovered.

B. If you don't have a cast iron Dutch oven, no worries.  Put a cookie sheet on the lowest rack in your oven.  Fill with hot water.  Then on the higher rack put another cookie sheet with your dough.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Cooling:
Most recipes also need to be properly cooled for the inside of the bread to finish cooking.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  no
Gluten Free:  no
Mediterranean:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes
Paleo:  no
SugarBusters:  yes* (if you use 100% whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour)
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  yes* (unless you do not consume yeast)
Vegetarian:  yes
Wheat Free:  no
200 Calories or Under:  no

Notice:  Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you.  Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post.  Some calories are estimates based on packaging.