Any Home Bakers Here?

[jennapoole]

Well, technically it's a side job. I teach for a living and bake and make jewelry as side business. If I had to do it everyday, I wouldn't love it. Clean up is a pain!

 

[cluckcluckgirl]

Hey there! I've had a cake business run from home for 8 years. called The Cake Studio. Check it out on FB. I love baking and cooking. I specialize in fondant decoration and old fashioned cakes.

Welcome!

 

[Kikiriki]

I have only tried a few things, but it seems to be a natural talent when compared to my inability to follow a recipe and make something edible! I had success with making the Easter Babka for the family....it was better than anyone else's and I could not have been more surprised. I had previously quit baking when my first carrot cake came out like a door stop, although it had a good flavor, now I make Italian bread, Turkish bread treat, pretzels, Babka, and dinner rolls. Tried a couple of pies which tasted good but were not beautiful! Pumpkin and lemon meringue.

Your breads sound delicious! I've never made bread before. Is it hard? Oh, I love our home-made pumpkin pies! So much better than anything you can buy at the store. That's the way it is with most home baking. I once made some cupcakes where the most processed ingredient in them was sugar, and they hardened up within a day! There were no preservatives there! Meanwhile, some store-bought cupcakes can stay soft for months. 

I don't find it hard at all. The hardest part is the waiting for it to rise! I even like hand kneading: I never use a machine. The best thing is looking at the difference between my small list of simple ingredients and lengthy paragraph of unpronounceable chemicals on store bought. i had no idea how much crap is in the bread just so companies can make it faster instead of letting nature do the work. (look up dough conditioners...)
To avoid molding I freeze portions and they do just fine. Reheating is best in a steamy oven on low heat (pan of water down by the heating element, or wrapped in a damp paper towel in a toaster oven).

 

[sunflour]

Well, technically it's a side job. I teach for a living and bake and make jewelry as side business. If I had to do it everyday, I wouldn't love it. Clean up is a pain!

Then that makes sense.

 

[sunflour]

I don't find it hard at all. The hardest part is the waiting for it to rise! I even like hand kneading: I never use a machine. The best thing is looking at the difference between my small list of simple ingredients and lengthy paragraph of unpronounceable chemicals on store bought. i had no idea how much crap is in the bread just so companies can make it faster instead of letting nature do the work. (look up dough conditioners...)
To avoid molding I freeze portions and they do just fine. Reheating is best in a steamy oven on low heat (pan of water down by the heating element, or wrapped in a damp paper towel in a toaster oven).

I really do like using my vintage bread machine to do the mixing and first rise..guess I'm just lazy but it works for me.

 

[sunflour]

My mother used to make the absolutely best cheese "straws". She used a Mirro press to make them in the flower = wreath form. Hers always were perfect. I started out with her recipe years ago, but mine were never were the same….mine always were to greasy, so, I changed, changed, and still cannot get them to work. Now I have lost the original recipe and feel quite stupid. I have realized that they could not be the same…cause she had old fashioned margarine and new margarine or butter just don't give the same results...

I have come close, but have a difficult time using the cookie/pastry press. Made another trial yesterday…dough was so thick it would not work, added an egg….big mistake - the press still would not work, so formed them by hand. but the cheese cookies are not of a great texture..

Does anyone have a recipe that might work with a cookie press with the following ingredients: flour, shredded cheddar cheese, butter, cayenne pepper?

I did try the recipe that came with my Mirro Press, they were hideous when warm….but quite good later in the evening. But still had a hard time getting the dough press to work.

 

[speckledhen]

My mother used to make the absolutely best cheese "straws". She used a Mirro press to make them in the flower = wreath form. Hers always were perfect. I started out with her recipe years ago, but mine were never were the same….mine always were to greasy, so, I changed, changed, and still cannot get them to work. Now I have lost the original recipe and feel quite stupid. I have realized that they could not be the same…cause she had old fashioned margarine and new margarine or butter just don't give the same results...

I have come close, but have a difficult time using the cookie/pastry press. Made another trial yesterday…dough was so thick it would not work, added an egg….big mistake - the press still would not work, so formed them by hand. but the cheese cookies are not of a great texture..

Does anyone have a recipe that might work with a cookie press with the following ingredients: flour, shredded cheddar cheese, butter, cayenne pepper?

I did try the recipe that came with my Mirro Press, they were hideous when warm….but quite good later in the evening. But still had a hard time getting the dough press to work.

My mother made those, too, but never had a cookie press. I think she just cut them up with a knife. I have her recipe somewhere, but can't recall where.

 

[N F C]

To me, Stacey's bread she calls Gump Bread, after her BYC name "gumpsgirl", is the easiest from scratch bread in the world to make.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/120918/homemade-gump-bread-best-ive-found-new-pics-added-on-pg-5

It's in the first BYC cookbook, but this thread has the recipe in the first post and pictures.

Combine together and let rise for 5 minutes:

2 cups warm (almost hot) water
4 tsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar

Then, add these to the yeast mixture:
1/4 cup oil
5 cups bread flour
2 tsp. salt

Knead until smooth and elastic. (A KitchenAid mixer w/ the dough hook is what I use. If you have a mixer with a dough hook, it makes this process MUCH easier!)
Cover and let rise for 20-25 minutes. Beat dough down and make into loaves (this recipe makes 2 loaves). Here's the trick to get your bread to come out right. You need to roll out the bread into a rectangle, then roll up into a loaf, like you would when making cinnamon rolls. Lightly slice top of bread to get diagonal cut look when baked. Let loaves rise (Can put on separate cookie sheets) for 20-25 minutes. Bake on 350* for 20-25 minutes, until top of loaves are golden brown. Let bread cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Hi speckledhen nice to see you here on the home baker thread! I didn't know BYC had ever done a cookbook, interesting.

 

[N F C]

Cheese straws? I'm out for the day and come back and you all are talking about cheese straws. I've not only never tasted one, I've never heard of them either. Boy, do I feel out of touch.

 

[sunflour]

My mother made those, too, but never had a cookie press. I think she just cut them up with a knife. I have her recipe somewhere, but can't recall where.

Don't worry about locating the recipe, I want to make the cookie/press ones..they are softer than most. But a little firmer than spritz.

I think if I add a little more butter to my current version, I can get there.