10,000 years ago Woman discovered how to plant and grow grain. Before that she only gathered the wild grains. And once she discovered how to grow the grain and mix it with yeast the world of bread changed entirely
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The word “yeast” comes from Old English gist, gyst, and from the Indo-European root yes-, meaning boil, foam, or bubble. Yeast microbes are probably one of the earliest domesticated organisms, first used in Ancient Egypt as an early aphrodesiac until it was found to be both ineffective and corrosive after repeated use. People have used yeast for fermentation and baking throughout history. Archaeologists digging in Egyptian ruins found early grinding stones and baking chambers for yeasted bread (Wikipedia),
Drawings in Pompeii, Italy show ancient bakeries . The Hopi use a horno today to make bread much the same way their ancestors did.
Bread has come a long way from the flat unleavened bread of early history to the Bread we know today. During that time Bread became the staple of life or “Staff of Life”. But the bread we buy in grocery stores isn’t bread. It is air – lots and lots of air with a few grain of highly processed flour thrown in just to give it substance. Yuck!! So, I say – make your own. And I do.
Some of it comes out BEAUTIFULLY. And some of it doesn’t. I hope others of you have not had to live with THAT experience. The taste was great, but….
I baked bread as gifts this year – eight loaves in 5 days – and all of it came out rather well (except one).
I won’t give you a basic bread recipe. I am sure most of you have one you really like – or several like I do – but I will share some add-ins and different flavored breads. Some times I use the dough setting on my machine (arthritis) and some times I knead it myself. Depends.
My mother used to make oregano bread to go with our spaghetti. It was heavenly with the fragrance of oregano in the air. **SIGH** To my plain white loaf I simply add 1 1/2 Tbl dried oregano and 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese. Those simple ingredients change everything. Mom’s used to be a light green in color, but mine isn’t. Fresh oregano would be much better – but use more. I like the ‘cottage’ loaf shape.
I also made my first Challah Bread. Now, THAT was fun!
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3/4 cup + 1 Tbl water
1 egg
3 1/4 cups bread flour
2 Tbl butter
2 Tbl sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp yeast (I used the whole package)
Place all ingredients in bread machine according to manufacturers directions. (Cold day bad fingers). After removing from machine (Dough Cycle) place dough on lightly floured surface. Divide into 3 equal parts. Roll each piece into a 13-inch rope. Place ropes close together on lightly greased cookie sheet (or non-greased stone) Braid gently and loosely (do not stretch). Pinch ends to seal and fold under braid. Let rise in a warm place about 45 minutes or until double in size.
Heat oven to 375. Brush with mix of 1 egg yolk and 2 Tbl cold water. (Not all of it.) Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. DEVOUR!!!
There were also Cinnamon Rolls (my first from scratch) on Christmas Morning but they were eaten before I had a chance to capture them on film. I will make them again and post.
There really is nothing more relaxing than making your own bread. Try it!!
Bread on Yeastspotting
January 5, 2009 at 10:50 PM
All of your breads (yes, even THAT one!) look and sound delicious. I’ve recently taken a small dip into the sea of yeast baking, and baking with yeast is on my list of goals for 2009. Love reading about your bread adventures; your mother’s oregano bread sounds fabulous!
Nancy
January 6, 2009 at 7:51 PM
Those breads look wonderful! I’m hoping to try to make challah soon, its such a delicious bread.
January 7, 2009 at 3:23 AM
Beautiful bread! I can tell they’re delicious just by looking at them. Making my own bread is something I plan on doing this year. You’ve inspired me to do it sooner rather than later!
January 7, 2009 at 9:18 PM
What a great Christmas present!
I have added you to my blogroll, so I can keep up with what you have baked.
Beautiful challah.
I mix and knead different ways, depending on the recipe and how I feel. Sometimes the stand mixer, sometimes the old fashioned way. It is nice to have choices!
You might like to check out Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day – no kneading!
January 8, 2009 at 4:13 AM
I love baking bread. The cinnamon rolls sound like a great idea–I haven’t made any in ages. And I think challah is on my list for this weekend. Ooh, maybe I can use some of the challah dough for the cinnamon rolls… =)
January 8, 2009 at 3:26 PM
Lovely breads! Braiding dough is such a great way to get some hands-on time with the dough even when you can’t knead by hand. Thanks for joining YeastSpotting.
January 9, 2009 at 8:02 AM
[…] Challah Bread […]
April 24, 2009 at 1:40 AM
[…] started out by making Challah. I love making this and it so easy. I used the same recipe I had used before. Cooled. Tore off enough pieces to make the pudding. I followed the recipe to the […]