You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away and know when to run.
As of today, I remain at a standstill as to whether I want to start baking my own bread. I am quite capable of making homemade whole-wheat yeast rolls by the dozen that are wonderful. I believe that now I may be able to graduate to more difficult tasks.
My inspiration to start baking my own bread is simply because I despise spending almost four dollars on a halfway decent loaf of bread from the supermarket. So, I performed a small kitchen inventory of the equipment that I already own. Loaf pans? Check. Baking stone? Check. Big bowls? Check. Is there a nearby grocery store supplying quantity and variety of desired staples? Check. Mixer? Umm. See, I do own a mixer, a hand mixer. The truth about my wonderful hand mixer is that is has the exact same wattage as those Kitchen-aid stand mixers that cost $200-$300.
A friend of a friend and sometimes reader of this blog suggested a very pricey Bosch mixer for my desired whole-wheat applications, which I really do appreciate her advice, but the Bosch mixer does not currently fit into my budget. I have even when to the trouble of pricing bread machines, but that idea seems a little lame, being that I currently own everything else but a stand mixer. I don’t know. As long as my local market continues to keep one of my more favorite bread selections at an unbelievable 2 for 1 sale price, I guess that decision will suffice for now.
Speaking of supermarkets, I know I was downing the place I usually shop at because of some rumored cola war seen on an on-line sale paper. I reported to store for my weekly shopping, and there was not cola war in sight. Instead, there was a big sign that read, “Health and Harmony – There are over 700 organic and natural items stocked in this store!” Not quite the “Pepsi, welcomes you to the trenches of The Next Generation!” banner I was expecting.
I also had to stop in some of my running about last week to pick up a few other items at another one of this particular store locations, being the kids were coming to visit and I spied their “sign”. Only 120 something organic or natural items were stocked in this store. Are peers not created equal?
I somehow doubt I have single-handedly caused this huge organic phenomenon on Sterlington Road, as I do spy in others carts while I do my shopping. Perhaps my timing is off for finding the other harmonious shoppers as myself. I as shop, I see that there are still too many family-sized frozen pizzas and sodas rolling about.
My inspiration to start baking my own bread is simply because I despise spending almost four dollars on a halfway decent loaf of bread from the supermarket. So, I performed a small kitchen inventory of the equipment that I already own. Loaf pans? Check. Baking stone? Check. Big bowls? Check. Is there a nearby grocery store supplying quantity and variety of desired staples? Check. Mixer? Umm. See, I do own a mixer, a hand mixer. The truth about my wonderful hand mixer is that is has the exact same wattage as those Kitchen-aid stand mixers that cost $200-$300.
A friend of a friend and sometimes reader of this blog suggested a very pricey Bosch mixer for my desired whole-wheat applications, which I really do appreciate her advice, but the Bosch mixer does not currently fit into my budget. I have even when to the trouble of pricing bread machines, but that idea seems a little lame, being that I currently own everything else but a stand mixer. I don’t know. As long as my local market continues to keep one of my more favorite bread selections at an unbelievable 2 for 1 sale price, I guess that decision will suffice for now.
Speaking of supermarkets, I know I was downing the place I usually shop at because of some rumored cola war seen on an on-line sale paper. I reported to store for my weekly shopping, and there was not cola war in sight. Instead, there was a big sign that read, “Health and Harmony – There are over 700 organic and natural items stocked in this store!” Not quite the “Pepsi, welcomes you to the trenches of The Next Generation!” banner I was expecting.
I also had to stop in some of my running about last week to pick up a few other items at another one of this particular store locations, being the kids were coming to visit and I spied their “sign”. Only 120 something organic or natural items were stocked in this store. Are peers not created equal?
I somehow doubt I have single-handedly caused this huge organic phenomenon on Sterlington Road, as I do spy in others carts while I do my shopping. Perhaps my timing is off for finding the other harmonious shoppers as myself. I as shop, I see that there are still too many family-sized frozen pizzas and sodas rolling about.
posted by Nikki | 2:32 PM
8 Comments:
Well, you COULD knead the dough by hand! Hahaha, ok, even I can't bring myself to do that.
There's no shame in buying a bread machine, although I didn't really like the one I had - for one thing, it made funny-shaped loaves, and for another, the kneading-thingy kept coming off and getting baked into the bread. But I saw a bread machine at the thrift store yesterday, so I imagine you can pick one up for a few dollars and try it out.
As far as the mixer, the KitchenAid does OK with just one loaf's worth of whole grain dough. Not great, but like I said, I manage. Damn, if I didn't feel bad because the KitchenAid and its various accessories were my Christmas presents from my mom and aunt last year, I'd get a Bosch and send you my KitchenAid! Unfortunately, I've never seen a KitchenAid in a thrift store, so I don't know how likely you are to score one super cheap.
You can allegedly use certain food processors for kneading dough. I'm not sure how well it works, but this book includes instructions on using a food processor for every loaf (as well as a mixer, bread machine, and by hand). (Most of the recipes aren't entirely whole grain though.)
I have a couple of recipes at home for breads I baked successfully before I got the mixer that I can share with you. Not entirely whole grain, but baking them might clue you in on whether or not you find bread baking fun enough to pursue.
OK, a couple of links for you. These are the breads I used to make all the time before I got the mixer, and everyone liked them.
http://vegweb.com/recipes/bread/4462.shtml
It doesn't specify a type of flour, and I don't think I've ever made it entirely whole wheat, although I bet that white whole wheat stuff would be good. If you use mostly whole wheat flour in it, you may want to add some vital wheat gluten, which helps it rise.
http://bread.allrecipes.com/az/FabulsHommdeBread.asp
OK, the person who posted this one says she has a Bosch mixer and gives instructions for using a mixer, but she also says her mother does it by hand, and I used to make this one by hand before I got the mixer, and it wasn't a big deal (change the number of servings from 72 to 36 or so because her recipe is for six loaves...but if you use the "change servings" feature on that site, realize the measurements in the directions don't change. I printed the recipe out with revised servings and was always dumping too much of stuff in when following the numbered directions).
Those are the two I made all the time with little to no hand-kneading and they turned out well. While looking for the first one, I came across this:
http://vegweb.com/recipes/bread/7908.shtml
which I haven't tried, but it has good comments and looks pretty basic and versatile. Might be good to try.
Thanks for the links lady, I will definetly check em out. I did attempt to knead or mix that roll dough by hand before and that turned out to be a terribly gooey situation. Ha! So, now I simply use a slotted spoon for that recipe, and an ice cream scoop (the push button wiper kind) for getting the dough into the muffin pan. I would love to get my hands on a bread recipe that incorporates either sunflower seeds or walnuts. I'm cool on the idea of using oats also. I have a box of flax meal too that I am wanting to use. I'm not totally against the idea of a bread machine, except the fact that I can only think of one store here that carries them anymore. I have heard about the funny shaped loaf thing and that is not really a stigma for me. So at this point in the game anything is really a possibility, but it sure is difficult to pass by a good deal on all varieties of Rudy's Organic Bakery at $2.50 a loaf.
You're lucky you can find good store-bought bread. I guess I didn't pay much attention before I started baking my own, but I wanted to buy a loaf of whole wheat bread in the supermarket the other night and it was a disaster. High fructose corn syrup was the second or third top ingredient in just about every loaf I picked up! I was appalled! You'd think Whole Foods would have good bread, but their selection is just as bad or worse for some reason. Everything is very hard, to the point of seeming stale. I never buy bread there. I'd probably have to find a bakery to get decent bread, but usually I just get so mad I decide I can wait the three hours it takes to make.
Check around thrift stores for a bread maker...I've seen a few. That way you're only putting out a few dollars to try it, and if you love it, you can always buy a newer model later. Maybe I can wrangle my mom's out of her - I think she's used it a grand total of once.
i really like the Rudi's Organic and I don't understand why it's not availible everywhere. Try this site:
http://www.rudisbakery.com/WheretoBuy/
I adore the Oro-Wheat Health Nut. That's the one with the walnuts and sunflower seeds. It's got a much different texture from most bread being that it's more dense and chewy. Definetly not spongy like Holsum white or other conventionals. Some Pepperidge farms selections are so-so, you just have to read the label.
That big bread recipe sounds like one I could try very soon. I will just have to check how much flour I have. It looks like I have the power to experiment with that recipe if I wanted to since no specfic flours are named. That is good news because the store now stocks spelt and millet in it's oragnictory. Yippee!
According to that link, the Harris Teeter by my house sells Rudi's breads. I must have overlooked them.
Are Rudi's breads vegan?
Yes, Rudi's Organic breads are vegan with the exception of the following varieties that contain honey: Honey Sweet Whole Wheat, European Multigrain, Spelt Tortillas and Whole Spelt Tortillas
Are the natural enzymes in Rudi's breads from a non-animal source?
Yes, the natural enzymes in Rudi's breads are vegan.
Awesome! I'm going to check back at Harris Teeter.
I never thought about that honey may not be vegan. Is it so because it is an animal by-product?
Yep. Honey is the one thing that vegans kind of quibble over; some say it is OK and some say it is not. Most are against. I started eating it for a while there because it can actually be hard to find good bread without it. People seem to think it's more natural than other sugars, so they add it to otherwise vegan foods and "ruin" it. When I started making most of my own bread, I stopped eating it again, because I found it hypocritical of myself. I've discussed it with Fred and I don't think it would be un-vegan of me to eat the honey collected by his father, because I know it's just excess from his bees and they aren't being harmed....although I guess I have to question how I feel about his bees being "kept" in the first place. But I wouldn't eat any honey that didn't come from someone I know personally because apparently more honey is taken than just the "leftovers" from most hives, and bees are often killed in the process. Frankly, I like agave nectar and some of the other substitutes I've tried better than honey anyway; they are less sickeningly sweet. I do NOT like them when they leak all over my desk drawer, however...
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