Baking 101

For Christmas I got one of these...

I am still getting used to how it works but for the most part I love it. I have been making bread with it since I got it. It is a learning process that is for sure. Dale read everything he could about bread making from the two America's Test Kitchen cookbooks he has. Then he went out and bought three different types of flour, honey and wheat germ. Next he proceeded to make four different recipes of bread that involved way more work than I would ever do on a regular basis to get a loaf of bread in the oven.

I have one recipe, my mom's (really is there any better than your mom's?) and when I remember to mix up everything correctly it works beautifully and taste delicious.

I think Dale was quite impressed when he walked in the door at 7am and saw the mixer kneading a new batch of bread.  "It looks like you have this bread making down." he said. To which I replied, "Well, when I can get two batches in a row to come out perfect, than I will say that."  

Here's what I mean...

The loaf on the left is flat. I made it a few days ago, forgot to put in the powdered milk before I added all the flour. And I forgot it during one of it's rising times so needless to say it looks about as neglected as I left it. Poor thing. The one on the right I made this morning, measured out all the ingredients before I even started, set two timers so I wouldn't forget to get it out of the warm oven for rising and then again while baking. It's an almost perfect loaf of bread and it taste delicious. That was today, when I make another batch in a few days I'm confident it will look just like the one on the right. Then I can say "I have this bread making thing down."  That will be a proud moment in the Brown house I will tell you. It might even be celebratory worthy. Maybe I'll get all crazy and make dinner rolls. 

Okay, let's not push it.