Can anyone give me the basic ingredients for baking a loaf of bread. I was checking out a company that has yeast bread mixes all read to go for around $4 per 1lb. loaf but the shelf life is only 6 months they tell me. I assume the most cost efficient way to make bread is to buy a large qty of flour and the other ingredients.
Mr. Detail - My only response is HOLY SMOKES!!!
$4.00 for bread mix to make a 1 Lb loaf borders on an obscenity. You can readily get mixes intended for either bread machine or oven use at the supermarket for lots less than that!
We have been “auditioning” different bread mixes here for use with our 1–1/2 pound bread machine and they cost from $1.79 to about $2.59. They should last longer than the 6 months you cite as well.
The cheapest loaf of bread you can make will cost you, using scratch ingredients, less than $1.00. At supermarket prices, the most expensive part of that would be the little envelope of yeast you use. If you buy your yeast in a larger package than foil packets, then you can easily make bread yourself. Yeast, flour, some dry milk powder, some butter, some water. That’s it. The rest is the rising and kneading and baking.
I am not acting as a shill for this site, and since I buy off of it all the time, I thought I would post this information.
The site www.woot.com is a site which sells merchandise at a deep discount. I have bought many items from them and they seem trustworthy to me. The way they work is one day, one deal. After the day is over or the merchandise is sold out, then nothing else to see till the next day.
Today’s deal (1/19/2006) is a 2–1/2 pound breadmaker for $70. I was looking for such a machine to back up my 15 year old one that we are putting back into heavy use. I ordered one for my own use.
If you were looking for a breadmaker, you might look at that site. If it isn’t sold out, and you look today, then they may still have some.
Again, I have no connection to the site, I just buy lots of low priced stuff from it. I have never been stuck. But, as in all things, you make your own choices about what to buy and who to buy it from.
Thanks much Eccles. No, I already have a bread machine but I was thinking more about using the camp stove oven for baking bread. I will definitely check out the baking aisle this weekend for the bread mixes at the pricing you stated. The mix I was speaking of that sold for $4 each was located at www.bakerscatalogue.com. I think my wife got the catalog once and I was looking at it again the other day not knowing what to compare with. Thanks again.
Basic Bread recipe copied from some site I found with a google search.
. Put 1 cup of warm water plus one tablespoon sugar in a mixing bowl. Add two tablespoons of yeast. Let sit for about five minutes. 2. Add three cups of flour, 1 cup of milk, dash of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 3–4 tablespoons of oil or melted (and cooled) margarine or shortening. Stir 50 times clockwise, and then 50 times counter-clockwise.
3. Add another 3 to 4 cups of flour and mix until the dough forms a good ball. Turn dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and let it sit for ten minutes. Then, knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Let rise in a greased bowl for about an hour (it should double in size). Punch down the dough. Let it rise again for 30 to 45 minutes. Divide into two equal parts and shape into loaves. Place in loaf pans and bake at 425 degrees for about 25–30 minutes.
I’ve never used this exact recipe, but I don’t know the ones I use in my cookbooks at home well enough to quote them to you in this wiki. On looking at the one I just posted, the ratios look about right and I’m certain it will turn out just fine.
In addition to buying yeast at the store, you can grow your own! Either by using store yeast to seed a starter colony, or capturing wild yeasts floating in the air. Here’s a link to a site that can tell you how to do it.
http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season8/bread/loaf.htm
(this could be useful to know how to do if the stores run out of yeast during a crisis…)
cool !!! Me and the wife were discussing this very topic yesterday thanks
How about a recipe to make bread in the bread machine? Assuming the grid stays up, this has got to be cheaper than buying the pre-packaged mixes. They are about $2.50 around here and that’s a lot for a loaf of bread.
How about a recipe to make bread in the bread machine? Assuming the grid stays up, this has got to be cheaper than buying the pre-packaged mixes. They are about $2.50 around here and that’s a lot for a loaf of bread.
Doesn’t the manual have some?
I could post one or two that have worked for us, but its basically just yeast, flour, dry milk, water and a little salt (and sometimes some sugar). The quantities depend on the size of the loaf pan. Its very basic stuff, not rocket science.
Let me know.
The manual…hmmm….I’m sure I put it somewhere that I could find it easily….
Bring something to wipe away the drool when you read these bread machine recipes. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/category.php?id=C33
Also check out King Arthur Flour’s Baking Circle for user submitted recipes.
Thanks flourbug! The only problem now is that my mouth is watering and it a long time until lunch…
Hurry! If you start now, you can have nice warm bread for lunch. Goes great with soup. ;)
My favorite breadmachine cook is “More Bread Machine Magic” by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway. Very easy to follow recipes and lots of helpful hints. I will try to post my two favorite recipes (Elegant Oatmeal on Page 36 and Buttermilk Wheat Bread on page 32) later on. They also have a great recipe for homemade pizza dough that you make in your breadmachine. We love making homemade pizza!
Wish I could flourbug, but I’m at work…
Favorite recipes from “More Bread Machine Magic” by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway
Buttermilk Wheat Bread
Large Loaf:
1 5/8 to 1 ¾ Cups Buttermilk (5/8 = ½ C. + 2 Tbs.) 2 Tbs. Oil ¼ Cup Honey (Note: I find ¼ cup of honey to be too much so I just put in 1/8 cup) 2 tsp. Salt 2 2/3 Cups Bread Flour 1 1/3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour 2 ½ tsp. Active Dry Yeast
Elegant Oatmeal
1 Cup Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Oats 1 3/8 to 1 ½ Cups Water (Note: 3/8 = ¼ cup + 2 Tbs.) 2 Tbs. Butter or Margarine ¼ Cup Honey (Note: I use the entire amount of honey listed in this recipe) 2 tsp. Salt 3 Cups Bread Flour 2 ½ tsp. Active Dry Yeast
Basic Pizza Dough
1 3/8 Cups Water 3 Tbs. Olive Oil ¼ Cup Sugar (Note: I use about half the amount of sugar listed) 1 ½ tsp. Salt 4 Cups Unbleached or All-Purpose Flour 2 ½ tsp. Active Dry Yeast
I also have the first book of the above-mentioned authors, “Bread Machine Magic”. Both books are good and I highly recommend purchasing them, especially for the “Tips for Baking the Perfect Loaf” chapter as it has lots of helpful information. For example, for successful bread machine baking it is important to measure exactly. Here is what the book has to say about Measuring:
“Would you have guessed that proper measuring techniques and equipment would be first on the list of helpful hints? If you’ve ever baked bread by hand, you know you can be rather lackadaisical about measuring your ingredients. The same is not true when baking bread in a machine. It’s very important to use accurate and proper measuring equipment and techniques. Sometimes as little as one tablespoon of liquid can make the difference between a great bread and a not-so-great one.
Always use a dry measuring cup for your flours and grains. They normally come nested in ¼ -, ½ -, and 1-cup sizes. Avoid using the cup as a scooper. We’ll repeat that: Avoid using the measuring cup as a scooper! This tip alone can make the difference between success and failure. To measure your dry ingredients properly, gently spoon them into the cup (do not pack it down with the back of the spoon or tap the side of the cup to settle it) and then level it with a straight-edged knife or spatula. Why be a spooner rather than a scooper? Because, when dipping down into your canister or bag of flour with the measuring cup, you can pack in at least one extra tablespoon of flour per cup, enough to make a big difference in your final product. When people callus complaining that all their breads are too short, heavy, or dense, this is the first question we always ask them: “Do you scoop up your flour with your measuring cup?” Bet you can guess what their answer is!
Enjoy!
oops, my formatting did not come through. I will repost with the correct formatting. Hopefully someone can delete my previous post. Sorry about this.
thanks deb!!
Okay, I hope this works….
Favorite recipes from “More Bread Machine Magic” by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway
Buttermilk Wheat Bread
Large Loaf:
1 5/8 to 1 ¾ Cups Buttermilk (5/8 = ½ C. + 2 Tbs.) 2 Tbs. Oil ¼ Cup Honey (Note: I find ¼ cup of honey to be too much so I just put in 1/8 cup) 2 tsp. Salt 2 2/3 Cups Bread Flour 1 1/3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour 2 ½ tsp. Active Dry Yeast
Elegant Oatmeal
1 Cup Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Oats 1 3/8 to 1 ½ Cups Water (Note: 3/8 = ¼ cup + 2 Tbs.) 2 Tbs. Butter or Margarine ¼ Cup Honey (Note: I use the entire amount of honey listed in this recipe) 2 tsp. Salt 3 Cups Bread Flour 2 ½ tsp. Active Dry Yeast
Basic Pizza Dough
1 3/8 Cups Water 3 Tbs. Olive Oil ¼ Cup Sugar (Note: I use about half the amount of sugar listed) 1 ½ tsp. Salt 4 Cups Unbleached or All-Purpose Flour 2 ½ tsp. Active Dry Yeast
I also have their first book, “Bread Machine Magic” by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway. Both books are good and I highly recommend purchasing them, especially for the “Tips for Baking the Perfect Loaf” chapter as it has lots of helpful information. For example, for successful bread machine baking it is important to measure exactly. Here is what the book has to say about Measuring:
“Would you have guessed that proper measuring techniques and equipment would be first on the list of helpful hints? If you’ve ever baked bread by hand, you know you can be rather lackadaisical about measuring your ingredients. The same is not true when baking bread in a machine. It’s very important to use accurate and proper measuring equipment and techniques. Sometimes as little as one tablespoon of liquid can make the difference between a great bread and a not-so-great one.
Always use a dry measuring cup for your flours and grains. They normally come nested in ¼ -, ½ -, and 1-cup sizes. Avoid using the cup as a scooper. We’ll repeat that: Avoid using the measuring cup as a scooper! This tip alone can make the difference between success and failure. To measure your dry ingredients properly, gently spoon them into the cup (do not pack it down with the back of the spoon or tap the side of the cup to settle it) and then level it with a straight-edged knife or spatula. Why be a spooner rather than a scooper? Because, when dipping down into your canister or bag of flour with the measuring cup, you can pack in at least one extra tablespoon of flour per cup, enough to make a big difference in your final product. When people callus complaining that all their breads are too short, heavy, or dense, this is the first question we always ask them: “Do you scoop up your flour with your measuring cup?” Bet you can guess what their answer is!
Enjoy!
You are very welcome! Well at least it is a little more readable than the first version. Yikes, this formatting is more complicated than I thought.
I thought I’d post a basic sour dough recipe – you won’t have to stock in a lot of yeast or wonder how long it will keep. Some people and bakeries have sour dough starters that are decades old. Sour dough starters take a bit of care but if you are isolated in your home that’s not a concern.
Sourdough Starter: 3 cups warm water (110 degrees F) 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast (2 packets) 1 teaspoon sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour Variation: Replace 3/4 cup water with 3/4 cup yogurt, buttermilk or flat beer
In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit until the yeast becomes foamy, about 5 minutes. (If the yeast does not foam, discard the mixture and begin again with new yeast.) Add the flour and stir vigorously to work air into the mixture. Cover with a towel let rest in a warm, draft-free place (an oven with its pilot light or light bulb turned on works well) for 8 to12 hours. (The mixture should become very bubbly.) Use immediately or cover loosely with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. To keep the started going each time you remove a portion of the starter for a recipe, reserve at least 1/4 cup and replace the amount you have taken out with equal amounts of flour and water. For example, if you remove 1 cup of starter, you must replace it with 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of warm water. Whisk these ingredients into the starter until blended but not completely smooth, cover loosely, and return to the refrigerator. Also, the starter must be maintained by feeding it every few days. Refresh by removing 1 cup of the starter (give to a friend or discard it) and adding 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of warm water. Whisk until blended but not smooth. Cover loosely and return to the refrigerator. If you plan to be away longer than a week, freeze the starter in a sterilized, airtight freezer container. Thaw the starter 2 days before you plan to bake with it. Refresh as indicated above with 1 cup each of flour and warm water. Cover and leave at room temperature 12 hours or overnight before using. A couple of additional notes: Never keep your starter tightly closed. The gasses expelled by the yeast will build up pressure and may cause the container to burst. It is not necessary to refrigerate the starter; this is only to minimize the possibility of contamination or the starter going bad. It’s OK for the starter to darken, but if it changes to another color (pink, green or other color), throw it out and start a new batch.
Basic Sourdough Bread: 2 cups bread flour 1 1/2 cups sourdough starter 3/4 teaspoon salt Cornmeal Variation: Replace 1/4 cup bread flour with 1/4 cup rye or whole wheat flour.
In an electric mixer with the dough hook, combine the flour, starter and salt, and knead until it no longer sticks to the sides or bottom of the mixing bowl. You can do this (and the kneeding)by hand if without power but be ready for a lot of work and sore hands & arms the next day. Place a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour and knead gently (about 5 minutes - when properly kneeded you should be ablt to poke a finger into the dough and have the indentation pop back out in just a few seconds), removing any large air bubbles. Knead into a small circle, then shape into a tight ball, pinching the seams together underneath. Place on a well-floured board or baking peel, seam-side down. Cover with a kitchen towels and let rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Preheat a baking stone, if available, on the bottom rack of an oven at 400 degrees F. With a sharp, serrated knife cut a large “X” or cross-hatch pattern into the top of the dough. Spray lightly with a mister and transfer to the baking stone (or place on a heavy baking sheet lightly dusted with cornmeal) and bake until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, about 60 minutes. (Sourdough should have a darker crust than other breads, so leave in the oven 5 minutes after you think it is done.) Remove the loaf from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.
I thought I’d post a basic sour dough recipe – you won’t have to stock in a lot of yeast or wonder how long it will keep. Some people and bakeries have sour dough starters that are decades old. Sour dough starters take a bit of care but if you are isolated in your home that’s not a concern.
Sourdough Starter: 3 cups warm water (110 degrees F) 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast (2 packets) 1 teaspoon sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour Variation: Replace 3/4 cup water with 3/4 cup yogurt, buttermilk or flat beer
In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit until the yeast becomes foamy, about 5 minutes. (If the yeast does not foam, discard the mixture and begin again with new yeast.) Add the flour and stir vigorously to work air into the mixture. Cover with a towel let rest in a warm, draft-free place (an oven with its pilot light or light bulb turned on works well) for 8 to12 hours. (The mixture should become very bubbly.) Use immediately or cover loosely with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. To keep the started going each time you remove a portion of the starter for a recipe, reserve at least 1/4 cup and replace the amount you have taken out with equal amounts of flour and water. For example, if you remove 1 cup of starter, you must replace it with 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of warm water. Whisk these ingredients into the starter until blended but not completely smooth, cover loosely, and return to the refrigerator. Also, the starter must be maintained by feeding it every few days. Refresh by removing 1 cup of the starter (give to a friend or discard it) and adding 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of warm water. Whisk until blended but not smooth. Cover loosely and return to the refrigerator. If you plan to be away longer than a week, freeze the starter in a sterilized, airtight freezer container. Thaw the starter 2 days before you plan to bake with it. Refresh as indicated above with 1 cup each of flour and warm water. Cover and leave at room temperature 12 hours or overnight before using. A couple of additional notes: Never keep your starter tightly closed. The gasses expelled by the yeast will build up pressure and may cause the container to burst. It is not necessary to refrigerate the starter; this is only to minimize the possibility of contamination or the starter going bad. It’s OK for the starter to darken, but if it changes to another color (pink, green or other color), throw it out and start a new batch.
Basic Sourdough Bread: 2 cups bread flour 1 1/2 cups sourdough starter 3/4 teaspoon salt Cornmeal Variation: Replace 1/4 cup bread flour with 1/4 cup rye or whole wheat flour.
In an electric mixer with the dough hook, combine the flour, starter and salt, and knead until it no longer sticks to the sides or bottom of the mixing bowl. You can do this (and the kneeding)by hand if without power but be ready for a lot of work and sore hands & arms the next day. Place a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour and knead gently (about 5 minutes - when properly kneeded you should be ablt to poke a finger into the dough and have the indentation pop back out in just a few seconds), removing any large air bubbles. Knead into a small circle, then shape into a tight ball, pinching the seams together underneath. Place on a well-floured board or baking peel, seam-side down. Cover with a kitchen towels and let rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Preheat a baking stone, if available, on the bottom rack of an oven at 400 degrees F. With a sharp, serrated knife cut a large “X” or cross-hatch pattern into the top of the dough. Spray lightly with a mister and transfer to the baking stone (or place on a heavy baking sheet lightly dusted with cornmeal) and bake until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, about 60 minutes. (Sourdough should have a darker crust than other breads, so leave in the oven 5 minutes after you think it is done.) Remove the loaf from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.
I’ve long wanted to get a bread maker, and prepping for H5N1 seems like a great reason to finally get one. However, many (if not most) of the recipes I’ve seen take butter. While I hope the electric grid stays up, I’m planning on it not. I can run the bread maker occasionally from my solar panel setup, but I don’t want to try to keep even a small college dorm fridge up and running 7×24. (They take about 1 KwH per day.) If a bread recipe calls for butter, can a cooking oil be substituted? Yes, it might change the taste a little bit, but would it still cook ok? Thanks.
anonymous – at 12:38
In most recipes that call for butter you can substitute applesauce or mashed prunes (as in the baby food prunes from a jar).
Also, I’ve been putting plenty of bread recipes at the pantry canned food only recipe thread … there are a lot of recipes there so you may need to kind of go through them.
I also posted a butter/margarine substitute that uses powdered milk, cooking oil, and water. So far, that has worked just fine in all the recipes that I’ve been using it in. Some may depend on how much “buttery” flavor you are looking for. If you need more buttery flavor, I know they make a butter extract/flavoring and I plan on picking up several bottles on the next grocery run. Also, if you can find “Butter Buds” or whatever they are called now, you can add some of that to the fake butter and it adds flavor that way.
Anonymous - Also, many of us have obtained powdered butter in packaging that allows it to be stored for years without refrigeration. it reconstitutes with water to something which is pretty good as butter, with a slightly stronger dairy flavor. it should work in the bread maker recipe with a little oitl and water to reconstitute. Or you could use Kathy’s substitute.
Thanks, Kathy in FL! (Sorry, forgot to put my normal name on the other post.)
Personally, I like to knead bread dough. It is a good way to get rid of stress and it is good for the upper arms. But if you are leery of kneading, try this one. The parenthetical comments are mine.
Easily made Golden Loaf Bread (no kneading required)
Ingredients: Place in a large mixing bowl: ( warm the bowl a little, don’t use metal) 1 ¼ cups warm water 1 pkg. dry yeast
Add: 1 T soft shortening (can use oleo or butter) 2 T sugar 2 tsp. salt 1 ½ cups sifted flour( I didn’t sift) Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed with an electric mixer. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl frequently.
Add: 1 ½ cups sifted flour ( I used half bread flour or half whole wheat flour) Blend in until batter is smooth. (You need to use a spoon, mixer doesn’t work too well here) Scrape batter from sides of bowl. Cover with towel.
Directions: Let batter rise in warm place for about 30 minutes, or until batter is double in bulk. Beat batter down, using about 25 strokes. Turn into a greased loaf pan. (It will be sticky, not like kneaded bread) Smooth top, and pat into shape with floured hand. Let rise again in warm place for about 40 minutes, or until batter reaches ¼” from top of pan. Bake in a preheated oven (375) for 45–50 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan; cool on rack. Brush top with melted butter or shortening.
Saw this elsewhere, have tried it in the past several times, it is good. And one of the easiest and cheapest to make. 1 12 oz. can of Beer 2 Tablespoons Sugar 3 Cups Self-Rising Flour Mix all ingredients together and pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
for added flavor, mix in 1 cup grated sharp cheddar before baking!
Here is one for makin up the homemade mixes. If you don’t have the jars, just mix it up and store in plastic bags: Bread Maker Mix in a Jar 3 cups Flour 2 tablespoons Sugar 1 tablespoon Dry Milk 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast — (regular or fast) 1 1/4 cups warm water 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
Mix first set of ingredients (except yeast) until evenly distributed. Place inside a one quart jar, then place yeast in an extra small zip baggie and place in top of jar before screwing lid on.
When ready to bake bread, place the second set of ingredients into the bottom of the bread pan of your bread maker. Place dry ingredients on top of wet ingredients, reserving yeast for last (or follow directions of your bread maker manufacturer if the order needs to be different). Select “White, Crust Color (light), Large, (rapid if using fast acting yeast), Delay option if desired, and Start”
R
Here’s my Irish Mother in Law (since deceased) Irish Wheaton Bread She never had electricity. She taught me to make this when I visited her in Ireland.
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (it’s a heavy bread) 2 cups all purpose flour (actually I adjusted flour on return because in her part of Ireland they milled the flour different than Canada) 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tbsp baking powder (I added this after experimenting-flour difference) 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I’d used canned milk with lemon juice & add some powder milk to make it a little thicker) 1 tsp salt Mix, fold and knead - Shape into big round, cut x into the top. Bake 50 minutes at 325 degrees (my approximation using electricity)
Here’s a recipe for French Bread - it works fine in my machine…(use the french bread setting.)
1 package dry yeast (2.25 tsp) 3 1/2 cups flour 2 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 cup water
And that’s it!
My son is allergic to dairy so I don’t use dry milk or butter in the bread recipes. However, I have found that the butter flavor shortening works well as a subsitute. (Or regular shortening, or use olive oil…)
Old thread - Closed to increase Forum speed.