I like the "fancy" bread. I like the crusty, artisanal, no-preservative, full of nooks-and-crannies-style bread so much so that I can hardly believe it when I see someone buying the white, fluffy, pasty stuff. Even mi esposo, whose bachelor eating habits were highly suspect, had decent taste in bread. He bought white bread for his sandwiches, but he found a better quality bread that had a LITTLE tooth to it.
In some cases I understand it's not taste, it's finance. The good stuff costs more...often way more. Not everybody can afford the outstanding bread that'll take the better part of a fiver away from their wallet.
I'm one of those people more often than I'd like to admit. But I have never been willing to buy junk bread. So, I learned to bake bread. It didn't take me long to figure out that making bread at home would cost about $.50 a loaf instead of $3.99. Even if my bread wasn't perfect, I'd still have something without additives or preservatives or a weirdly unnatural and spongy consistency. And I could still afford to buy a piece of protein or some fresh produce.
Because my introduction to bread making was a desperate act of frugality, I still do not own a stand mixer or bread machine or any special bake-ware. I used (and continue to use) the limited, but adequate tools I have on hand and am able to put together a nice, crusty Country Italian bread with relative ease.
It really is easy. The only catch is that you have to be around. The bread might rise in a half an hour or it might take more than an hour. But you'll have to be there to punch it back down and let it start to rise one more time. Then you have to be around to keep an eye on the oven. It might be done in 20 minutes...might be a half hour. So, if you are a guy or gal-on-the-go, you might not become a regular baker.
That's OK. But I do think everyone should try to make a loaf of bread, even if it's just once..just to have the skill in their bag of tricks. That way, when the wolf is at the door bearing Millbrook, you can send him away with a baguette.
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Funny, I always thought the "good stuff" cost tons more than the intestine paste they sell ready-sliced. When I was staying with my folks over the holidays, I did some comparison shopping and nice, artisanal bread wasn't that much more than a ready-sliced bag of whole grain or some white bread. That makes it all the easier for the on-the-go guy and gal never to succumb to purchasing bowl pucks.
ReplyDeleteI keep meaning to make the New York Times No Kneed recipe. My sister-in-law swears by it. She bakes it in her Le Crueset pot.
Happy baking, Karen.
I need (knead) to learn to bake bread cause it is expensive but we happen to live around the corner from the best french pastry shop in the city (operated by a Korean family!) seriously, I eat a loaf of their multi-grain($4.50/loaf) in 2 days by myself it's so phenomenal but costly...love your blog...love you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Heather!! Basic bread looks harder to do than it really is..and even the worst baking mistakes often taste pretty good with a pat of butter
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