I've been making all of my bread at home Ryan's bread machine. I'm no Parisian boulanger, but I can safely say that with the help of this simple device, I can make bread. This is such a fascinating world of cooking to enter. So much can go wrong (and did, at first). The different flours, the temperament of the yeast, the sweetening, the additions...it's amazing, and the changes that happen can be so subtle but remarkably noticeable. And finally, this bread hasn't yet gone bad on me. Even when it appears "stale," it toasts up to 80% of brand new in minutes.
I've settled on this mixture. It's given me a texture that I'm happy with.
1.5 cups bread flour
1.5 whole wheat flour
3-5 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp yeast mixed with roughly a tbsp sugar and a few ounces warm water, which should sit out and bubble up over the course of about half-a-day
1 cup water
roughly a tsp or so salt
There's no end to what you can throw in. I started out making raisin bread with some nutmeg and cinnamon, but found that the above mixture was the best for everyday use. If I have it, I'll throw in some ground flax. It has a mild nutty flavor and jacks up the nutritional content of the bread. It's such a treat to cut into it right after it comes out of the machine.
No comments:
Post a Comment