Good, Honest Bread: The Joy of Handmade Bread

 Four distinct seasons…

After one of the hottest summers on record, we are all delighting in the cooler weather!  I have truly come to appreciate the beauty of fall in the southern mountains since I spent my childhood in the parched landscape of the1950’s Texas drought, a home with four distinct seasons is still a wonder.

Autumn brings a resurgence…

Summer heat often discourages me from engaging in some of my favorite activities in the kitchen.  I really do love preparing rustic dishes that require long slow cooking procedures with layers of flavors and textures.  So, autumn brings a resurgence in my interest in such dishes as Texas Chili, stews, soups, gumbos (we made a killer shrimp, oyster, sausage and chicken gumbo last weekend) and baking.

Making artisan breads…

My favorite activity is bread baking mostly by hand in small batches.  I certainly know what it means to mix bread dough in 80 quart mixers and the use of dough sheeter/spreaders in commercial bakeries, but making artisan breads by hand is a totally different critter.  Heavy equipment is of course absolutely necessary in serious production bakeries. 

Actually touching and kneading the dough by hand…

Home bakers do have the option of mixers with bread hooks and bread machines to produce their loaves.  However, these time-saving devices not only limit the amount of dough that can be produced, but also in the “physicality” of actually touching and kneading the dough by hand.  It is also very good exercise. Yes, you can buy decent bread and yes, bread machines can turn out decent bread with a minimum of effort and don’t get me wrong about bread machines, I don’t personally ever use one, but my wife produces a tasty loaf of bread in her machine that I do enjoy very much.

A hand made loaf of perfectly browned bread…

If however, I’m going to be the Boulanger, then it is a hands-on experience.  There is really nothing else in the kitchen that is quite as exciting for me as the magic of baking real bread. I believe that for most other bakers (novices and old-pros alike) is nothing else that matches the experience of removing a hand made loaf of perfectly browned bread from your own oven.  Baking bread was where I started in the food business over 40 years ago (except for a short stint as a dishwasher in very picturesque Taos, New Mexico) and to me it will always be special.

A “feel” for the process…

A recent cooking class in our La Technique series at La Cucina entitled Bread: The Good and Honest Loaf has had me inspired about bread baking all week and it seems like a perfect time for a post on this subject that is so near and dear to me.  The dough for bread, Pizza, Calzone, and Focaccia can all be prepared in pretty much the same way.  There are plenty of variations of course in terms of types of flours, sweetening, oil or fat, the ratio of yeast and liquid to flour, flavorings and the shape of your loaves.  However, once you get down the basics and a “feel” for the process, you can make changes and additions as they occur to you. Which is the reason that our bread class was completely hands on with students participating in all the steps including shaping and baking their own take-home loaves.

A few basic steps…

Bread making can appear to the beginner as a mysterious and complicated process; however there are really just a few basic steps and rules that must be followed.  Those fundamental steps are: 1. Properly activating the yeast.  2. Mixing the dough and any other ingredients. 3. Kneading, conditioning and allowing the dough to proof or rise.  3. Deflating the dough by beating it down and the second rising.  4. Shaping the loaves, slashing the tops and allowing the dough to rise a final time.  5. Baking and applying any final glazes or toppings.  Please visit our Bread category in the Avanti Savoia Recipes for a selection of our bread recipes.  When that beautiful hot bread finally comes out of the oven, indulge yourself with the excellent jams and jellies from our friends from Low Country Products.

Indispensable…

Our amazing collection of Honeys from Around the World and Maple Syrups from Highland Sugar Works  can provide the perfect solution for recipes calling for alternative sweeteners. For a regional southern touch, Bourbon Smoked Sugar sprinkled on apple pie or on top of sugar cookies is outstanding! The extracts and pure flavors from Silver Cloud have become indispensable for my baking as well.  We have 14 different and unusual flavors that always enhance any baked goods.

Great opportunities for creative baking…

DonVito’s Gold Italian Spice Blend is an all-purpose spice and natural complement to any of our extra virgin olive oil. Our signature blend of rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, coriander, and oregano enhances the flavor of any fish or chicken dish, and provides the crowning touch for fresh-baked bread dipped in extra virgin olive oil.  Avanti’s line of Specialty Oils provides some great opportunities for creative baking too.
Flours…
An important word about flours:  The correct flour to use in baking bread is one made from hard winter wheat, the difference being the higher gluten content; this would include Unbleached White Flour, Bread Machine Flour, Bread Flour, Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour and Whole Wheat Flour.  Whole Wheat does not absorb quite as much liquid, so that also has to be taken into account when mixing the dough.  All Purpose is not the flour to use in bread baking.  It is milled from soft spring wheat and is the flour to use in biscuits, cakes and pastries.
Practice and patience…
Bread making is also one activity that is very difficult to learn without actually doing it. Please remember that anything worth doing requires practice and patience.  The rewards are so worth it (and by the way I am sparing you the enormous collection of baking puns that I have collected over the years).  Good baking and Bon Appetit Y’all!