Bread making tips/recipes??

[ohiomom1121]

I got my new Kitchenaid mixer out today and tried to make bread with DD...it came out OK, but I definitely need to work on it. I used this recipe http://www.recipezaar.com/Honey-Oatmeal-Bread-for-Your-Kitchenaid-Mixer-72787 and it was really doughy in the middle. I put it back in the oven for about 15 minutes and it's cooling so I'm not sure how good it is now. The flavor was good but it was really dense. Are there tips to making a lighter bread? Any advise would be appreciated...I'm very new to this, but excited to learn.

[mskitty]

I got my new Kitchenaid mixer out today and tried to make bread with DD...it came out OK, but I definitely need to work on it. I used this recipe http://www.recipezaar.com/Honey-Oatmeal-Bread-for-Your-Kitchenaid-Mixer-72787 and it was really doughy in the middle. I put it back in the oven for about 15 minutes and it's cooling so I'm not sure how good it is now. The flavor was good but it was really dense. Are there tips to making a lighter bread? Any advise would be appreciated...I'm very new to this, but excited to learn.

Make sure you are not using too much flour. Sift or fluff your flour before measuring. Lightly scoop it into the measuring cup and level off with a knife. No scooping and packing with the flour.

King Arthur Flour has some great recipes and demonstrations on their blog as well.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2010/01/28/sandwich-bread-fit-for-the-king/#more-15212

mskitty

[caleymama]

Good advice from mskitty about measuring the flour. Another thing you can do is weigh it instead of use a measuring cup.

DH bakes most of our bread - everything from sandwich loaves to baguettes to various rolls. One thing I've learned from him is that it needs to bake to an internal temperature of about 190° - 200° regardless of what length of time the recipe says to bake it for. He sets the timer for some amount of time depending on the recipe, checks the temp, tents it with foil if need be so it doesn't brown too much, and keeps baking it in 5-10 minute increments. Use an instant read thermometer to check. It's not uncommon for loaves he bakes to take longer than the stated time and our oven temp is okay.

Also, make sure the oven has had a good long time to preheat. Like 30-45 minutes.

HTH

[ohiomom1121]

Good tips! Thank you...I need all the help I can get. DD was doing a lot of the measuring so there could have been some packing with the flour now that I think about it. And caleymama what kind of thermometer does he use? For part of the recipe I had to have the liquids between 120 and 130 degrees and used a meat thermometer :bag so obviously I need to get something more appropriate!

[clc053103]

huge fan of "Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day" which was recommended on this site. Do a search, it was so easy and fun too.

[WatchingThemGrow]

A friend sent me this link to the 5min a day book (http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/mFABVSTCAT51D) a while back. Inspiring! I just may try it...

[marie]

not caleymama, but we use this thermometer for all of our cooking including checking the temp of the bread which I give a big "yeah, that" to doing.

http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-9842-Commercial-Waterproof-Thermometer/dp/B00009WE45/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1265046030&sr=8-1

DH and I drool over the Therma-pen thermometer but at $90, we can't justify it.

happy bread baking! It's one of favorite things to bake in our house!

[ohiomom1121]

not caleymama, but we use this thermometer for all of our cooking including checking the temp of the bread which I give a big "yeah, that" to doing.

http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-9842-Commercial-Waterproof-Thermometer/dp/B00009WE45/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1265046030&sr=8-1

DH and I drool over the Therma-pen thermometer but at $90, we can't justify it.

happy bread baking! It's one of favorite things to bake in our house!
I just added it to my Amazon cart..thank you!!! I remember the Artisan bread book being recommended here before...has anyone tried the new one, Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day??? My kids are used to eating whole grain bread so I thought this one might be good. http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Bread-Five-Minutes-Day/dp/0312545525/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265052661&sr=1-2

[caleymama]

Our thermometer is the same style as the Marie's but even more basic - ours isn't even digital. Gets the job done, though.

Other resources DH really likes:
The Bread Bible by Beth Hensperger (http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bible-300-Favorite-Recipes/dp/0811845265/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265058257&sr=8-5)
Prairie Home Breads (http://www.amazon.com/Prairie-Home-Breads-Splendid-Breadbasket/dp/1558321721/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265058309&sr=8-1)
The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide To Whole Grain Breadmaking (http://www.amazon.com/Laurels-Kitchen-Bread-Book-Whole-Grain/dp/0812969677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265058337&sr=1-1)
both King Arthur baking books (but we haven't looked at the bread one, LOL!)
www.sourdoughhome.com
www.thefreshloaf.com

[WatchingThemGrow]

I just added it to my Amazon cart..thank you!!! I remember the Artisan bread book being recommended here before...has anyone tried the new one, Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day??? My kids are used to eating whole grain bread so I thought this one might be good. http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Bread-Five-Minutes-Day/dp/0312545525/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265052661&sr=1-2

That's the book I linked to. Watch the video. It makes it look easy. My friend has been doing it for about a month. Very tasty. DD and I walked through the snow to get all the ingredients. Can't wait to make it tomorrow!

[larig]

love king arthur's site and thefreshloaf.com that PP mentioned.
I found the fresh loaf's primer helpful,
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/lessons/yourfirstloaf

and love using my mixer to make pizza dough. (we have it once a week!)
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/pizza

also a fan of, for recipes (heavy on baking)--she has my fave choc chip recipe--
http://smittenkitchen.com/