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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Homestead Bread Making

Bread has been a staple among all races for centuries. A few ingredients can turn into a delicious loaf. Flour, Water or milk, Yeast, and butter or oil are the basic needs of bread. Not only do the ingredients effect the final product, but the processes do as well.

There are 3 main types of bread: Savory Breads, Sweet Breads, or Quick Breads. Yeast is an extremely important ingredient when it comes to bread making. It's what makes bread "bread." Yeast gives bread volume and a "yeasty" flavor and smell... in the right conditions. An important thing to remember is to "proof" (make active) the yeast in warm, sweet water.

In other words, the water cannot be cold or too hot, or else the yeast will die. As for the sweet water, mix the sugar, honey, or whatever sweet product your recipe calls for with the yeast and warm water. If you follow those rules, you'll have no problem making yeast breads.

For a Sweet Yeast Bread, you can make something like Cinnamon Buns or an Apple Danish. Sweet Yeast Breads are basically a yeast bread with an extra sugary substance like fruit or a sugary glazed topping. Your generally taking a regular yeast bread and bringing a little sweetness to it. Chocolate can also be added to Sweet Yeast Breads. YUM!

A regular Yeast Bread can be anything from Sourdough to Foccacia to Bagels. The liquid/flour ratio as well as the fat and yeast content sets yeast breads apart. With a more "liquidy" dough, the loaf can turn out more airy like Foccacia. As for the fat content, Olive Oil is GREAT for Italian bread, whereas butter is better for a denser loaf of bread. For a "time consuming" bread like Sourdough, a Sourdough starter can be made, which is later added to the regular ingredients. There are so many different factors involved in making Yeast breads, so with a little variation, the Yeast bread types are endless.

Quick Breads are breads done, "quickly." Those type of breads use baking powder, baking soda, or a higher amount of yeast. The problem with Yeast is that it takes time, and if you need bread right away, you should probably look to a quick bread. Quick bread examples include: Flat, Coffee Cake, Irish Soda, and Zucchini.

Out of all the ways to stretch a dollar in the house hold, this is the tastiest. Make a few loafs a week for less than the cost of one at the store. Not many things will go better with a nice hot bowl of soup. I quite enjoy sitting with a fresh loaf and dip it in my cup of coffee. That might sound weird but trie it if you never had it before.

There is nothing like walking into a house with a heavenly smell coming from the oven. It's easy to make fresh bread. Bread is a blank canvas and you can make it your own with a little knowledge of the basics of bread making!

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