Wednesday, April 20, 2011
BREAD
Ever since I tried to make dinner rolls four years ago and ended up with dough all over my hands and my grandma had to emotionally resuscitate me and show me how to work with roll dough, I have been afraid of making anything I had to knead. I started simple a few months ago with pizza dough. My first try flopped (whole wheat pizza dough requires a whole wheat recipe), but I tried again and met success. Then I made cinnamon rolls last week, which were surprisingly easy to make (it just took a lot of time and dishes). So this week I felt ready to try baking bread. I used the Joy of Cooking recipe for two loaves (I couldn't find my mom's recipe) and kneading was really hard. I kneaded for ten or 15 minutes and I just gave up when I was exhausted. Luckily the product was edible. Today I have returned to my traumatic introduction to breads (dinner rolls), but this time when the dough stuck to my hands I was ready with a spoon and lots of flour. The kneading was pleasant and much easier than with the wheat bread. The didn't come out looking like Mom's but they are tasty. Hey, if I'm going to sit at home and play video games all day I might as well bake bread!
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3 comments:
If you're interested, I have a no-knead recipe for bread that I make all the time and it is so delicious. It requires a heavy casserole dish or a Dutch oven. Just shoot me an e-mail if you'd like the recipe.
I think it's easiest to learn how to make bread by doing it with someone; the exact recipe doesn't matter as much as getting a feel for when dough is kneaded, etc, when it is done rising, etc. I have Grandma's whole wheat bread recipe if you want it (it's my favorite for bread).
I don't mind kneading; it is somehow reassuring to think that women who made/make bread all the time are strong! I was just surprised at how much resistance the dough had.
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