Baking Bread

I did something today I haven’t done in years. I baked bread!

When I last baked bread, I didn’t have a stand mixer. And using a hand mixer on bread dough will wear out the motor so I would have to mix it by hand. That became a huge deterrent to baking bread when it is easier, and takes less physical effort, to just buy bread.

But recently I have been thinking that it is cheaper to bake it myself and it would probably taste better. So I bought some yeast and made sure I had a good supply of flour on hand. I generally do but I double checked since one of the worse things in life, at least for a baker, is to start to bake something and realize you are missing an ingredient.

This morning I decided that it was a good day to bake bread. Not too hot out and, an even better reason, I am out of bread.

I read a few of recipes and decided that I didn’t like any of them completely. So I took elements from each and set about making my bread. I bloomed my yeast in warm water, mixed the rest of the ingredients and then added the yeast. Then I added in warm water. I mixed it with the mixer until it pulled away from the bowl and decided it was time to knead.

Now, my stand mixer was a gift from someone who was upgrading her mixer. She gave me her old blue Kitchen Aid stand mixer along with the paddle attachment and the whisk attachment. But she didn’t have the dough hook. So I would have to knead my bread by hand.

I actually enjoy this process. There is something about kneading a warm ball of dough over and over as it gets smoother and smoother and develops elasticity. It is a very rhythmic exercise. It also made me feel like I was part of a long line of bakers who have done this exact same thing for centuries. Standing over a wooden board and working the dough with their own hands until it is just right. The smell of the yeast, the feel of the warm dough, the strength it took to fold it and push it until it formed into a smooth ball…somehow letting a machine do this would take away the essential joy of bread baking.

After my dough was ready, I put it in the greased bowl I had ready (my favorite large metal bowl that travels with me anywhere I have to go to cook) and put it on the stove with plastic wrap on top. And I waited for it to rise.

It took about 40 minutes and it was doubled in size. I punched it down, divided it into two parts, rolled it out a little and then rolled it to form a loaf. I then placed it in a greased loaf pan and did the same with the second part. I brushed the tops with butter and put plastic wrap over the top. Then I set it aside to rise the second time.

When the loaves had risen above the rim of the pans, I heated the oven and baked them. Within ten minutes, the smell of baking bread filled my apartment. That is also an essential element of bread baking. The wonderful aroma that drifts out of the oven.

After about 35 minutes, the bread was done. I took out two large loaves of beautiful brown bread, removed them from the loaf pans and put them on a wire rack to cool. I also brushed the tops again with butter.

When they had cooled for about 45 minutes, I sliced the end off of one of the loaves. The crust was just the right level of crispness, the inside was light and soft and the smell was warm and yeasty. I spread the piece with a little butter and then took my first bite.

DELICIOUS!!! Perfect bread!!! It had just the right texture, flavor and taste. Well worth the effort.

I have decided that I need to bake my own bread as much as possible. It is cheaper (yeast was about $1.50 for three packets and I only used two of them; flour was about $2.50 for five pounds and I only used seven cups; a little sugar, shortening and salt costs hardly anything and the water was free), it tastes better and it is fun to make. Win, win, and win!

I was also thinking that next winter, for our soup and bread suppers at church during Lent, I will have to make bread to bring. I usually provide soup a couple of times but I think I will also provide some bread. Maybe by then I will have developed different recipes and flavors for bread. Yum!!

I encourage everyone to try their hand at baking bread. And, no, not with a bread machine. Mix the dough and knead it by hand. It is mesmerizing, simple and makes you feel connected with the past in a way that few things these days will. It is an act of love to create your own food and put attention and care into the process. It is the thoughtfulness of the creation that makes as much difference as the end result tastes. And that is why I love cooking and baking.