As a child I grew up in a farming family. We never had much money and at times very little food. We were a family of 9 and thats alot of mouths to feed. I can remember as a child being told by my mother that her family when living through the great depression had a belief that as long as one had flour, milk and potatoes no one would ever starve. So those 3 items were always on hand in our home.
Our home was heated with a wood stove on the first floor. Believe me when I tell you that Up State NY had some real cold winters and we froze our butts off with all of us kids with our bedroom on the 2nd floor. The trip to the outhouse I am sure is mentioned in a past blog. Seeing seven kids all getting dressed around the stove in the morning was rather funny.
The one good thing that I remember about certain frigid cold nights was when my mother baked bread. Getting that big hunk of hot bread right out of the oven with the melted butter on it was so good. The crust was just right and the bread was so soft and chewy. Ones whole inner being was warmed up from a simple piece of bread. To me homeade bred is number one as far as comfort foods go. I know, chocolate, ice cream, mashed potatoes,meat loaf ect ect is usually number one on most list but I believe that bread is .
I never had the chance to get my mothers bread recipe. She passed away about 22 years ago. I tried for years to make bread but all of my results never met my aproval. First I couldn't get the dough to rise, next the bread was to crumbly, then the crust wasn't right and on and on. It took me almost 8 years to learn how to make really good bread. I had to learn a more scientific aproach. Now I make breads galore. I have even learned to make bread the ways of the ancient ones without using store bought yeast. I also make sour dough breads using the same principals.
My basic bread dough is also used for so many other things. Thats why I call it my master dough. I use it for pastries, dumplins, rolls, biscuts, Pizza, strombolies, calzones, runzas ect. I may tweak the dough by using olive oil for the butter or increase the amount of sugar for something sweet but the basic dough is the starter. I also always save just a little piece of the finished dough to use as a starter or a (Poolish) for my next batch of dough. My Starter that I have in the fridge right now has been in every basic dough that I have made for the last 12 years.
To start my basic dough I add my piece of starter dough to 2 cups of luke warm water with one packette of quick rise yeast to your mixing bowl. When I say warm water I mean put your hand under the faucet and when your mind says ahhh it's just right. Mix the water, yeast and starter together until the starter disolves. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and mix briefly. I use a Kitchen Aid now a days but this can all be done by hand. If you don't have that piece of starter dough don't worry about it. Just act like it's not in the recipe.
Add 3 cups of flour to the mixing bowl. Add 4 Tablespoons of melted butter or vegtable oil and 2 teaspoons of salt. With a dough hook start mixing. If using a bowl mix the ingredients so far with a wooden spoon. Mix for about 10 minutes to build up gluten. This is the secret to a good dough. The more it is kneaded the better the texture the bread will have. Bread that is crumbly and breaks easily is because the gluten wasn't formed well enough. After the dough has been mixed for 10 minutes add 3 more cups of flour. lol, make sure your mixer is off before adding or you will have one heck of a mess on your hands. After adding the 3 cups of flour mix until the dough forms a ball and all the dough stuck on the side of the bowl is now in the ball. If you notice that on the bottom of the bowl there is dough sticking add about 1/4 of a cup of flour. If your dough seems to dry add a tablespoon of water. Mix the dough for about 5 minutes. At this point I like to make the dough personal. I always hand knead the dough after it comes out of the mixer for about 5 minutes. My method of kneading is to put a little flour on the counter top. Lay the dough on the flour. Flatten the dough and then roll it into a log. Flatten again, turn 1/4 turn and roll again, repeat this process for 5 minutes.
When letting a dough rise, the longer it is allowed to rise the better the flavor of the finished product you will have. If you notice I only use 1 packette of yeast for this recipe. You will have enough dough here for 2 loaves of bread. Most recipes would call for 2 packettes of yeast. I only use one because it will allow for a longer rising time. I like to place the kneaded dough in a large bowl that has been oiled.If you want a starter piece for your next batch of dough pinch off about a small handful at this point and put it in a Ziplock bag and stick it in the fridge. I put the dough in the bowl and then flip it. I then Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge and allow it to ferment over night. I take it out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temp. I then remove it from the bowl and knead it gently for a few minutes and then let it rest for about 20 minutes. If I want to make the bread using bread pans devide the dough into 2 equal pieces, flatten and then roll each piece jelly roll style tightly and then pinch the seam closed. Place the dough seam side down in a lightly oiled bread pan and allow to double in size. Usually this will take about an hour. Make sure to cover the rising dough with a piece of plastic wrap. I will preheat my oven at this point to 425 degrees. Allow the oven to preheat fo a good hour before placing your bread in it. Always bake your bread on a rack placed in the center of the oven. Before the bread goes into the oven, with a real sharp knife, score the center of the loaf cutting about a half inch deep. This will allow the bread to vent while baking. If you don't do this the crust will crack as if it exploded when the dough rises and the gasses have no wheres to escape to. After I place the bread in the oven I like to spray the inside of the oven real fast with a mist bottle of water. I will mist again after about 3 minutes. This misting give a little boost to the rising while the bread bakes. Allow the bread to bake for about 30 minutes. When the bread has that nice golden brown it should be done. When I remove it from the oven I will take it out of the bread pans right away. Allow the bread to cool for atleast 10 minutes before cutting it. If you would like a softer crust on your bread cover it with a damp towel while it cools.
Sometimes while preparing the dough durring the final process and I am getting ready to roll it up jelly roll style I like to add something a little special. The one that my kids like best I share with you now. Before I roll the dough up I like to coat the flat surface with olive oil or melted butter. I then use the Italian Salad dressing mix that comes in the little packettes and sprinkle over the entire surface except for the edges. Then I roll it up. For this I don't use loaf pans but a sheet pan. I roll it up, pinch the seam closed. Roll it until it's long like an Italian or french loaf size. This is if you like garlic bread one of the best ever.
I am sure this was long winded but I am proud of my breads and doughs and I wanted to tell it right. It would be so easy to just say mix this and that and then bake it but I have been there and tried that and it has never produced anything of quality.
I would like to mention a Bread Book that I found many years ago and love. The name of the book is called Bread Alone and the Authors name is Dan Lerner. I learned alot from this guy and his book. I caught him on a PBS cooking show many years ago concerning Levain (no Yeast) and had to get the book and It's the best book concerning bread baking that I ever bought.
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