Bread Experts, I need advice!

[LovinMyChickies]

Thanks to all of your delicious posts, I've started baking my own bread.(again) I've tried several times through the years and just do not have good luck wih it.
It never turns out the same.

I've run into a problem with consistancy and need advice. For example, I tried the "gumps bread" on here and it was awesome the first time.

The second attempt tasted "dense". The only thing different was it was raining yesterday (the second attempt.) Wood stove was burning, etc..

Is this a humidity problem? I got good rise on both attempts.

 

[Katy]

Humidity plays a big role when you're baking bread. Part of baking bread is learning the "feel" of your dough to know when it's right. On a humid vs a dry day you may have to adjust the amount of flour that you add to get it right. It's one of those things that's hard to tell someone what to look for...kind of have to learn by trial and error.

 

[LovinMyChickies]

So do you hold back on that last cup of flour to see how it feels?

 

[Katy]

Yes, I do. If my recipe calls for 6-7 cups of flour....I start adding it by bits starting about 5 cups. You can always add more as you go along, but if you add the 7 cups right away it's hard to correct it. My daughter is trying to perfect her bread making too and it is so hard to tell someone how to tell when it's right. Just keep trying....my chickens and dogs and cats got fed a lot of failures back when I was first married and trying to bake bread!!

 

[LovinMyChickies]

Thanks Katy, I'll try again this weekend.