Adventures in Bread Making

For similar reasons as those noted in my "Laundry Soapmaking" post, I have decided to take a small step in connecting with what's on my table by making our bread at home. We did buy one loaf when we first arrived in Bentonville, but other than that, I have made all of the bread we've eaten. I will confess that I've had a lot of help from my bread machine, which is extra special, because it was my Grandpa George's, and it's christened with a lot of love. What I love about the machine is that it has a dough setting, so it does the work of kneading, punching, and rising, and all I have to do is shape it to my liking, let it rise, and bake it in the oven.

So far I've made rolls, bread sticks, and loaves this way, all which have been just okay, but I'm convinced that bread making is an experimental craft which must be learned and perfected over time. And, maybe when I get the recipes, shaping, and baking down, I can learn how to hand make the dough too.

Tonight is a milestone in my bread making journey, because today I made Honey Wheat loaves which are actually suitable for sandwiches! I almost achieved this last week with Egg Bread. They tasted good, but I didn't know how to shape the loaves correctly (who knew you didn't just throw 'em in the pan?!), nor did I let them rise long enough, so they were far too short and dense for good sandwich slices. After that, I did a lot of internet research on "loaf shaping" and also a lot of perusing on a fab new blog find, A Year in Bread. Today I put my learning into action, and voila! I made two lovely loaves, one of which is pictured above. We haven't tasted it yet, but I must say that it sure smells and looks delicious.