I've been on a bread making kick lately (for some reason). Since our rental kitchen has the space of a kitchenette (well, maybe a few feet bigger, but pretty close), I am not sure that bread making is the best hobby to have right now. Especially as I always manage to make an enormous mess.
I made some French bread on Saturday which turned out very nicely. Then I made some Milk Honey White bread yesterday which did not turn out very nicely at all. The fact is, I heated the milk too much and killed the yeast. What I ended up with was a neat, white flat loaf that was very compressed right in the center.
Feeling rather deflated after my disaster (though everyone did eat the bread after all) and being taught that if you fall off of a bike you always get back on, which in this case meant I should try again, I made bread again today. This time I did not overheat the liquid and it rose beautifully.
When I showed Mommy the bread, she said it was too pretty to eat. I'm not sure if pretty is the right word for bread, maybe delectable would fit better. Anyway, I told her that I would take a picture of the bread, then we could feel perfectly guilt free cutting it up and eating it. Hence the blog post on the very thrilling, edge of the seat drama of...bread.
I had Kayleen use her camera skills to take the pictures. She just uses our old point and shoot, but she is learning to take fairly good everyday pictures with it.
The bread is a triple flavor; rye, white, and wheat form the different strands of the braid.
5 comments:
Beautiful job with the bread! Keep it up!
Blessings,
Kelsey
Looks beautiful and delicious! :) Do you have a favorite french bread recipe? I've never made it before, but it sounds like a fun to me!
Yes, Sarah Jayne, I do have a recipe that I have used several times. It is actually easier than the normal French bread and does not require kneading (which is nice). I got the recipe from a Taste of Home cookbook and you can actually get the recipe online at http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Crusty-French-Bread .
I also substitute butter instead of shortening and it doesn't seem to make a difference in the consistency. It is a pretty easy recipe.
Charae--I'm enjoying your blog and, as a side note, love your background! (-; Your bread is beautiful! I love making bread, so this post is definitely inspiring. I applaud your bravery in making it in such a small kitchen--I don't know how the women of a few hundred years ago managed to turn out perfect bread with their kitchens, stoves, and lack of appliances!
Thank you, Lauren, for your compliment. I am afraid that I do occasionally complain about the size of the kitchen, especially when I am trying to make dinner while someone else is doing dishes and we are bumping elbows every time I turn around. :-D
Thank you for the reminder that many women have made it with much less before. At least I don't have to attempt to cook over an open fire while balancing washing clothes and making butter by hand. :-) In everything give thanks, right? ;-)
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