Bread Making Diary

During the summer of 2008, I read a book called Bread Alone by Judith Hendrick. The story was a good one as far as I can recall, but the author's description of the art of making bread was both illuminating and inspiring. In addition to the author's obvious love of baking bread, she gives a description of the essence of bread making that is stunning in its simplicity. Essentially, she said that bread is 2 cups of liquid, 6 plus cups of flour and a little yeast and salt. A tablespoon of sugar to help the yeast work is also a good idea. All the rest is just variation.

That basic, and for me, compelling explanation of bread making has started me on an ever expanding journey of playing with the variations on that basic theme. Since last summer, I have baked two or three batches of bread each week, and given away countless loaves to friends and co-workers. Baking bread is one of the most sense satisfying hobbies a person could have.

Rather than publish recipes of the various breads I have tried, (the recipe is the same every time) I thought I would share the "variations" that I try. The basic bread skill is something that probably does not come from a recipe at all, but comes from a willingness to try something over and over again until the elements of breadmaking become second nature. In Outlier, Malcolm McDowell says that becoming a virtuoso requires 10,000 hours of practice. I don't have anything like 10,000 hours invested in my relatively new hobby, but there is a part of it that has begun to feel 'second nature,' and I have only scratched the surface.

All measurements are approximate. Most loaves bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Tap them and listen for a hollow sound to tell when they are done.

May 30, 2009

Added 1/2 cup powdered buttermilk
1/4 cup kamut flour
1 cup potato flakes

I baked this in my new stoneware baking dish with four small loaf "pans." It was sweet and almost as moist as cake.

May 31

Added 1 cup dried nonfat milk
1/4 cup organic buckwheat flour
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup corn flour (masa)

June 4
Add 1 1/2 cup chopped dried fruit
( dates, pineapple, raisins, dates, apricots, cherries, etc. Use alone or in any combination)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ground flax


June 6, 2009

Use slightly less than 2 cups of water - about 1 1/2
Add 1 cup potato flakes
Add 1/2 cup powdered milk

While the dough is rising, drain and dice canned apricots and 1 cup pecans. Add 1/2 cup almond flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/3 cup brown sugar to the fruit mixture.

After the dough has doubled, roll it out into a rectangular shape. Make diagonal cuts on both sides and spread the fruit down the middle section. Then fold the strips over the filling to make a braid, similar to the second diagram.
(Scroll down.)

Let the braided loaf rise a second time, and bake for 30 minutes or until it is brown and sounds somewhat hollow when tapped. Because of the filling, it will not sound quite as hollow as a conventional loaf. A butter and powdered sugar frosting makes it even better, but it is a treat with or without frosting.

June 10

We'll call this one Bill's Bread, because Bill Deskovick liked it so much. It has apricots and walnuts and just a little molasses. I used about a cup and a half of dried apricots, which I cooked for a few minutes in a little water to soften before I chopped them. I also used about a cup and 1/4 walnuts and 1/3 cup molasses.

This took a while to rise because I used so much fruit and nuts. It might be a little less dense if I had used only a cup of fruit and a cup of walnuts. I'll just have to try it again and we'll let Bill be the judge about which one is better.

The Deskovick's have invited me over to pick apricots when they are ripe. I'm sure this would be even better with fresh apricots.