"[Breadmaking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world's sweetest smells... there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel. that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread.” M.K. Fisher The Art of Eating
“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” James Beard
“What must you break apart in order to bring a family close together? Bread, of course.”
Jodi Picoult, The Storyteller
“Bread is the king of the table and all else is merely the court that surrounds the king. The countries are the soup, the meat, the vegetables, the salad, but bread is king.” – Louis Bromfield, American novelist (1896-1956)
I love to cook and I'm pretty sure that bread is my favorite thing to make. Maybe it's the memories of the homemade bread that my grandma and mama used to make, and that I've yet to duplicate exactly. Maybe it's the unbeatably mouthwatering smell of the bread baking in the oven. Maybe it's the hard to beat taste of a slice of good homemade bread, warm from the oven and smeared with butter.
Truthfully, the hubs has to count his carbs for his health's sake, and I am trying to limit my carbs for my weight's sake, so I've only been making bread for holidays, company dinners and other special occasions. My oldest granddaughter is on spring break and she spent the day with me while her mama was out of town on business. I think that's a good enough special occasion to make her favorite meal with her help- spaghetti, salad, fresh green beans cooked with bacon and onion, and homemade french bread.
I have my go-to dough recipe for regular bread, dinner rolls and sweet rolls, but for french bread I use this recipe from Dreamy Whites. The ingredients are:
2 TBL. Dry Active Yeast
2 TBL. of Sugar
3 Cups of warm water.
1 TBL Sea Salt
4 Cups of Unbleached White Bread Flour
2 Cups of Unbleached Whole Wheat Bread Flour
but, as usual, I have tweaked the recipe and use 3 cups of each type of flour.
Often I find the dough a little too sticky so I add another 1/2 cup of the flour.
Click over to Dreamy Whites for the full recipe and instructions.
If you've never tried baking bread before,
I encourage you to give it a try.
It's so satisfying!
still following,
bread .. with whipped butter. i could make a meal out of just those two things, especially if the bread were fresh from the oven. mmm.
ReplyDeleteSherry, me too! This morning my husband made me a slice of this bread pan toasted in a little olive oil and sprinkled with salt. Topped with homemade raspberry jam, it's the best!
DeleteHi Elizabeth! Your photos of food, bread in particular, are making my mouth water! My husband and I have been on the South Beach diet since last October, so bread is really a very special treat.
ReplyDelete"The king of the table"...I'd agree with that. My husband is Italian and I am Irish, and bread is a cornerstone of our cuisines. Enjoy your handiwork!
Blessings,
Ceil
Ceil, I know the South Beach, Paleo, type eating is so good for you! We are trying to limit carbs, but I really struggle with the idea of not having them at all.
DeleteCan't wait to try this recipe. I've tried a couple in the past that were just not favorite. Maybe this is the ONE! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it! Let me know!
DeleteWhat time will dinner be served?.......all looks so yummy!!!! I was drooling!!!
ReplyDeleteAddie
Really, what's better than spaghetti and french bread? To limit my carbs, I skipped the noodles and sopped up my sauce with a slice of the bread. So good!
DeleteLooks amazing! I have a bread maker--bought it after I was diagnosed with Celiac.Haven't used it in a few years. I should get it out again. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how you'd make gluten free french bread, but I'd be interested if you figure it out. My friend has celiac and I'm sure she'd love to know, too!
DeleteI can almost smell it, Elizabeth! And your food photos are fabulous, as always. My mother made bread, and I even made a few simple loaves when I was living on a tiny island in Micronesia in the early '70's. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Evelyn! What were you doing in Micronesia?
DeleteYour bread looks delicious! I could almost smell and taste it. My dear mother never baked bread, but my mother-in-law was a bread baker extraordinaire. She taught me to bake bread - and how not to bake bread. Some of her secrets were passed on when I asked how to correct errors in breadbaking. I think it's time for me to bake some bread again!
ReplyDelete~Adrienne~
Adrienne, there's something therapeutic about baking bread.
Delete