bread basics - the two easy recipes i make every week to fill most of my family’s bread needs
so what do you wanna talk about now?
my bread evolution:
college - whatever was cheapest and paired well with ramen and hangovers
adult life - multigrain, you know, for the fiber because maturity
next level adulting - sprouted for avoiding the gluten (what the fuck ever, imo)
current - make all my own. ULTIMATE control.
never - OMG, white carbs are the devil! i heart carbs, hard.
i get it if you don’t want gluten or too many simple carbs, but bread is, always has been, and probably always (ya never know, i can change) will be my friend. it’s easy and cheap. i don’t buy organic flour because of the expense and i’m pretty sure i’m gonna be okay. i know, the horror - i know the dangers and would prefer organic but being poor wins out. the way i figure it, the ingredients are so simple, i’m better off avoiding all the extra crap in store bought breads. life is a constant balance between the healthiest choices, palate pleasure, and finances!
it started with a few recipes here or there that i tried and liked. they were extremely easy (like no knead, no bread machine, nothing fancy) and TASTY. i found we (my mom lives with me) were wanting them more often, so i refined my repertoire to 2 main recipes that service our weekly needs. now i make them every week and never buy bread anymore. don’t get me wrong, if i want a deli sub from our grocery store, imma have one with their bread. same goes for eating out. but in house, it’s all from scratch, baby.
1 - toast. love it. it’s the easiest thing for breakfast and one both me and my mom love. butter (for her. vegan for me, but i hate using the word margarine. so when you see butter, i mean vegan butter because i’m also lazy and hate always typing vegan). jam. nut butter. just plain coconut oil. or the mecca of toasts, avocado toast. i know i should eat oatmeal more often (and i often do), but toast in our house just cannot be beat. so i make an amazing english muffin bread in a loaf pan that is divine toasted with… what the fuck ever. and it truly does taste JUST LIKE an english muffin
2 - a basic bread. in my case a peasant bread. one that’s easy and makes good slices for sandwiches or garlic bread or cubes for stuffing or bread pudding.
both recipes make 2 loaves. for two women that means one of each in the fridge, one of each in the freezer the day they’re made. all 4 loaves will usually last the week. in other words, one day of easy baking for the week. it thaws from the freezer beautifully. the english muffin is made in loaf pans, the peasant bread in bowls. so if you don’t have two loaf pans or two bowls, adjust accordingly.
simple cheap ingredients - water, yeast, and flour. the different types of yeast and flour create the different textures, so i keep regular and fast acting yeast and all purpose and bread flour stocked in my pantry.
ENGLISH MUFFIN BREAD
2 3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 packets fast acting yeast
5 1/2 cups bread flour
THAT’S IT. seriously. the recipe did call for sugar and i used to make it this way, thinking the yeast needed it for food. then i wanted to begin limiting sugar, even in homemade goods. i looked it up, realized it is not necessary, began leaving it out and never noticed a difference.
so mix this shit together in a bowl. grease and flour your 2 loaf pans. divide the dough between them. let it rise, covered with a towel for 30-45 minutes, until about doubled in size. preheat the oven sometime during that time to 350. bake for 30-45 minutes. let sit in pans for at least 5 minutes then turn out onto cooling racks. gaze upon their beauty.
PEASANT BREAD
2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast - just sprinkle it on the top of the water and let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it froths up
2 teaspoons salt mixed with 4 cups flour (you can replace up to 1 cup of flour with cornmeal)
mix the wet with the dry once the yeast is frothed up good
same thing with sugar in this recipe. originally called for it, left it out, zero difference.
let sit covered with a towel for at least an hour. punch down the dough. grease and flour 2 glass bowls. divide the dough between them. let them sit uncovered 30-45 minutes more. preheat the oven to 425 sometime during that time. bake 15 minutes. lower oven to 375. bake another 15-17 minutes. turn out onto cooling racks. adore your creation.
this recipe can also be used for focaccia or garlic bread. i tried the full amount in a large rectangular baking dish and it was delicious but way to freaking thick. so the next time, i halved it, swapped in 1/2 cup cornmeal for 1/2 cup flour, made it in the same size dish, threw on some toppings and it worked beautifully. i’ve also halved it, made it in the rectangular dish with butter and garlic. let it cook the first 15 minutes, then add any toppings and cook the additional 15.
so these are my all the time breads. i also make pita, flour and corn tortillas, naan, biscuits, cornbread, rolls, and pretzel rolls as the mood strikes. all of them EASY (remember, lazy and no bread machine). i’ll share more of those later :)