Have you tried the no-knead method yet? My new year’s resolution at the beginning of this year was to learn to make bread well enough so that we could stop buying it. I did it the old fashioned way for a couple of months, hand kneading, the whole nine yards. Kept hearing about the NK method and figured it sounded so easy I had nothing to lose. My first attempt converted me. It was by far the best loaf I had produced at home. Now almost all the bread we eat is my homemade NK bread. I make a few other types, but NK is the standby. Check out breadtopia.com for excellent videos on the method. I think you’ll like it.

I DEMAND recipes as I was going to actually make some bread this weekend too.

I’ve always had an interest in cooking and baking. Here is the most consistent recipe I have for making light and airy bread. I currently make it the lazy way in a bread machine, however, it would also work well by hand.

Honey Buttermilk Bread

Ingredients:
2 tsp Yeast OR 1 cup of Sourdough starter [recommeded]
1.5 tsp Salt
.75 cup Fresh Cultured Buttermilk (Store Bought is acceptable)
.5 cup Water
3 teaspoons Butter (or Smart Balance)
3-5 Tablespoons honey
(use the smaller measurement if you don’t want to be able to taste much honey)
~3 cups Bread Flour [I prefer King Aurthur’s Brand]
[Those of you using Sourdough should adjust liquid measurements/ flour accordingly to get the correct dough consistency as I don’t know the consistency of your starter.]
Fresh cultured buttermilk can be obtained by adding about 25% store bought cultured buttermilk to 75% milk (whole recommended), mixing in a lidded container, and allowing to rest in a warm place for 24-36 hours. [more info here: http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/BUTTERMILK.HTM ]

I simply place all of the wet ingredients except for the honey in the bottom of the bread machine, then I add the flour, salt, and honey. Be careful not to disturb the flour if you aren’t making the bread right away. If using yeast follow bread machine manufacturer’s directions for placement.

I generally then set the bread machine on the basic light crust cycle for about 8-10 hours, so it normally doesn’t start mixing anything until at least 5-6 hours have passed which allows the buttermilk to warm up and acidify further.

The first time you make this you’ll need to watch the rise. It sometimes rises so rapidly that it will touch the top of my bread machine and fall back down making a more dense loaf. If that happens to you, I suggest placing a slit in the top of the loaf, using less yeast, or adding a little more salt. Replacing half a cup of the bread flour with whole wheat flour also works, however, it changes the texture of the bread considerably.

Does making bread at home save money? i find it cheaper to buy bread, but i do bake bread once in a while just for the joy of it.