I’m not a bread expert. But I LOVE bread. I have since I was a little girl.
It didn’t matter what kind of bread - I loved it all. Yes, even Wonderbread would fill me with joy - I pulled my sandwiches apart so I could savor the bread at the end. (Maybe I was ahead of the “deconstruction” trend.)
I didn’t grow up with the concept of fresh bread. My mom’s idea of freshly baked bread was from a can from the refrigerated section of the local supermarket. We’d peel off eight rolls or crescents, fold them and pat them into place on a cookie sheet, and a few minutes later - voila - bread was served.
I must say I adopted that same strategy in my early family days. You too? Those little cans of wonderment could add to any meal. The quick pop as you twisted the can told you something good was inside. Smelling them as they baked - mmm - there was nothing better.
Until I learned that those little cans of bread had a lot of not-so-good stuff inside. EWG gives it an 8 out of 10 product score for nutrition, ingredient, and processing concerns. Whole Foods has banned four of the ingredients found in Pillsbury Crescent rolls. They won’t even sell the product!
Is that really what manufacturers think we want to put on the table?
Once again, it goes back to being able to read the ingredient list and pronounce what’s inside. Fractionated palm oil, hydrogenated palm oil, monoglycerides, TBHQ (tert-butylhydroquinone), sodium aluminum phosphate. Just no.
If you want better food, sometimes you gotta make it yourself.
Thanks to the pandemic, I decided to join the bread bandwagon like everyone else. But I didn’t want a bread machine; I wanted an easier way. Something I could do with just a few ingredients, and the pans and appliances I already had in my kitchen.
I didn’t want a complicated project. Time wasn’t a problem; I didn’t care how long it had to rise. But I didn’t want to stand in the kitchen for hours, mixing ingredients and kneading the bread repeatedly. A little research kept bringing me back to Mark Bittman and his no-knead bread.
I eventually found his book Bittman Bread: No-Knead Whole-Grain Baking for Every Day, and I was hooked. With one starter, you can make bread, rolls, even soft pretzels if you’re so inclined. I tried a little bit of everything, and still use many of his recipes today.
Of course, when you like to cook, you have to keep experimenting.
So that’s what I’m sharing with you today - two of my favorites!
Focaccia
Because … focaccia. Am I right? I find focaccia super easy to make, and it goes with so many meals. But I’ve definitely learned there is a difference in focaccia bread. I’m not a fan of them all.
I personally love a crisp outside with a softer inside. I love toppings that add to the flavor. Remember the easy part from above? Yep, gotta have that too.
So when I found this recipe suggested by one of my favorite cookbook authors, I had to give it a try.
It’s a keeper.
She gives you lots of variations if you want to try them out. Me, I’m hooked on the original recipe, and when you find one you like, why mess with it?
The recipe calls for a mixture of all-purpose flour and bread flour. I use Bob’s Red Mill for both.
The garlic and rosemary topping is a must. I cut a sprig of rosemary from my kitchen garden, strip it, and chop it finely. I mix it in with the olive oil and garlic cloves before spooning it on top. Then, finish it with a few pinches of sea salt before I slide it into the oven.
Yum!
Crusty Cranberry Nut
Once upon a time, many years ago, my family attended an event, and we were lucky enough to buy the most scrumptious loaf of cranberry nut bread. (We still talk about it to this day.)
Yes, I’ve purchased cranberry nut breads from other sources. It’s never had the same crusty, soft, yet chewy texture.
Until I found the recipe for this loaf. It does take time to rise, but very little time to put together. Because I have the advantage of working from home, I throw it together the night before while cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. When I get home from my river walk in the morning, I get it ready, plop it into the pan, and bake it for that night’s dinner.
I love serving it with a salad. How about shaved Brussel sprouts and cabbage, with a little bit of tempeh on top? With the bread ready from earlier in the morning, I can have dinner on the table in about 30 minutes.
And this is one loaf you’ll be baking repeatedly. I love the author’s comment: “I’ve made this no-knead bread 4x within 2 weeks and I’m not even a bread person. But it MADE ME A BREAD PERSON. Not sure if that’s a bad thing?” I agree!
Trust me, this is one loaf you’re going to want to throw together several times a week.
My tips and tricks for better bread
Buy really good ingredients. I mentioned Bob’s Red Mill above, but it’s worth mentioning again. I just love the Bob products, and use them whenever I can. If you can’t get Bob’s Red Mill, get organic flour to ensure a better-tasting dough.
If you want to bake the perfect loaf of bread, you will need a cast iron Dutch oven. Through all my research, I found the Lodge collection, which works beautifully for every loaf I’ve created.
Try every recipe three times. By the third time, you will figure out the little details you missed the first and second time, you will have a really good bake, and you will be able to tell if it's a keeper of a recipe.
Get creative with your focaccia toppings. I LOVE the garlic rosemary focaccia I have listed here. I’m definitely a “why mess with perfection” kind of cook. But occasionally, I want my final bread to be pretty. That’s when I turn to Beautiful Bread. Her focaccia art is truly something to take in. And try yourself! It can be a lot of fun showing off the results.
Happy baking!
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