My family was recently here (more on our adventures later, although you can head over to my mom's blog for a preview :) ) + we kept wanting to make bread..and then didn't. My mom did make a German Easter bread (see her post for the before picture),
but other than that, we just bought and consumed good German bread (Brot) and rolls (Brötchen or "little bread").
However yesterday, at 7:45pm I decided to make bread. I probably (=definitely) should have started earlier, but c'est la vie. I made it and it turned out well :) Hooray!
It was based on my mom's basic bread recipe from my childhood -- but adding some seeds (typical of German breads), using German flour (which is somehow different than American flour) + baking in the German style (for more crust production).
Here's the tasty result and the recipe:
500 grams flour (I did 300 white, 200 whole wheat)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tsp sugar
1 package yeast (7g; I believe it's instant yeast)
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1 Tablespoon oil
1 1/4 c warm water
Mix, knead and let rise for an hour in a warm place (such as the oven with the light on). Shape into loaf and let rise for 20-30 minutes. Bake for about 30-40 minutes....(see below for specific temperatures + times).
Because I had forgotten to pay attention to exactly what time I had put the bread in, we decided to use internal temperature to determine doneness. (Here's a link about that). Goal was 96-98°C (205°F).
As I said, I also baked it in the German style for crustier bread, meaning that I initially had the heat at about 205°C (400°F) for about 10 minutes and then turned it down to about 190°C (375°F)for the rest of the time (20-30 minutes I think....see note above.) (((And actually that is what I would have done, if I had remembered to look it up in time, so actually the bread started in an oven of about 160°C (320°F; for the first 5 minutes or so) + then went through the cycle as described above...)))
Americans and other non-German nations try to do everything in their power to avoid crust (need I mention "crustless" bread???), but Germans make it there goal to optimize and maximize crustiness. They also don't tend to store their bread in sealed plastic bags, but instead under a cloth,
or in a bakery bag (which is half paper + half plastic with breathing holes in it) or just cut side down on a cutting board.
To each his own :)
When I was young, we'd do more whole wheat to white flour, but because German flour is different, I'm a little more careful. Sometimes we'd also let it rise 2x instead of just once -- the idea is for it to double in size and get the gluten going, but it was getting late, so one + a half rises it was :)
I also would have preferred for it to be slightly saltier, but, as F's mother points out, baking is a fine chemistry. The ingredients have to work well together in the right proportions. The sugar feeds the yeast and the salt hinders it...So if I add more salt, will I need more sugar as well? Perhaps I'll try that next time.
Do you have a favorite bread recipe? What works for you? Do you have favorite add-ins?
but other than that, we just bought and consumed good German bread (Brot) and rolls (Brötchen or "little bread").
However yesterday, at 7:45pm I decided to make bread. I probably (=definitely) should have started earlier, but c'est la vie. I made it and it turned out well :) Hooray!
It was based on my mom's basic bread recipe from my childhood -- but adding some seeds (typical of German breads), using German flour (which is somehow different than American flour) + baking in the German style (for more crust production).
Here's the tasty result and the recipe:
1 teaspoon salt
2 tsp sugar
1 package yeast (7g; I believe it's instant yeast)
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1 Tablespoon oil
1 1/4 c warm water
Mix, knead and let rise for an hour in a warm place (such as the oven with the light on). Shape into loaf and let rise for 20-30 minutes. Bake for about 30-40 minutes....(see below for specific temperatures + times).
Because I had forgotten to pay attention to exactly what time I had put the bread in, we decided to use internal temperature to determine doneness. (Here's a link about that). Goal was 96-98°C (205°F).
As I said, I also baked it in the German style for crustier bread, meaning that I initially had the heat at about 205°C (400°F) for about 10 minutes and then turned it down to about 190°C (375°F)for the rest of the time (20-30 minutes I think....see note above.) (((And actually that is what I would have done, if I had remembered to look it up in time, so actually the bread started in an oven of about 160°C (320°F; for the first 5 minutes or so) + then went through the cycle as described above...)))
Americans and other non-German nations try to do everything in their power to avoid crust (need I mention "crustless" bread???), but Germans make it there goal to optimize and maximize crustiness. They also don't tend to store their bread in sealed plastic bags, but instead under a cloth,
 |
| F joked I was tucking the bread into bed. Then when I laid the breadknife next to it, he just laughed. Sleeping with a knife under his pillow? Apparently life as bread is dangerous... |
When I was young, we'd do more whole wheat to white flour, but because German flour is different, I'm a little more careful. Sometimes we'd also let it rise 2x instead of just once -- the idea is for it to double in size and get the gluten going, but it was getting late, so one + a half rises it was :)
I also would have preferred for it to be slightly saltier, but, as F's mother points out, baking is a fine chemistry. The ingredients have to work well together in the right proportions. The sugar feeds the yeast and the salt hinders it...So if I add more salt, will I need more sugar as well? Perhaps I'll try that next time.
Do you have a favorite bread recipe? What works for you? Do you have favorite add-ins?
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