Baking Bread Recipes Please

psychgirl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I’m a good cook. But embarrassed to admit I’m NOT skilled with bread making. I have abread machine but it’s just not as good as true, home made bread.

I’m looking for easy, beginner level, white bread recipes that aren’t intimidating. Recipes easy to commit to memory, if that’s even possible.

My cherished family Betty Crocker cookbook has scads of recipes but they all look so hard
Thank you!
 

psychgirl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
What bread machine do you have?

Many recipes for bread vary based on the machine model.
I don’t even know anymore lol. I bought it at a consignment store ages ago.
It works and all, but I want to be accomplished baking bread myself!
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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I’m a good cook. But embarrassed to admit I’m NOT skilled with bread making. I have abread machine but it’s just not as good as true, home made bread.

I’m looking for easy, beginner level, white bread recipes that aren’t intimidating. Recipes easy to commit to memory, if that’s even possible.

My cherished family Betty Crocker cookbook has scads of recipes but they all look so hard
Thank you!
Go to Learn and start reading! Once you've read their basic bread info, use one of their recipes... they are all fully tested. Also, yeast breads aren't difficult, but you do have to follow the steps. It's a lot easier than you think, though...

Summerthyme
 

psychgirl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Go to Learn and start reading! Once you've read their basic bread info, use one of their recipes... they are all fully tested. Also, yeast breads aren't difficult, but you do have to follow the steps. It's a lot easier than you think, though...

Summerthyme
Got it! Thank you!
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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I'll try to post a very simple recipe for dinner rolls a bit later... I have one which takes 60 minutes from start to buttering the rolls, and one which let's you make the rolls the night before, refrigerate them overnight and then bake fresh the next day. I use it every holiday season, and they are one of the items most in demand.

Summerthyme
 

psychgirl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I'll try to post a very simple recipe for dinner rolls a bit later... I have one which takes 60 minutes from start to buttering the rolls, and one which let's you make the rolls the night before, refrigerate them overnight and then bake fresh the next day. I use it every holiday season, and they are one of the items most in demand.

Summerthyme
Great!
Now I just need to get new yeast.... and the gumption to start baking without dreading the whole process
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Great!
Now I just need to get new yeast.... and the gumption to start baking without dreading the whole process
I saw strip of instant yeast at Walmart last week on clearance for 25 cents! I've got to try to find the recipes on my computer, but I'll get them. Once you've had a couple of successes, it's simple...

Summerthyme
 

psychgirl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I saw strip of instant yeast at Walmart last week on clearance for 25 cents! I've got to try to find the recipes on my computer, but I'll get them. Once you've had a couple of successes, it's simple...

Summerthyme
I think once this humidity and heat clears out for good I’ll get right back into the baking spirit :)

We’re having an end of season, last blast of upper 80’s right now and it’s just not making me feel all bakey.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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I think once this humidity and heat clears out for good I’ll get right back into the baking spirit :)

We’re having an end of season, last blast of upper 80’s right now and it’s just not making me feel all bakey.
Yeah, I haven't fired up the oven in months! Too hot, tiny kitchen, no motivation. We aren't even looking at any frost for at least 2 more weeks! But winters coming...

Summerthyme
 

psychgirl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Oh! By the way I found yeast packets in my pantry but two years old... guess those won’t be any good lol.

Oops.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Oh! By the way I found yeast packets in my pantry but two years old... guess those won’t be any good lol.

Oops.
Probably not... if you freeze them, they'll keep indefinitely. I'm using yeast (bulk 1# from Sam's Club) from 2009. When I need to open a new one, I dump some into a half pint jelly jar in the fridge (my working container) and put the rest into a pint jar and put it right back in the freezer.

Before tossing outdated yeast, test some. Put 1/2 cup barely warm water into a cup. Stir in 1/2 tsp sugar. Sprinkle a pinch of yeast on top. If you get bubbles, its still alive. It may not be as active as it was when fresh, but bread is forgiving... a little more rising time and it will be as good as fresh.

Summerthyme
 
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Melodi

Disaster Cat
The bread machine is extremely useful for those of us with bad shoulders who can not easily knead bread anymore.

During this period without an oven we have used it to bake bread, but I never like the results as much as using the bread baker to knead the bread and then bake it in the oven.

Now that the kitchen is slowly getting clean enough to cook in again, I asked my housemate if she knew where the cast iron griddle went? Everything was rusty so a lot of stuff got put to the side, but I told her that is the one item I will try to do with steal wool now and season as best I can - because we can use it for griddle scones, flatbreads, and the like.
 

Freeholder

This too shall pass.
This isn't white bread, it's a Russian Black Bread recipe, but it's very simple and tasty. I'm going to start a separate thread, but thought someone might like to see it here, too. My oldest daughter and her sixteen-year-old son have started doing a cooking blog. He's homeschooling, and has initiated a large project, where he plans to prepare dishes from almost every country on the planet over the next couple of years. This was the first of the project (they have some Russian ancestry).
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP8zPovSHC8
Run time about 16 minutes.

Kathleen
 

philkar

Veteran Member
The bread machine is extremely useful for those of us with bad shoulders who can not easily knead bread anymore.

During this period without an oven we have used it to bake bread, but I never like the results as much as using the bread baker to knead the bread and then bake it in the oven.

Now that the kitchen is slowly getting clean enough to cook in again, I asked my housemate if she knew where the cast iron griddle went? Everything was rusty so a lot of stuff got put to the side, but I told her that is the one item I will try to do with steal wool now and season as best I can - because we can use it for griddle scones, flatbreads, and the like.
Would love those flatbread recipes if you are willing to share. Am thinking those will be invaluable in the days ahead and will be enjoyable now!
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
One easy flatbread recipe is to take any simple Italian bread recipe (flour, yeast, water, small amount of sugar, bit of salt) and instead of forming it into loaves, roll it into balls, flatten the balls and then roll them out - if you want thick flatbread about 1/4 inch if you want really thing bread, as flat as you can get and not tear the dough.

Cook on a hot griddle (cast iron works best but you can use even a no-stick fry pan) for a minute to three minutes on each side, flip it when it bubbles up (if really flat) or starts to brown. You made need to flip a few times to get it done - then remove it from the griddle and place it in a warm towel (or foil) to keep warm and steaming while you cook the rest.

You can do this with almost any bread recipe and it is a great way to deal with dough that refuses to rise, even if you forgot to put the yeast in (it happens).

You can get great recipes online - variations on these types of bread exist all over the world made with various flours and go from plain to spicey, savory to sweet.

Some are made with baking powder (or baking soda) sourdough, or without leveling at all.

For a special treat, you can deep fry them, though that takes more oil and time - a good cast iron griddle will just need a touch of oil, especially if there is olive oils, butter, or another oil in the bread dough itself.

My basic recipe for Italian bread/griddle bread dough is:

5 cups strong white flour (you can vary this a lot)
1 3/4 liquid (water, whey, or a mix of water and yogurt)
2 tsp quick yeast.
1tsp sugar
1/2 to 2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

In most bread bakers:
put in yeast and sugar together with the oil
Add the flour, and then the salt on top (this keeps it away from the yeast)
Add liquid
Mix on dough or pizza cycle

Form into long loaves and rise a second time and cook about 400/180 in an oven with a pan of water underneath (makes a harder crust).

or

Spilled into 6 to 8 balls, flatten tops, roll out and cook on the griddle (they don't need to rise again).

For pizza, bases roll out to fit pan or cookie sheet, cook for 12 minutes in a hot oven, remove to add topics, and cook another 10 to 13 minutes.

For French Bread omit the oil - note this bread will only last 24 hours or so before going stale and will need an oiled griddle.

To knead by hand, watch a good youtube video on kneading bread, this bread is ready when you can stick your finger into the ball of dough and it indents and kind of pushes back (this is hard to describe and easier to watch).

Variations:

Add herbs like rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage, etc depending on what you like

Use Juices (like tomato) or broth for liquid (if you use a meat broth eat right away or keep the bread in the fridge)

Use up to 1/2 whole wheat flour and be ready to add up to 1/8 to 1/4 cup more liquid if it needs it

Add an egg and use milk for 1/2 of the liquid for a softer bread, you can also add up to 1/4 cup shredded cheese (really good with tomato juice).

Up to 1/2 cup raisins, sweet spices, and a bit of extra sugar for a sweet bread (no more than 1/2 cup sugar, I use 1/4).

In other words, the is a very creative basic recipe that works in most bread bakers.

If you have a slightly smaller bread baker try

4 cups flour to 1 1/2 cups liquid, the rest of the measurements stay about the same

or

2 cups flour to 3/4 cups liquid but cut the other ingredients by about half except the sugar, it still needs at least a tsp for the yeast to rise.

Hope that helps and gets everyone started -

Once you get the hang of this you can do tricks like melted butter instead of olive oil (or vegetable oil), lard, add 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes/mashed pumpkin/pureed vegetables, left over oatmeal and the like to the liquid, and stir, all sorts of things.

But you want to get the basic feel of what the dough should be like first.

If you don't have someone that can show you the first time, YouTube is your friend!

Good luck and Happy Bread Baking - I learned how about 1979 and I've never stopped since...
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
A trickier bread - do not try this as your first bread, please

Use the above measurements for the larger recipe

Instead of water - use 5 to 6 eggs (beaten) with a bit of water to get your 1 3/4 cups of liquid

Or use three to four eggs, a bit of milk/cream, and water

Use 1/8 to 1/4 cup sugar

Use 3 tbs of melted butter (or a bit more)

Add a pinch of ginger (optional) (about 1/4 tsp)

After the dough cycle, raise once or twice more (this recipe can use up to three risings).

Now either form into loaves, balls for rolls, or a bread braid

Wash (aka take a piece of paper towel or a cooking brush) with a bit of egg over the top

Cook at a lower temperature of about 160/350 degrees for about 40 minutes loaves 20 to 25 minutes rolls

This makes a great egg bread and can help use up excess eggs during the spring "egg glut" if you have chickens.
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
I haven't tried this yet but I will a tortilla recipe from The Prarie Homestead (pictures at link)

256 Comments | Jill Winger | Last Updated: February 23, 2021

Homemade Tortilla Recipe
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homemade flour tortilla recipe Tortillas were one of the first things I ever tried making completely from scratch.
I made my first attempt back when I was still buying Ramen noodles, margarine, and boxed cereal on a regular basis…
In fact, I probably made that first tortilla recipe with a generous slug of canola oil…. Oh how times have changed…
I’ve come a long way since then (like homemade French bread and making a cookbook), and so has my tortilla recipe.
After I had that initial blissful moment of “look what I made!”, I ended up experimenting with about a million different tortilla recipes before I found one I was finally happy with.

We had gummy tortillas, burnt tortillas, cardboard tortillas, crumbly tortillas, soaked tortillas, rubbery tortillas, and tiny tortillas… Betcha didn’t know it was possible to mess up one item so many ways, huh?
I finally found a whole wheat sourdough tortilla method that I loved. However, there was a problem– I didn’t always have a sourdough starter going (I don’t right now, actually), so we needed an alternative.
Enter this tortilla recipe. I’ve made it many, many times and I think it’s pretty much perfect.
homemade flour tortilla recipe

Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe
(this post contains affiliate links)
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl (I love this one).
Mix coconut oil or lard into the flour until the mixture is crumbly. I usually start with a fork and end up using my hands to mash all the little coconut oil balls into the flour. It’s going to be lumpy, and that’s OK.

Add the water and mix until the dough comes together. Knead for 2 minutes, then cover the dough and rest for 20 minutes. One of the reasons I love this recipe is that it always seems to be the perfect ration of flour to liquid. I rarely, if ever, have to add extra flour or water to make a knead-able, dough consistency. But be ready to adjust as needed, as climate and flour variety can play a part in this.

Divide it into 8 balls. Roll each ball as thin as you can in a circular-ish shape. (Even if you like thick tortillas, they will end up puffing when you cook them.)

Cook the tortillas in a pre-heated, medium-hot skillet for about 30 seconds on each side. You are looking for some golden brown spots to show you it’s ready to flip. My oven has a fifth burner in the center that converts into a cast-iron griddle, so I usually use that to make tortillas. However, I also love using my cast-iron skillets for making tortillas, too.

Store in the fridge. They are best if used immediately. However, you can re-heat them for a few seconds in your skillet if you plan on using them the next day.

Serve alongside my refried beans recipe, or turn them into tacos or burritos. You also might catch me smearing a warm tortilla with butter and homemade jam sometimes
 

philkar

Veteran Member
This reminded me that I once made tortillas on a weekly basis! Made a batch and they were delish! Also made flat bread using my bread recipe that I can make in my sleep and I am sure that I have a time or two! Added dried tomatoes and onions and it turned out quite well. Never thought about just using that recipe that I was so familiar with. Thank You!!
 

Marie

Veteran Member
If you use the bread machine as just the kneader and then let it rise in a greased covered bowl and then a bread pan. I think you will be happier with the results.
Any bread recipes would do.
Here's a link to a similar recipe that I use for a quick loaf.
If you have a kitchen aid mixer that is even better at kneading!
"The Easiest Loaf of Bread You'll Ever Bake | King Arthur Baking" The Easiest Loaf of Bread You'll Ever Bake
 

Marie

Veteran Member
P.s. when the yeast shortages started the only thing I could find was instant yeast. You mix it in with the dry ingredients instead of proofing it. Man I REALLY love that stuff! I still keep it in the freezer.
 
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