Bread Making at the Hemlocks

Well, many go to church, while I periodically try on Sunday to make “artisan” bread, otherwise called “homemade” bread.

The experiment begins.  I am using the KISS (keep it simple stupid) principle.  Plus I have seen some YouTube videos, also. Plus I am a male who does not like to follow directions, plus being an American puts me in a hurry, which is not good for bread making I think so far. So my results probably will reflect all this.

First the ingredients, which are self rising flour (about 3 cups), some salt, and about a cup of room temp water, all mixed together. Self rising means that baking powder (vice yeast) is already mixed in to the flour.  While mixing, a lot of the dough goo stuck to my hands and fingers, and the dough tasted pretty good to me when I licked it off. The balance also washed off into the sink just fine with just warm water.  Using the “cooks prerogative” idea, I liked that (both the tasting and cleaning parts). I deliberately did not put extra flavorings like honey or herbs or grated cheese into the mix since I was using the KISS idea. I figured fake butter stuff would add enough flavor later.  Last I was using the “no knead idea” which suggests I let the bread “rise” by itself for about 4 to 24 hours.

I assumed we humans do like bread now and then. I do.

So I also preheated my electric oven to 450 F  while the bread was rising (I hoped…..like forget the extra time to rise poorly kneaded dough). Oh yes, I also used some dry flour to roll the dough ball in the process of my work.

So into the oven it went after about a half hour of hopeful rising. I had already oiled a cast iron pot to bake it in (not a dutch oven), plus I did oil the outside of the bread ball that had formed.

The results will follow, but I don’t expect much on this high school type experiment.

My first blush reaction is following directions (the recipe) is a good idea. After all we humans have been making bread for thousands of years, but the recent lessons learned are just that. Mistakes are being made, I suspect.  And the bread quality  will suffer as a result.  At least being a Marine and having yard dogs provides me a way to otherwise get rid of it.

You can do it, too…..like make your own bread.  I suspect many already do.

And remember most breads are from ground grains that make flour, which vary all over the place from wheat to rye to barley to rice to acorns, etc.