Baking my own bread
January 3, 2012 34 Comments
We’re having a very stormy weather today. Just the kind of weather for staying inside the house curled up on the sofa and watching something on TV. I’m glad that today happened to be my day off to look after my little girl so I didn’t need to brave the rain and wind in going to Amsterdam.
I also have to raid the pantry and the fridge to come up with something for dinner. No, I’m not going to dare to go to the supermarket with Francesca on the bike to pick up the groceries. Today is one of those days where I need to be resourceful and inventive.
I always have a lot of stuffs in the store room which at times I completely forget to use and would need to eventually throw away because they are already past their expiry dates. Thus, today is an opportune time to check what I still have.
There is nothing more satisfying than to be able to bake one’s own bread. Baking bread is not my line as I grew up with special fondness for rice. However, I want to try this bread baking avenue this year. Last year, my challenge was on baking cakes and cookies which I have now successfully conquered.
I’ve so far tried two other bread types: the Irish soda bread which is actually very easy and does not require kneading and yeast and the no knead bread that I stumbled upon from Steamy Kitchen but that required a long wait.
The ingredients of bread are simple (flour, salt, yeast, water and sugar) but it is the trick on how to make all these simple ingredients come together especially the working of the yeast that will make or break a good bread so to speak.
I happened to have all the ingredients on hand so I decided that today, I’ll give bread baking a try. I searched the web for the simple bread recipe and Jamie Oliver’s version popped up. Since I have nothing but good experience when I tried his slow roasted pork shoulder, I opted to try his recipe.
Simple wholegrain bread
Here’s the link to the recipe: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/bread-recipes/basic-bread-recipe
His recipe though did not show the time and temperature needed so I have to guess from the thread of discussions in this link. I decided to have the temperature at 204 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit) as suggested by one of the comments and initially set the time for 20 minutes. I was a bit hesitant that maybe the inside of the bread is not yet baked so I added an extra 10 minutes to the baking time.
Hmmmm…bread just smells great and I can’t wait to have it with the potato, leeks and carrot soup which I also came up with from the raid of the fridge.
And don’t forget that creamy butter to slather the bread, yum!
Whole wheat flour
Kneading process
Setting the dough aside to rise
The dough has risen twice its size after 30 minutes
Ready for baking
My bread
Cooling the bread
About Malou
That looks so yummy. I have never made homemade bread but I need to try it. I have only made pizza dough and am about to learn how to make pasta. If you have any advise on making pasta, let me know.
Thanks a lot. It was yummy and I guess next time I will do some variations as I go into more experimenting with bread. I haven’t made pasta yet so that’s also on my must-do list this year but definitely will post it here once I’ve entered that territory. If you get there ahead of me, I’d love to hear from your end.
Sure! I will let you know if I do pasta. I signed up for a class to learn when I go to Rome, Italy in March, but I may try to do it before on the new pasta maker I received for Christmas.
You must be looking so much forward to the trip. Italy is wonderful for gastronomic indulgence. Even the gelatos alone are astoundingly great. I’ve never been to Rome but was on holiday in Tuscany in the summer of 2010. Pasta is just one aspect of their culinary establishment. I’m sure that in your cooking class there will be more amazing dishes that you’ll learn as well.
Oh, I so hope there will be more dishes as well. Tuscany?!! Just fabulous!
You must have had a wonderful time!
There are simple fares which are easy to copy like those leftover bread which I would fry with garlic and olive oil then topped with tomatoes, parsley and olive oil. Some of those which I found nice, I googled for recipes.
We have an Italian neighbor here in Holland who also loves to cook. He suggested that I should buy the bible of Italian cooking called “Silver Spoon”. Check that out if you want to learn more about Italian cooking. He said that this book is so popular that you get it oftentimes as a wedding present from the Mama.
That is awesome! I love making bread! I love the whole process … watching it all come together. With being gluten free now, I have to change up the process a little … but there is nothing like the smell or taste of bread fresh out of the oven!
Thanks a lot, Jane. I’m still finding my way into bread making but this was a great experience. I’d love to experiment more as I’m still learning the kneading and the letting the dough rise part. The smell and taste of fresh bread out of the oven is just plain and simple heaven. I’m just tired of the commercial bread and so it is nice to have that affirmation that right at home, I can also make it.
I think you did a wonderful job with this whole grain bread. I absolutely love how it looks. Wonderful post
Thanks a lot, Kay. I was also pleased that I was able to finally bake my own bread. I’m looking to experimenting with other types of bread in the coming days.
Hi Malou, ang sarap naman niyan! Wow, next thing I know you’ll be making hot pan de sal. It looks yummy. You’re lucky it is so easy to buy ingredients there. dito minsan kailangan mong pumunta sa high-end supermarkets para makabili.
Hi Arlene – Pan de sal is in my baking agenda. Siguro I’ll do that this weekend. Miss ko na siya eh! Haven’t had it in years, even when I was back in the Philippines last September. I’ll just make them here na lang. Regarding the bread I made, you can also make it there using the normal flour then some yeast, water, salt and sugar. I used the whole grain flour but next time, I’ll dilute with half of the all-purpose flour.
That is a very beautiful loaf – definitely more fun than going out in the rain on your bicycle!
Thanks a lot. This bread is indeed better than braving the rain on my bike. There is personal satisfaction when I’m able to make something that I would usually get from the shop.
The bread looks so good. I have never baked bread before but this is definitely inspiring!
There is satisfaction in being able to bake one’s own bread. I’m looking forward to more bread baking.
I want to make my own bread as well! Good for you!
Actually it is pretty easy to make. It just seems daunting but actually plain and simple. I’ll be trying out other bread types next.
Mmmm!
you can try this too!
That looks pretty awesome too! One of my friends recently got into bread-making, so I might try it one day soon (and post results, of course). I also have a recipe for challah, which is amazing, but I haven’t tried it on my own either. That’ll be an adventure in cooking for sure. Thanks for liking my apple matzoh kugel post
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Cooking and baking are just amazing to engage in. I’d love to try your apple matzoh kugel one of these days. I’ve already baked apple cakes so it’s high time to move on to other recipes. I’m enjoying the baking journey.
that bread looks totally awesome! I can’t wait to try and make it
Thanks a lot for the appreciation. Looking forward to your version of this bread. Do post them here in Word Press too!
The bread looks good! I wish I had access to really good bread and bread ingredients, but they are not too easy to find here in Shanghai. I also love the photos of pretzels at the Christmas market, they look delicious! I have made pretzels before. It is actually pretty fun. Love the posts and photos!
You can try with the normal flour, yeast, salt and a bit of sugar. I’m sure that that will turn out good as well.
So you make the pretzels yourself. I should explore that avenue. I love the sweet pretzels that I remember from my childhood in the Philippines.
I can almost taste and smell that, Malou.
Last year, I took lessons on making pan de sal and ensaymada from a pro just because I wanted someone to show me exactly how kneading is done, haha. When I made a batch of pandesal on my own, it turned out misshapen and a little burnt at the edges. But it was really good, which convinced me that indeed store-bought bread is nothing compared to one freshly-baked at home. 
Wow, so you can make pan de sal and ensaymada! Never mind if the first attempt did not came out completely as good as you expected. Keep on trying till you master it. I do that with my cakes and cookies till I really acquired that feel for baking.
I still have to try my hand on those two and I keep telling myself that I should do that soon. The problem is of course, I’ll be making lots of them and it is just the hubby and me as eaters. Hubby is not a big fan of pan de sal because he thinks it is too sweet (despite the name saying it is salty bread).
Baking bread is one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever made. You should keep it up, and try lots of different types of bread.
I will keep on trying, Danielle. Honing this skill comes in handy.
Thanks for the blog support! I enjoy reading about the Dutch heritage as I am Dutch as well, however have not really delved into my roots yet. Great photography also!
-Ashley H.
Sweet Devonshire Blog
That bread looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing…
i have got to try this – I make beer and I have a lot of grain left over so I am always looking for easy bread recipes to make that will allow me to use up this grain. I like how you show all your steps with your photo’s- great stuff!
this looks great! my roommate in israel had a breadmaker and would often put tasty herbs into his bread, or add chopped sundried tomatoes, olives, or nuts and seeds! a great way to jazz up bread