I am a bread snob. Why? Because I grew up in a country where you can survive on bread alone for months at a time, and not get sick of it. Because our local bread store had freshly baked, still steamy and hot bread delivered twice a day. Because our bread varieties were many, flavors were plenty, and freshness was the first and foremost priority.
We were buying bread every day. If we were lucky enough to score ‘just-off-the-bread-truck-fresh’ loaves, we’d always purchase extra, because walking one-and-a-half blocks from the bakery to the house were enough to devour that extra, or at least pinch the delectable crust off of it. We had white, sourdough white, rye, gray, black, and everything in between. The loaves had names. Our bread stores were self-serve, and special long neck forks were provided for customers to probe the loaves for freshness and crustiness. No one ever thought of packing the bread in plastic “to lock in the freshness” for long term storage. Even now, after fifteen years of living in the States, the idea of packaged long-shelf-life bread makes me chuckle: those bleak looking pre-cut loaves with a texture of a cotton ball and no taste, no matter how much corn syrup you put in them, are a disgrace to the very essence of what bread really is — a living bold spirited yet peaceful creature, a product of miraculous transformation of powdered grain consumed by yeast.
Since I’ve started my all-things-fermentation streak, making wild yeast sourdough has been on my mind. I did some sourdough experimentation last year, when a friend shared a “secret” of rye bread starter with me. I learned early on that bread requires patience and persistence, just like gardening — you do your job, and the nature will take care of the rest. Things should not be rushed if you want truly good results. And of course, if you want the nature to do its job, you need ingredients that are as close as possible to nature — unbleached unenriched organic flour, chlorine free water, unrefined salt, whole grains and freshly ground seeds and spices. And of course, wild yeast, naturally occurring … well, everywhere really.
The purpose of this article is not posting a recipe, but rather make the home made bread noticed. It’s very well worth the effort and is far superior to whatever you find in stores. If you are lucky to have a good traditional bakery nearby, this may be not for you, but if you are like me, a fan of making things from scratch and learning about traditional methods of food preparation, making a loaf at home should be on your list of things to try.
A couple of websites I found which may be helpful:
Wild Yeast Blog — http://www.wildyeastblog.com
The Fresh Loaf — http://www.thefreshloaf.com
Food Wishes – http://foodwishes.blogspot.com – make a search for bread, this guy has lots of instructional videos.
A very nice write up on wild yeast bread in Russian — http://forum.say7.info/topic3949.html — this lady definitely knows her stuff.
And of course, more bread photos of mine, right here: More Bread Photos, Please!
Eat Already!
Eat Already! 
I’ve always wanted to try making bread!! Can’t wait for the weekend to try! Although patience is not my virtue, so I’m going to have to be careful.
Thanks for the reminder of what bread is supposed to be. I grew up with the hearty bread that filled you up, and lasted in a sandwich till you were ready to eat it a few hours later. Have gotten too used to convenience, and bread that turns to mush at the sight of a tomato slice. :)
OH, THIS BREAD IS NOTICED!!!!
Home made bread is so underrated. After making it myself a couple of times, I have realised how much better tasting it is than the plastic bagged, bulk produced stuff. And there is no better work out than kneading dough for a few minutes. I’ve considered buying a bread making machine, but why waste the money when I can just do it myself!
P.S.—I haven’t done much poetry about bread. Perhaps it’s time to stop loafing around and try! Visit me at ourpoetrycorner.wordpress.com, to see if I have. (Did do one recently concerning hot dog buns and pancakes!)
I completely understand! I moved from the US to Japan. If you think the store-bought bread in the US is bad, you would weep openly at the Wonderbread-esque horror of “shokupan.” White, gummy, cut into huge slabs. It’s just not right. There are some very lovely bakeries with proper whole-grain bread here, but it’s expensive, so I’ve starting baking the majority of my bread at home. Great post and happy baking!
I am learning to make REAL bread, not the bread machine kind. I made a loaf for dinner tonight, and it is almost gone. There’s nothing like the real thing.
Reblogged this on casahamsa and commented:
Bread Luvrs Unite Here:
I LOVE homemade bread…problem is I can’t keep it…I eat it all!
Gorgeous photos of these bread loaves. My mother made homemade bread and rolls occasionally when I was growing up, and I’m such a fan of the rich flavors. My problem is that my husband and I can’t eat homemade bread fast enough before it goes stale. Do you have some tips on how to keep fresh bread a part of diet and to minimize food waste? Thanks!
Hmm… never had this problem :). However, you can store denser varieties of bread in a linen pouch (small pillow case will do) away from drafts, lighter bread will go stale faster, so you can put it in one of those green plastic bags that are supposed to store food longer. Also, if your bread goes stale, you can always beat it to the punch – cut it up in cubes, sprinkle some dried herbs and drizzle some oil, and roast in the oven until crunchy – make best salad croutons ever! Smaller croutons taste divine in creamy soups. Also stale bread makes perfect french toast. Stale baguette can be grated and used as bread crumbs in dishes and for coating. Stale white bread soaked in milk and squeezed out works wonders as filler for meatballs and meatloaf (instead of oatmeal). Finally, you can cheat the bread-death once and after spraying a bit of water on it, wrap in foil and reheat in the oven – it will soften. Good luck!
Reblogged this on The girl cooks… and commented:
I really want to be in the country and make bread…
I love bread! It’s about time someone knew what I was talking about :D
Bread! Oh mercy…mercy…mercy!
Oh, it’s so sad!! I’m allergic to wheat, but your pictures of bread and the way you write about it makes me want to have some! It looks delicious! The stuff sold in supermarkets should not even be allowed to be called by the same name as this! This is real.
If you are allergic to wheat you may want to try sprouted or deeply fermented breads with low or no wheat content. Also spelt is a great wheat substitute.
I used to live right above a panadería in Maturín, Venezuela and the smells that would waft in were heavenly! I didn’t even need to eat the bread to enjoy it (although I did that, too).
Love the photos. Love bread. I shall post this on my Linkedin page! Yes, fresh bread is one of life’s great treasures. Thank you for sharing!
Looooove bread! thanks for this Post…pictures are gorgeous! now…i am hungry!
That fresh cut loaf of rye spoke to me. I haven’t baked a loaf of bread since Easter of last year, it is time.
Nice. Thanks for your recommended links… I have not been successful with bread. finally I make a nice one yesterday. not as good as those in your photos… But i am really happy about it.
Oh I noticed . . . yummmm . . .
Nothing, I mean nothing compares to fresh baked bread …………. did I forget butter too!
I am a huge sourdough fan and spend too much time blogging about how brilliant it is. I totally agree with you – sourdough is a lifestyle that once enjoyed, can not be abandoned!
Congratulations on freshly pressed ;)
this is the post I was looking for. thank you very much.
Reblogged this on physician21 and commented:
the way how to eat healthily is the first step to keep healthy.
I just started making some of my own bread, and finding it easier than I thought and so much better than the store stuff. And healthier too! I can’t wait to check out some of the sites you included. Thanks!