A Good Recipe
As I mentioned before, the inspiration for these breadmaking articles was a weekend lesson I received from my parents. When we set out to make our bread, my dad used his vast cooking experience to estimate the amount of each ingredient – he literally just threw everything together without touching a single measuring cup. I knew I wouldn’t remember, so I asked my mom for a recipe. She recommended the following, which is based on the recipe for ‘100% Whole Wheat Bread’ in The Book of Bread by Judith and Evan Jones:
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon coarse salt or 2 teaspoons table salt
¼ cup melted butter or oil of your choice (we used olive)
You probably noticed I didn't list a specific quantity for flour in the recipe! Why? Because one of the most artistic and important parts of breadmaking is the process of adding flour to the dough until the consistency is just right. Before you add the flour, though, you’ll need to mix the liquid ingredients. In a large bowl, mix together the water, the molasses, honey, salt, and butter/oil. A tip from my dad is to use hot water from the tap, because it will begin to cool the moment you pour it into the bowl, and by the time the yeast hits it the water will be the ideal temperature. Now add the yeast to the big bowl, and aggressively whisk it in. Allow a little time for the yeast to activate, as it feeds on the honey and molasses. Foamy bubbles should form on the surface of the liquid. A warm, yeasty smell should rise up out of the bowl.
Kneading
Now it’s time for the fun – adding flour. Begin with the whisk, and add about a cup at a time, thickening the liquid ingredients. We threw in our freshly ground buckwheat first (maybe 2/3 cup) then began adding wheat flour. My dad also put in a bit of white, to lighten up the bread’s consistency. When the dough begins to stick inside the whisk, switch to a big spoon and keep stirring. We continued adding flour until the mass was just doughy enough to be kneaded. It’s important to know when your bread is ready to be kneaded. It should still be sticky, but substantial enough to form a cohesive mass when you lift it out of the bowl onto the table. Kneading, I admit, is a bit of an art form. Fortunately, bread seems to be fairly forgiving, and even if you over- or under-knead your bread, it will probably still taste all right. I didn’t think to take a video of my dad or myself kneading our bread, but check out this video from http://www.epicurious.com/ .
Note the consistency of the dough when she dumps it out of the bowl: sticky but substantial. Also note the consistency as she finishes kneading, which is how you want your bread to look. Poke your finger into it – it should spring back a little. Kneading is the most enjoyable part of breadmaking.
Rising and Baking
When you have finished kneading, the time-consuming part of breadmaking begins – rising. We greased a bowl, so the dough wouldn’t stick to it as it increased in size, placed the dough in the bowl, and then covered it with a dish towel. You can warm your oven up just a little bit and put the dough inside, if you like – my mom suggested preheating it to a high temperature for about a minute and then turning it off, just to fill the inside with hot air. Rising takes about 1-2 hours, depending on the yeast and the quality of the bread you’re trying to make. After about an hour, check your bread – if it has nearly doubled its volume, you’re good. Remember, the lighter and airier you want your bread to be, the longer it should rise.
Now, punch it down! Give it a couple of good pushes with your hand – the big ball of dough will deflate into a more manageable size. This will help you to form loaves and create a better overall flavor and texture after the bread has been cooked.
This recipe should make two medium-size loaves of bread. You can put the dough in bread pans, or just do what we did, and form it into two circular pieces. We cut an X across the top of each loaf because it looks nice.
Now the bread has to rise again. My dad is the impatient type, so we didn’t wait very long for the second rising – about 20 minutes. However, my mom suggest letting your second rising go on for up to an hour, again depending on how dense you want the finished product to be. Several bread recipes concur. While this is going on, go ahead and preheat the oven to 350˚. When you have decided the bread is done rising (if you’re using loaf pans, the dough should have filled each pan), put it in the oven for 30-40 minutes. You know the routine – check it, poke in a knife or a toothpick and see if it comes out clean. Everyone’s oven is different, so just experiment a little bit.
Unceremoniously, we are at the end of our journey! Remove your bread from the oven and eat a freshly baked, steaming slice! This is the easiest part. Let's take a look at that loaf we made one more time:
It was great! The X shape on top ended up a little strange on this loaf, but that was just a small casualty. The second loaf was fine, but we ate most of it before I got out the camera. The bread was quite dense and tasted distinctly of freshly ground buckwheat. It was great with butter or cheese.
Breadmaking is a great way to get more involved in your food, and with a little practice, you can be making some amazing multigrain breads. You may also be interested in exploring bread machine cooking, but wouldn't you miss doing the kneading? In my opinion, making this recipe once a week would yield plenty of bread for sandwiches or snacks. Remember, just as Erin says, play with your food! I think the point of making your own bread is to enjoy the smells and the textures of the ingredients, and to participate more deeply in the process of creating a food that is satisfying and good for you. Part of that is making the bread your own by playing with the recipe and enjoying the process without rushing or frustration. Enjoy the journey. Make bread with heart!
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