A fluffy warm blanket.
In Christianity, bread is one of the most powerful symbols in the Bible. It’s filling, sustainable and comforting- like a big warm blanket in your mouth that moves down to rest on your waist. None the less, a gift from God. Thanks God..(that’s me holding my love handle with one hand and saluting to You with the other).
Since biblical times, bread was is an item humanity gathered around. It is a symbol of peace, a host of grace that manifests relationships. Nourishing closeness to each other. And to Him.
Like 9 times a day here we gather here. Eating. Praying. Coloring. Crafting. Fighting. You know, family stuff. I spend day after day in my kitchen, crafting meals and opportunities to pull chairs up to the round table and chew the fat.
And that’s what inspires me to be a home cook. I value the connection between the food we grow and make with the people who I serve. This is my under appreciated act and calling that annoys me and motivates me all within the same swig of wine.
Perhaps it isn’t about what we make, but the memories left from the making.
I listen to the conversation between my little people playing with pieces of dough on the floor. They are baking bread like mom. This is the memory they are savoring of me. I’ll take that.
Getting to the good stuff.
This oldie but goldie cook book dates back to 1930, during the depression where economical cooking was the means of survival. It’s packed with all homemade fixin’s and uses mostly standard pantry ingredients. The first recipe in here is for white bread- the entire reason I bought this thing, seriously.
I’ve been at the bread bakin’ gig now for 2 years. Starting out, it seemed like such a waste of ingredients not to mention half of a day trying to make anything besides an edible brick.
1. Scald milk to 115°F in a saucepan.
Anything over or below that will hinder the yeasts ability to ferment.
2. Melt shortening down to liquid.
3. Mix 1 c. of milk with yeast & 3 tsp. sugar.
Stir to dissolve, cover, and rest for 5 minutes
4. In mixing bowl, add rest of milk, salt, & remaining 3 tsp. sugar. Stir to dissolve.
5. Add yeast mixture to mixing bowl.
6. Sift 4 c. flour into mixing bowl.
7. When partially mixed, add melted shortening. Mix well.
8. Turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead in remaining 2 cups of sifted flour.
9. Knead for 10 minutes until dough is smooth, elastic and bubbly on surface.
Start by placing both wrists into the dough pushing down and forwards. When you have it laid out, pull it back in with a hand. Keep folding the dough into itself.
10. Form a ball and cover in greased glass bowl to rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in bulk.
11. Knead down. Let rise 45 minutes.
12. Place greased 9×5 loaf pan in warm oven. This will help dough rise better if pan is warm to touch, NOT hot!
13. Remove pan, place dough in pan. Cut vent slits across the top of the loaf horizontally.
14. Bake loaf at 400°F for 15 minutes -this will make a nice golden crust.
15. Turn temperature down to 350°F and continue to bake for 35 minutes.
16. Remove loaf and cool before placing in a bread bag or wax wrap.
I hope the good Lord, yeast and all other things on the rise treat you well, but….
If your loaf is a flop try this:
AVOID METAL!
– Sour Dough and breads using milk (this one) have a higher acidity level than one using water. They also have a long fermentation (rising) period.
– When the acidic dough relaxes into metal, it will start reacting with the surface, pitting it out. The metal interacts with the yeast and KILLS it!
– I use these 2 glass bowls for my bread (small to mix in, large to rise in).
– You CAN USE A MIXER with a metal bowl to knead, but do not rise in here.
– Metal is also cooler to the touch and won’t retain heat as long as a glass, wood or plastic will. Yeast likes a warm happy bed to rise on!
BREAD FLOUR!
– Bread Flour is a high protein flour (12-14%) which means it has a higher gluten content than an All Purpose Flour (8-11%). Gluten gives the dough its light, elastic texture that makes the bread more chewy.
– I also recommend sifting- this adds air into the flour and makes the loaf less dense.
The Brick Loaf!
– Adding too much flour = dense + dry
– Did you knead for 10 minutes?
– Over rising can exhaust the yeast, preventing the loaf to rise on it’s last rise in the loaf pan.
Some like it cold, some like it hot, YEAST does NOT!
– I try to keep my kitchen around 70-75°F while I’m baking bread. I do this by turning on my oven and cracking the door.
– Yeast thrives in draft free, warm environments. If your bowls and pans are cool, run them under hot water.
HOMEMADE BREAD
Learn how to make a chewy homemade bread loaf with my favorite recipe that uses simples pantry ingredients.
Will make 1- 2lb. Loaf in 9x5 Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 6 c. Bread Flour -sifted
- 2 Packets of Yeast (4 1/2 tsp.)
- 2 c. Milk -scald
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 6 tsp. Sugar
- 4 Tbsp. Shortening -melt
- Butter for greasing bowl, loaf pan, & loaf
Instructions
- Scald milk to 115°F in a saucepan.
- Melt shortening down to liquid.
- Mix 1 c. of milk with yeast & 3 tsp. sugar. Stir to disolve, cover, and rest for 5 minutes.
- In mixing bowl, add rest of milk, salt, & remaining 3 tsp. sugar. Stir to dissolve.
- Add yeast mixture to mixing bowl.
- Sift 4 c. flour into mixing bowl.
- When partially mixed, add melted shortening. Mix well.
- Turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead in remaining 2 cups of sifted flour.
- Knead for 10 minutes until dough is smooth, elastic and bubbly on surface.
- Form a ball and cover in greased glass bowl to rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in bulk.
- Knead down. Let rise 45 minutes.
- Place greased 9x5 loaf pan in warm oven. This will help dough rise better if pan is warm to touch, NOT hot!
- Remove pan, place dough in pan. Cut vent slits across the top of the loaf horizontally. Let rise 20 minutes in loaf pan.
- Bake loaf at 400°F for 15 minutes -this will make a nice golden crust.
- Turn temperature down to 350°F and continue to bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove loaf and cool before placing in a bread bag or wax wrap.
Notes
- AVOID METAL!
- Use Earthen utinsels (glass & wood)
- This bread has a high acidity level (from milk) and long fermentation process (rising), when dough is in contact for a prolonged period it could pit the surface and kill the yeast with the reaction.
- I also find metal to be a cooler surface, so yeast tends to fail to rise in it.
- Kneading dough in a mixer is ok, remove from metal bowl before rising. - BREAD FLOUR IS RECOMMENDED
- Bread Flour is a high protein flour (12-14%) with a higher Gluten level that gives the dough more elasticity when kneaded. Loaf will be airy and chewy!
- All Purpose Flour (8-11% protein): I've used this before, but it definetly didn't have as high of a rise, dense, & dry. - 70°F is the temperature I would reccomend keeping your kitchen at to get a consistent and quick rise.
- 105-120°F Keep your liquids temperature between this window -heating above and below will be too warm or cool for the yeast to ferment. I use a candy thermometer.
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