Do you make most of your own bread?

[pscot]

The bread I use for my morning toast recently increased in price by a dollar a loaf, to $4.75. In response, I've started making my own. In the interest of efficiency I'm wondering if I can make a large batch of dough once a week or so to bake as needed. If anyone is doing this I'd like to know how you order the process.

[Warpy]

1. Artisan Bread in 5 minutes

AKA Ain5 on this board, is what most bulk bakers here use. I've found the NYT no knead bread recipe more suited to a person living alone, so that's the one I use. Both have been discussed at length in this forum and both can be accessed via Google.

I bake all my bread in winter, although I do get lazy in summer when I don't want to heat the house up and there's too much wind to use the solar oven.

Your own bread will be tough to get used to at first but the taste is so superior you will do it in record time. Commercial bread will be a letdown, only to be used when you've been ill or can't get around to baking for any other reason.

[pscot]

9. Thanks

I searched on Ain5 and was rewarded with an encyclopedic selection of threads. Loaded with information. Very useful.

[grasswire]

2. no

I always buy the best quality whole wheat bread on sale, so I never spend more than $2.50 for a loaf. If I happen to get there, the local bakery outlet store has those same loaves for $1.25, day old. We like really nutty seedy bread. I am lucky to be within shopping distance of Dave's Killer Bread and Bob's Red Mill stores.

[yellerpup]

3. Yes.

I make the NYT bread once or twice a week and I make it in a variety of flavors by varying the type of flour used. For variety, I make cornbread, oatmeal muffins, whole wheat pita, both corn and flour tortillas and biscuits. The NYT bread recipe using unbleached bread flour + whole wheat costs under 90 cents a loaf. Most of the quick breads are a little more expensive depending on the amount of fat and dairy in the recipe as well as added in extras such as nuts, fruits, and seeds. :hi:

[pscot]

10. What sort of hardware do you use

for your NYT bread. I watched the video on youtube and it seems pretty easy, but I don't have an enameled, cast-iron dutch oven. The pre-heated pot seems to be an essential part of the process.

[Warpy]

12. A yard sale, non enameled cast iron pot will work

Some people have suggested Corningware, although I find it dislikes to be exposed to anything cold and wet when it's hot--it explodes.

You can use any thin covered metal pot you can use in the oven. Trapping the steam is as important as exposing the dough to a heavy, preheated surface. You only need to preheat it while the oven itself preheats, unlike the long time it takes to preheat cast iron. The crust won't be as fully developed, but the bread will be very good.

[yellerpup]

14. I use a big, enameled cast iron (5 Qt., I think) Dutch oven that I found on sale

at Chef's Exchange. It is along the lines of the orange Cruset-ware. Get it REALLY hot before dumping the dough in and give the oven a quick spritz of water when you take the top off the lid after the first round and the crust will crackle on the first day. After being wrapped in plastic or stored in a bag, the crispiness wears off. If you have an plain Dutch oven, that might work but whatever you use has to be heavy to maintain the high temperature in the oven. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!

[surrealAmerican]

4. About a year ago, I finally decided to do just that.

The "everyday" toast and sandwich bread I bought was not as cheap, tasty, or nutritious as what I could make at home.

As an alternative to what you're suggesting (making lots of dough, and baking single loaves), you might also consider baking multiple loaves and freezing them, to defrost as needed. If you have the freezer space, it's very convenient.

[Tesha]

5. yes, you've got it right!

All the breads I make, I bake some portion - because there's only 2 of us, and store the rest in the fridge until we've used up what I've baked.
I keep a plastic container in there and keep refilling it, so my breads pick up a wonderful sourdough-like flavor.

We ran short during the holidays and we bought a loaf of the in-store bakery "italian" bread.
It was the first we purchased in months and months and it was terrible!
It's so incredibly easy to make it yourself... the only drawback is that you get spoiled...:9


This works for us because we prefer batards or long thin loaves. With sandwich loaves it's a little harder... when will they make a short loaf pan?

[pscot]

11. The flavor definitely improves

if the dough has a chance to mellow for a while before it's baked. I made a loaf the other day using a small Rohmer topf. It turned out really well. There seem to be a lot of "right" ways of doing this.

[ginnyinWI]

6. I have some in the oven right now.

The artisan bread in five minutes recipe. I don't know how well it will do because I started late and it only rose for 15 min before being thrown in the oven! We, as they say, shall see.

I decided I needed some to go with the Greek Lasagna we're having tonight. Spinach salad and red wine too. :)

[denbot]

7. I just put 2 loaves in the oven

We are not yet baking most of our needs, but we are moving in that direction.

[housewolf]

8. The "Artisan Bread in 5 Minuets a Day" has several loaf-pan breads in it

White, soft white, buttermilk, whole wheat

They just require non-stick loaf pans (well-greased) because the sticky-ABIN5 dough will stick to regular loaf pans.

[katkat]

13. freezing

As a singleton, I keep bread in my frig freezer and defrost slices in the microwave when needed. So if you have room, you can bake a bunch of bread at once.

[pscot]

15. Thanks to all who replied

This has got to be the most generous (and useful) forum on this board. It would be a pleasure to sit down to dinner with any of you, which one could not honestly say over in GD, for instance. :hi:

[hippywife]

16. If equipment is an issue for you,

I broke my enameled cast iron dutch oven but I've found I can use the insert from my old crockpot that has the heavy, heavy glass lid. Someone here suggested that (I think it was empress of all) and it works very well.

Enjoy your bread. :hi: