BREAD IS FUN TO MAKE AND GOOD TO EAT

Baking Your Oun Bread Requires No Fancy Ingredients .

2011-06-06T10:56:00.001-07:00

FLOUR
SALT
OIL
WATER
YEAST

FLOUR: For white flour, look for all purpose unbleached flour. You can also find "bread flour" which is made from harder wheat and makes a springier more elastic dough. Personally I like the unbleached all purpose flour, but it is fun to play around and decide for yourself.
Whole wheat flour is, as the name implies, the entire grain. It makes a heavier, heartier bread with much more flavor. You can mix white flour and whole wheat in different ratios to make a lighter wheat bread.
For more information about flour go to: King Arthur

SALT: Salt not only effects the flavor but also the texture of the dough. Bread dough without salt will be stickier and harder to work with, and the the bread will not brown as well and will taste bland.

OIL: Oil Makes bread softer and more tender. Types of oil used in bread are: butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, and shortening. you can make bread without oil if you prefer but it will not be as tender.

WATER: Water or some other liquid (milk, buttermilk, yogurt, beer, fruit juice ). The amount of liquid has a big effect of the final product. More liquid makes a lighter more airy bread. less liquid makes a heavier more dense bread. For more information on hydration levels check out this book: Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day

YEAST: Yeast is what makes all the little bubbles in bread. Yeast is a living breathing thing. It eats the free sugars that are naturally in the flour and converts them into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas which makes the dough rise.
If you want to bake lots of bread look around for one or two pound bags of yeast. It is much, much cheaper to buy yeast in bulk than in those little envelopes in the grocery store. Ask a baker if he knows where you can buy bulk yeast or shop online: Saf-Yeast Instant Yeast, 16 oz.

Make Your Own Sour Cream

2010-05-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Its easy to make your own sour cream for much cheaper than store bought.

Make Your Own Salad Dressing

2010-05-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

Ya, so what goes better with your own homemade bread than a salad; and what is better on a salad than your own homemade salad dressing. Salad dressing is easy. Watch this and see how easy it is.

Wet dough makes big hloes in bread.

2010-02-26T13:19:00.003-07:00

The illusive large, irregular holes in bread like the baguette or other rustic European style breads are the result of very wet sticky dough, handled delicately. The gas bubbles produced by the yeast are disturbed as little as possible during the handling and shaping process. After rising, a very hot oven with steam bakes the bread, causing the bubbles to blow up like little balloons quickly.

Wet dough like this can be very sticky and messy until you get the hang of working with it, its half the fun. When you see the results, your practice and patients will have been well spent, and bread baking will become a natural part of your life .

Below this paragraph is a link to a good book aimed at the home baker who is interested in making more professional looking and tasting breads. Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day

Make your gourmet coffe right in the mug

2009-09-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

Make your morning gourmet coffee right in the mug so it is ready to go when you are. It has a permanent filter so you don't have to worry about buying or running out of paper filters. It makes a great gift for that student, commuter, or solo coffee drinker in your home.

Immersion hand blenders are terrific!

2009-08-13T15:56:00.002-07:00

I love my hand blender more than anything in the world! I use it to make smoothies or blended cocktails right in the glass. I use it to blend soups or sauces right in the pot. You can make your own homemade mayonnaise or emulsified salad dressings quick and easy. Some models have a small food possessor attachment for added versatility ( I don’t have one of those yet, but its on my Christmas list.) If you do not have a hand blender, you cannot consider yourself a civilized human being! GET ONE NOW! You will love yours too!
Check out this one for starters.

This is the best spatula I've ever used.

2009-04-26T08:59:00.001-07:00

This high temperature spatula is the best! You can stir gravies, custards or any thing to prevent scorching and not worry about the plastic melting. They are safe up to 500 degrees, so you can even stick them in a deep-fryer and not worry. I work in a professional kitchen and we use them all the time. They are a great investment.
click on this add to check it out.

This is a great inexpensive version of a mandoline slicer.

2009-04-19T15:59:00.001-07:00

The Swissmar Borner V-Slicer is fantastic. I have had mine for over five years and it still works great. It is lightweight, easy to use, easy to clean and easy to store. I love it for making coleslaw, and it slices potatoes perfectly for homemade chips or French-fries. The four slicer settings: sticks, julienne, thin or thick slices make this an extremely versatile kitchen tool. The food holder/hand protector makes it safe to use, but be careful because the surgical steel blades are very sharp. Click on this add to check it out for yourself.

Buying bulk dry instant yeast for bread baking saves money!

2009-02-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in saving money by baking your own bread it is important to consider the cost of the yeast you are using. (See earlier posts) If you cannot find bulk dry instant yeast in your area you can try ordering some online. Take a look at this...
Instant Yeast (Fleischmanns) 1lb - 2 PACK
Even after shipping and handling, it will still be way cheaper than buying those little 3-pack envelopes from a grocery store.

Does baking your own bread save you money?

2009-02-12T17:39:00.001-07:00

With a loaf of good whole wheat bread going for $4 many people are turning to baking their own bread. But does this save you any money? Let's see. A 5-pound bag of whole wheat flour currently sells for around $4. There are about 16 cups in q 5-pound bag. That comes to around 25 cents per cup. I use a simple recipe of 3 cups whole wheat flour to 1 and 1/2 cups water, 2 tsp salt and 2 tsp yeast. you can see that the flour comes to 75 cents, the water comes out of the tap and the salt is very cheap, maybe a penny at the most. We are now at 76 cents. The yeast is a very big factor in the frugality of bread making. See my earlier post about buying bulk yeast. Click here.
So if you use the expensive little envelopes your loaf might cost you $1.75, or if you use yeast out of a 2 pound bag it might cost you 80 cents. Of course it will cost a little more if you start adding things like honey, nuts, oil or any other good stuff, but that is what makes bread baking fun.
So my tip of the day is - use inexpensive bulk yeast and look for your favorite flour to be on sale and stock up.

Body Parts Made Of Bread

2009-01-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

For a little change of pace try baking some of these breads.

Even Dogs Can Make Homemade Bread

2008-09-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

Homemade bread is so easy even dogs can make it.

Moroccan Bread

2008-09-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

It's fun to see how bread is baked in other parts of the world.
Check out this oven.

Making Lavash

2008-09-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

This is a short video, but it is interesting seeing their oven, which is a hole in the floor.

Roti - Indian Flatbread

2008-09-04T15:38:00.000-07:00

Watch this nice lady make some indian flatbread.

Homemade crackers

2008-09-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

Homemade crackers are easy and fun to make.

If you eat lots of bread, don't forget to exercise.

2008-02-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

Every one knows that eating lots of bread can put on the pounds.
Well, I love to eat bread. That's why I went out and bought myself a bicycle.
Check out my new wheels. It's a cheapy but it gives me a good work-out.

SHAPING BAGELS

2007-10-12T05:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a little clip I found of a guy at work shaping bagels.

NAKED BAGELS

2007-10-10T05:16:00.000-07:00

Jim shows you how to make and bake home made bagels while naked.

YOUTUBE video EASY BREAD

2007-07-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

BUY BULK YEAST

2007-05-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

Don’t buy yeast in those little envelopes they sell at the grocery store; its crazy expensive! I just went to the store to see how much they are. A three-envelope set was $2.62. That works out to $55.89 per pound! They also sold little 4 ounce jars for $9.20.
That works out to be $36.80 per pound.
If you shop around you can find one-pound or two-pound bags of yeast for from 2 to 5 dollars.
Which would you rather spend; $55 a pound or $2 a pound?

STALE BREAD.

2007-05-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

Remember, kids, day-old or stale bread still makes great toast.
I like peanut butter on my toast.
Mmm,mmm!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

2007-05-18T16:03:00.001-07:00

Nice of you to stop by.
I have a couple loaves of bread baking in the oven and I'll make some coffee.

This is swell!