Baking your own bread can seem like a big feat, especially if your family eats it as often as mine does! Because we thoroughly enjoy it, I had made the decision a few years ago to try my hand at making it myself. A common trend you’ll notice, if you stick around long enough, is that I am one of those people who sees something and thinks “hmm.. I could make that…” with just about everything I see. Anywho, I digress. I started messing around with recipes and found that making your own delicious bread, is actually quite simple! Now, if you are adventurous, you can make it far more complicated by venturing into sourdough, sprouted grains, milling fresh flour, and so much more! But at the crux of it, basic bread making is well, basic!
Just 6 Ingredients Away From A Slice of Heaven
Flour, water, sugar, salt, butter and yeast. Yes it really is that simple! A beginner bread recipe just needs those few ingredients, all of which you likely have on hand. Depending on your yeast, you could have the aroma of fresh baked bread filling your house in as little as 2 hours!
Most Common Breads (In Our House)
Sandwich Bread is the most frequent flyer in the Baker household. I have made this recipe, Soft Fluffy Sandwich Bread, so many times and tweaked it to my liking that I prefer to knead it by hand so I can feel the texture instead of leaving it in my KitchenAid. Disclaimer: it does have fresh milled flour in the recipe, but you can just replace it 1 for 1 with store-bought. Bread in a Bag is a fun way to bring your kids into the kitchen!
French Bread is another popular recipe in our home. Our go to is from Donuts2Crumpets and we have used this recipe, Easy French Baguette Bread, for years. We use it to make garlic bread, French dips, meatball subs and steak or chicken phillies. This can also be turned into breadcrumbs or croutons too!
Brioche Buns & Loaves make the best French toast and hamburger or hot dogs buns. We don’t use anything else! This Super Soft Burger Buns recipe is from Hopewell Heights and I will NEVER use another recipe, the title of her recipe describes it to perfection. Brioche is considered an enriched dough due to it containing eggs.
A few other must try recipes we have on rotation are Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls, Whole Wheat Soft Dinner Rolls, Biscuits, and Sourdough Dinner Rolls.
Sourdough Switch
Recently, I have decided to dive head first into sourdough. I have dabbled with it every now and then, but I am currently working on (or trying to) convert all our bread recipes to sourdough. Before you jump into it, know that it is a commitment… but it is worth EVERY SECOND! The health benefits from a fermented dough outweigh any argument of time consuming you could feed me. Once you get started, you will understand what all the hype is behind this traditional, almost forgotten, method is all about! Sourdough is one of those things that quickly became a front runner once people started trying to figure out healthier, more natural ways to prepare food. I could make an entire post (maybe another time) about all the health benefits of switching to sourdough, but the best reason to make the move is gut health and digestion HANDS DOWN.
As a part of my journey in learning new trades, I decided I would truly go old-school if you will. I am purchasing books and cookbooks instead of relying on the internet. Hard copies will outlast anything digital, in my opinion, not to mention I can pass them on to my children (who are already fighting over the books I’m about to share!) when they move out of the house. I have found two very different, but equally impressive cookbooks that I actually leave on the counter now due to how often we are flipping through them. They have reserved their own resting place between the Grain Mill and my sourdough mother.
Sourdough Cookbook Must Haves
A close friend recommended this first book to me and it is a MUST HAVE for anyone who wants to know the ins and outs of sourdough. Maurizio Leo goes in depth on times, temperatures, grains, hydration and more. This book tells you how to adjust depending on your outcome. I highly recommend it to anyone, whether you are just starting or are a seasoned pro. Click here for a link to order.
The Perfect Loaf by Maurizio Leo
Another useful cookbook that is geared towards a more daily use has found a permanent spot right next to the Perfect Loaf. This one offers a variety of recipes with a multitude of unique flavors to expand your capabilities. Hannah Dela Cruz has added a little of everything from pasta, breads, desserts, snacks and more. We are excited to dive into all the flavors and recipes between these two covers. Click here for a link to order.
Sourdough Every Day by Hannah Dela Cruz
