I did it, I made my first loaves of bread

ElizabethB

ElizabethB

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My first attempt at makingbread!

Preparation

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Recipe that came with mixer.

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Kneading
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Ready to proof
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First rise
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Did not divide the dough exactly in two. Ready for second proof.
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Done

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Evaluation: Looked pretty. Had that hollow sound when thumped. Tasted a little floury. The texture was a little chewy - dense maybe.

The recipe called for 5 - 6 cups flour. 4 1/2 cups first addition. Add remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments until dough has pulled away from the bowl, is elastic and just a little sticky to touch. Had that after 5 1/2 cups flour. So what is your advice regarding the floury taste and the texture?

George - between bites "UMMM, good, yummy - when are you going to make sourdough?" :hyper::banghead:
 
Did you have a pan of water in the oven, or throw some ice cubes in a hot metal pan, or spray some water out of a spray bottle a couple of times in first 10-15 minutes when you put the loaves into cook? Supposedly that lets the bread rise a bit more before forming a crust. I never really noticed that big of a difference, but some people swear by it. It looks like you have a beautiful crumb for that type of bread. Big Congrats!! They look delish.
 
Congratulations...one thing off your bucket list! It looks very tasty, too (just imagining tearing off a piece and laying a big slab of butter on it, fresh from the oven).

I think chewy isn't a bad thing from bread, but that's up to personal taste. As for density, I note that the recipe uses a change in the mixer speed as a way to knead the bread. I always spend a minute or two kneading by hand; this is typically to get the flour fully incorporated, but hand-kneading also introduces air into the dough, which I think makes it a bit fluffier.

As for the floury tasty, part of it could be because the flour wasn't fully incorporated during the kneading. Part of it could also be because there's too much flour. When you measured the flour, did you tap the side of the measuring cup, or press the flour down into the measuring cup? Either of these things can result in too much flour being measured out. I always just scoop from the flour bag, level off, then dump into the bowl with minimal disturbance to the cup.
 
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ElizabethB said:
My first attempt at makingbread!

Preparation

View attachment 12611

Recipe that came with mixer.

View attachment 12612

KneadingView attachment 12613

Ready to proofView attachment 12614

First rise
View attachment 12615

Did not divide the dough exactly in two. Ready for second proof.
View attachment 12616

Done

View attachment 12617

Evaluation: Looked pretty. Had that hollow sound when thumped. Tasted a little floury. The texture was a little chewy - dense maybe.

The recipe called for 5 - 6 cups flour. 4 1/2 cups first addition. Add remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments until dough has pulled away from the bowl, is elastic and just a little sticky to touch. Had that after 5 1/2 cups flour. So what is your advice regarding the floury taste and the texture?

George - between bites "UMMM, good, yummy - when are you going to make sourdough?" :hyper::banghead:
Click to expand...
Brilliant @ElizabethB, and photos too! I find bread making a bit of a black art, but insomnia can be a great help in making fresh bread for breakfast!
 
:thankyou: all for your kind words and advice.
morning glory said:
I'm so please that this forum played a part in you making your first loaf. :dance:
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A MAJOR part! I have never been shy about trying new things in the kitchen. I was actually rather nervous about making bread. @morning glory I kept thinking about your threat to nag me to death. :laugh:

This is the recipe I used. I am not posting it under the bread forum - I just want your input. It is the recipe that came with the mixer.

1/2 cup low- fat milk
3 TBSP. sugar
2 TSP. salt
3 TBSP. butter
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1 1.2 cups warm water (105 F to 115 F)'
5 to 6 cups all purpose flour (I used bread flour - was that a mistake?)
In a small saucepan heat milk, butter, sugar and salt until butter is melted and sugar dissolved. Cool to lukewarm.
Dissolve yeast in warm water in a warmed mixing bowl. Add milk mixture and 4 1/2 cups flour. Mix on speed 2 for 1 minute. Remain on speed 2. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough clings to the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. (my dough reached this point after 5 1/2 cups of flour.) Knead on speed 2 about 2 minutes longer until dough is smooth and elastic and slightly sticky to touch.
Turn dough into a greased bowl. Turn to grease top. Cover, rise in a warm, draft free place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. I put the bowl on top of the fridge.
Punch down dough (I punched twice - was that a mistake?) Divide in half and shape loaves.

Shaping loaves
On a lightly floured surface, roll each half into a rectangle approximately 9" x 14". Start at a short end and tightly roll the dough. Pinch the seam. Pinch the ends and turn them under. Place seam side down in a loaf pan. I rolled the dough VERY gently. No rough stuff.
Cover and let rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in bulk.
Bake at 400 F until golden brown - about 30 minutes. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

So - was I wrong to use bread flour? Were two punches too many? I kind of had my doubts about rolling the dough - right or wrong? Should I have just shaped the loaves by hand?

I was very careful about my measurements - @The Late Night Gourmet I did not tap or pack the four. Scoop from the canister - scrape the top.
I used a thermometer to make sure that my milk mixture and water was in the proper range for active dry yeast. @medtran49 I did not use a pan of water in the oven. Thank you. @Francesca :hyper:

BTW - what do you think of my new friend - Red? Isn't she beautiful?
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I wouldn't have used bread flour if it called for AP. Sometimes I'll use AP instead of bread flour if I don't have the latter, but never the other way.

I've been known to roll gently, but, again, some say never, ever do that, that it destroys too many of the tiny air pockets.

BTW, the cold air has hit here with a vengeance, dropped 13 degrees in 45 minutes while Craig was making a stop for work.
 
Bread flour is perfectly fine (I mean, it's got "bread" in the name, right?) But, this is why there was a chewiness to your bread. Bread flour is made by using 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten for each cup of AP flour. This is perfect for things like rolls. If you wanted a fluffier bread (like the inside of a baguette), use the same quantity of AP flour.

The only thing I can think of that would cause the floury taste is that some flour wasn't fully incorporated, which I think is due to not kneading by hand.

Punching down the bread is done to release the air pockets caused by the yeast reacting to the sugars. The point of that is to make the air in the bread evenly distributed (once you knead it a few times before you form it).

By the way, and this is only my personal preference, but I always start the yeast and water with sugar dissolved in the solution. This gives the yeast a jump start. It also will tell you if the yeast is dead or reduced in effectiveness (if there's no foaming on the surface of the yeast/sugar water).
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
By the way, and this is only my personal preference, but I always start the yeast and water with sugar dissolved in the solution. This gives the yeast a jump start. It also will tell you if the yeast is dead or reduced in effectiveness (if there's no foaming on the surface of the yeast/sugar water).
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I do this too.
 
@The Late Night Gourmet
A major reason for wanting a stand mixer is that my hands do not work properly. I was in a near fatal accident in '04. Lucky to be alive. Even luckier to be mobile with only nerve damage in my hands and legs to deal with. I do not have the strength or control needed for hand kneading. I drop stuff frequently. I think I have a grip on a glass or cup and it falls right out of my hand to shatter on the floor.

The Late Night Gourmet said:
By the way, and this is only my personal preference, but I always start the yeast and water with sugar dissolved in the solution. This gives the yeast a jump start. It also will tell you if the yeast is dead or reduced in effectiveness (if there's no foaming on the surface of the yeast/sugar water).
Click to expand...

Will warm water (105 F to 115 F) be enough to dissolve the sugar with the yeast? I have read enough to know that yeast is very sensitive to temperature - too hot will kill it, too cool will prevent or slow activation.

I made cheese toast with my homemade bread topped with an over easy egg for breakfast.
 
I can totally understand your need to not knead; by the way, that is a beautiful-looking (KitchenAid?) stand mixer . :chef: In that case, just make sure the flour and other dry ingredients are fully incorporated with the wet ingredients. You can do this by scraping down the side of the bowl with a spatula while the dough is being mixed.

ElizabethB said:
Will warm water (105 F to 115 F) be enough to dissolve the sugar with the yeast? I have read enough to know that yeast is very sensitive to temperature - too hot will kill it, too cool will prevent or slow activation.
Click to expand...
I just use warm water out of the tap, and I've never had a problem. You should give the mixture (assuming yeast, sugar, and water) a stir, and let it sit for at least 5 minutes to give the yeast a chance to get started.
 
ElizabethB said:
:thankyou: all. I will try your tips. What about rolling the dough to make the loaves? Yes or no?
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I assume you mean this?

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I've never tried it with anything other than cinnamon rolls, but this seems to be a good way to get a uniform shape. I like to tell myself that my loaves look "rustic" (another word for "sloppy").
 
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