White Bread

I'm pretty sure there are very few people who share my love of food. That doesn't necessarily mean I love every single piece of food that comes my way, but I do love the fact that there are so many different tastes and styles and variations! To start off my recipes, I've gone a little out of order already...oops. Mainly because my family had a need for these things. I have a feeling a few more variations will arise due to cravings ;)

The first recipe I decided to try out of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook was the white bread recipe. My husband and I are lovers of bread. So much so that it was getting ridiculously expensive paying for our favorite bread in the amounts we were eating it. We love the way the Grandma Sycamore's Bread tasted...but since we like quality bread, this was taking out a pretty big chunk of the grocery money! Therefore, I wanted to try this first and hopefully be able to make a ton! (I have found out that we only have one bread pan in the process though...darn)

Since I tried quite a few things over Thanksgiving break, I also went ahead and did the first recipe in the Lion House Bakery Cookbook, which are the rolls. They have similar techniques and skills, so I figured I would talk about both.

Here are the things I have discovered:

1. When it says buttermilk OR milk...use buttermilk! It made a huge difference and it's very easy when you get powdered buttermilk. I used SACO Cultured Buttermilk Blend and it was perfect. It seems weird, but you just mix it with some water and it has instructions right on the container! It's a lot easier than getting liquid buttermilk, because if you're anything like me, you forget about stuff in your fridge and it goes bad before you use it...not fun!

2. For some reason, using a wooden spoon makes a big difference when mixing up bread ingredients, no matter what kind. I just use a normal one from Wal-Mart!

3. Practice your kneading skills! I have become much better at making bread since I've figured this out. If you don't know how, the cookbook say this "to knead dough, fold it over and push down with the heel of your hand. Turn the dough, fold, and push down again." If anything, fond out if any of your friends have ever worked at a bakery. My hubby worked at Great Harvest for quite a while so he helped me figure out the skills!

4. Don't be afraid to use less or more flour than the recipe calls for. It really depends on a lot of different things that a general recipe can't predict. For instance, the humidity is a huge factor, including elevation and temperature. So if you need more than it says to make that bread dough "smooth and elastic" then go for it!

5. One of the biggest things I've noticed that helps keep the bread moist and perfect in the preparation is adding a small amount of oil while it's going through the first rise. Pour it all around the sides of the bowl after you put in your kneaded bread, then turn over the dough until it's lightly covered in oil (I use veggie oil, but it should work with any kind like olive or canola). Then cover it and let it rise until it's doubled. I also choose to put the bowl into an oven where the temperature is controlled. It's not on, but it helps!

6. If you're in a dry environment, place a small bowl (oven-safe) in the oven while you're baking to keep in the moisture. You might also need to take it out sooner than the recipe says.

7. When it comes to rolls, feel free to use a pizza cutter to cut them out. It helps a lot because it moves very easily and is very sharp! You can use the bread knife after they are baked.

Hope that helps everyone in their bread making pursuits! Here are a few pictures of my accomplishments:

A couple loaves of bread...yum!

Lion House Rolls with butter brushed on top

My bread cut up...time for sandwiches!