Bread Recipe w/o Breadmaker?

[HomesteaderWife]

So I'm looking for a decent bread recipe I can make without a breadmaker. I've had foul experiences every time I try my hand at bread - I followed a recipe yesterday into today to the T and it ended up soggy, baking too crispy, and it called for so much pepper that it literally tastes like I made a cracker from pepper even though it was supposed to be a pleasant recipe for rosemary bread that had so many great reviews. I triple checked all my ingredients and measurements yet still, it came out to a terrible conclusion.

Any recipes you recommend trying, maybe suitable for a beginner bread baker?

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

Whichever recipe you try - the result is definitely influenced by the ingredients you use. You should use the highest quality bread making flour you can afford and/or closest "matched" flour to the recipe (for when different flours are called for). Also you should use a good quality bread bakers yeast - not all yeasts are the same and often yield different results!

 

[Percheron chick]

Are you talking regular yeast slicing sandwich bread? Do you own a stand mixer with hook?
My first guess is the thermostat on the oven is faulty. Get an oven thermometer and check it out. You might have uneven heat as well. The bread needs to be the only thing in the oven. Turn the loaf half way through if you have to. Next would be the yeast is old or the hot water was too hot and killed the yeast. Did you add a little sugar to feed the yeast? After that, did you let the bread rise twice? Once in the bowl and once shaped in a loaf pan? If the house is too cold then it's hard to get bread to rise properly. If you do it in the oven don't let the oven get over 100* or you'll fry the yeast.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

@The Kooky Kiwi - that makes complete sense. I would love to try again with the best ingredients possible. However, I hear there is a farmer's market somewhere a few counties over with a lady that makes really good bread and I'd love to support her too

@Percheron chick - It was supposed to be a "no-knead" rosemary bread. Called for 24 hrs of sitting with the yeast, then forming into a ball and putting in the skillet to expand for 2 hrs, then baking for 40 minutes in oven. I just would love to try making any type of bread - no breadmaker or stand mixer (yet- I want a good stand mixer one of these days). I'd love to try making a sourdough loaf honestly.

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

Here's a recipe I use - modified from the recipe in my bread machine book. It works equally well in the bread machine or made by hand. I often use the machine to make the dough and then hand mold the dough to make loaves or buns as I want.

90ml Luke Warm Water
30g Butter
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Bread Improver (optional)(I use good quality flour & omit this)
520g High Quality Breadmaking Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoon Dry Yeast

Make your dough in the same manner that any bread recipe will suggest.. In my case I mix all ingredients (just enough to blend and not overmixing) then leave for a first rise (aim to double size) - then do the kneading until you have a nice silky elastic texture - and leave for the second rise (aim to double size).

When leaving to rise I always cover the bowl with a damp (not wet) cloth (but not touching the dough) and if I need a little added warmth to help it along I briefly pop my oven on for a low heat, turn it off, then sit my bread in the oven to proof in the leftover warmth.

I find this recipe - as above - a little sweet to my taste so I often add a half teaspoon of mix herbs for a slightly more artisan taste. I often roll them into small rolls and serve them hot with lunch or dinner along with some garlic butter - my family scoff them!

 

[kathy32]

Do you have a stand mixer with dough hook or a food scale? I bake a ton and when I got those I could tell my stuff came out more consistently.
But if not, my tips are -
1. don't skimp on kneading! When you do it by hand its really easy to think "eh, this seems good enough" right around when your arms are sore Go by the description, not the time. If it says, 'put the loaf in the oven when it crests over the top of the pan' make sure you are doing that as opposed to going by the approximate time.
2. Read reputable blogs (King Arthur Baking Company has a top notch one for bread!). They frequently include photos of the different stages. You can also find good explanations on there - like if your bread came out too crispy, there is a cause that you can do differently next time!
3. Use reputable recipes (my favorites are from King Arthur for bread). They are edited and tested and there is nothing worse than wasting precious ingredients on some random recipe from an unknown blog!
4. Remember that the worst homemade bread, fresh from the oven with some good butter, is frequently still really good!
5. It takes time to get good, and that's just how it is!! Pick a couple of recipes you'd really like to learn and be prepared to make them a bunch of times (not all at once!) Serve the bad ones with butter, honey and jam
Happy baking!!

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

I'd love to try making a sourdough loaf honestly.

I tried making sourdough a couple of summers back - it actually wasn't as hard as I imagined!

I'm struggling to remember the exact measurements, so you might like to google this, but I I made my own sourdough starter by mixing a cup of bread flour with 2 teaspoons of yeast (I think) - both of these into a mason jar and then popped in my pantry (which was warm at the time being summer).

After a few days the yeast was active and consuming the flour, I added a little more flour, and so on. I think (from memory) I did this for about a week (or perhaps two?) until I had a nice quantity of very sweet smelling active yeast starter.

You then make your bread using the sourdough starter instead of a dried yeast. I'm sure I used a Jamie Oliver recipe off the internet when I tried it - and it was really crispy and nice!

 

[kathy32]

Do you have a stand mixer with dough hook or a food scale? I bake a ton and when I got those I could tell my stuff came out more consistently.
But if not, my tips are -
1. don't skimp on kneading! When you do it by hand its really easy to think "eh, this seems good enough" right around when your arms are sore Go by the description, not the time. If it says, 'put the loaf in the oven when it crests over the top of the pan' make sure you are doing that as opposed to going by the approximate time.
2. Read reputable blogs (King Arthur Baking Company has a top notch one for bread!). They frequently include photos of the different stages. You can also find good explanations on there - like if your bread came out too crispy, there is a cause that you can do differently next time!
3. Use reputable recipes (my favorites are from King Arthur for bread). They are edited and tested and there is nothing worse than wasting precious ingredients on some random recipe from an unknown blog!
4. Remember that the worst homemade bread, fresh from the oven with some good butter, is frequently still really good!
5. It takes time to get good, and that's just how it is!! Pick a couple of recipes you'd really like to learn and be prepared to make them a bunch of times (not all at once!) Serve the bad ones with butter, honey and jam
Happy baking!!

Whoops, I forgot to include the recipe!! From Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

 

[kathy32]

And in my experience with the no-knead breads, at least with the recipe I posted above, cutting into the loaf while it is warm is a big no-no (haha, I guess I am contradicting myself!). It makes the crust harder and the inside almost rubbery.

 

[nuthatched]

Find an old cook/ bread book from before bread makers were around.
Also, flour, yeast etc are agricultural products, or the recipe was formulated someplace in a different climate so ingredients will behave differently even if the recipe is followed exactly. Lower the heat and did you slash the tops?