White Bread

[oldskool]

So.......

....with all the enlightenment regarding poor quality and potential health risks of most "store bought" breads, what recommendations does this constituency have for preparing bread at home? Recipes/methods please? Is a bread machine a viable option and if so, is there a particular brand that's recommended or is it best to make bread without a machine?

For a long time, I've had many of the same concerns shared in this thread, especially the long shelf life seeming outrageous. Bagels that remain on the counter for a month with no mold, no deterioration seems suspect for chemical alteration.

 

[petek]

When it comes to store bought sliced white bread I only like it for my peanut butter sandwiches, soft and mushy and it has to be Wonder to be just right.  I used to make a lot of home made bread but my partner doesn't eat much bread. So if I make more than one loaf the rest goes stale fast. 

 

[warmsecondrinse]

I've not been following the whole 'Celiac Explosion' very closely, but I saw one news article a few months back.

Apparently Celiac was long thought of as an "on/off" disease. You have it or you don't, the gluten source isn't relevant, and everyone had the same threshold with factors x,y,& z accounting for individual differences, etc. etc.

Now, many (most?) of the newer cases don't appear to fall into this paradigm. Both the source of the gluten and how the grain is prepared both seem to have their own own separate and independent influences on both threshold level and degree/type of response.

The consensus was there's either a new 'mild' celiac about or there's something else (possibly related, possibly not) that does a damn good imitation of it.

Maybe the rapid rise process is related the appearance of this new 'mild' celiac as well as the spread mentioned above?

 

[launderess]

@petek

You can wrap (cling then add tin foil) fresh baked bread and stash it in freezer. It will keep nicely for a week or so. Used to do this when still on a my baking craze. *LOL* In fact really must either give that a start again or move some of the equipment along...

For real ease simply pre-slice your bread before freezing. It can go in a Ziploc freezer bag then you only have to take out slices as needed. Either allow to defrost or pop in toaster or microwave.

 

[arbilab]

Sprue

I haven't (yet) experienced digestive issues from the change in bread. OTOH, if MOLD can't digest it, what makes us think we can? Mold can digest soap scum fer chrissake.

I'm 94% certain that the 'swirl' characterization and coarse texture result from a process change that has somewhat-gradually engulfed the entire industry. Almost certainly because it spews more product in less time, with total disregard for what that product is.

Mrs. Baird is rolling in her grave. Along with Howdy Doody and others sponsored by Wonder.

Then there's Roundup-Ready wheat, brought to you by Monsanto, satan of the food chain.

 

[lordkenmore]

>Maybe the rapid rise process is related the appearance of this new 'mild' celiac as well as the spread mentioned above?

I'm not entirely sure about this... But it does seem to me that I've at least heard the suggestion that modern "let's get it to rise as fast as possible" grocery store bread may cause people issues.

Indeed, I think I've noticed issues with whole wheat grocery store bread. Not sure if it's coincidence, or what, but more than once, after eating some, I've not felt as good. Strangely, I have not noted this with white. I also don't really notice any issues with whole wheat pasta.

As for the chemicals used in bread that allow it to linger months... Another thought has hit me: some into organic eating go as far as saying that if it can't rot/mold/otherwise decay, don't eat it.

I also have heard allegations that say that a lot of gluten intolerance isn't gluten, but rather intolerance to chemicals used by wheat farmers, most notably glyphosate (sold by Monsanto under the Roundup name).

 

[lordkenmore]

>Strangely, I have not noted this with white.

To clarify, I have not noted problems with white bread. BUT the only white breads I have eaten in recent memory are NOT the grocery store/Wonder bread type breads. "Lowest" grade I go is in-store bakery bread.

 

[xraytech]

When I buy bread I rather buy Mancini's Italian, wheat, or Rye bread. It's made locally in Pittsburgh. The white breads and rolls have the best taste as they are still using Lard in their baking.
My other bread is home made in a local Amish deli near my home. I buy wheat bread there.

Either one is usually good for about 3 days before starting to get hard, then I have about 1-2 more days before it goes moldy

 

[mamapinky]

No matter how you slice it (pun intended) mass produced plastic bag bread is lousy. Theres so much preservatives in it it doesn't even taste like bread. And I doubt that's any good for the body. I won't buy the stuff e cept an occasional hot dog or burger bun, very occasionally. I buy my breads in a small town family owned bakery. Real bread made like we do at home, free of preservatives. Once in awhile my grandsons will point to the bread in the grocery store and say..grandma why don't we ever buy real bread lol.

 

[lordkenmore]

>Once in awhile my grandsons will point to the bread in the grocery store and say..grandma why don't we ever buy real bread lol.

This can be a Teaching Moment! Explain that "real bread" is what you eat, not the crap the grocery store tries to pass off as bread.

This reminds me of one memory. My mother told me that when she was growing up that my grandmother baked all the bread the family used. Probably, one assumes, as a cost saving measure. My mother said that she envied the kids at school whose families got bread at the grocery store. Years later, of course, she realized the bread she got at home was much better. I assume her wish for the store bread was probably a social class thing--the better off families bought bread at the store type of thing.

Interestingly, perhaps, got into the habit of buying store bread later in life. I don't know if she stopped baking bread entirely, but my memory seems to suggest that when we visited, it was grocery store bread served. And, oh, yes, I remember one time when we found a supply of frozen bread dough in her freezer. (Bought at the grocery store. Plop in a pan, let thaw/rise IIRC, bake, and pretend you spent all day kneading! Some of that got baked, and wasn't as good as real home baked bread as I recall.)

 

[lordkenmore]

>I buy my breads in a small town family owned bakery.

I remember my grandmother doing that sometimes. I'm not sure if she bought at a bakery as such, but she did buy bread baked in a bakery that also sold through local grocery stores. I think she liked it better, but it wasn't something always available, and did cost more. (My grandmother was quite cost conscious...)

I've bought bread from small bakeries, as well, and it's a huge step up past standard grocery store fare. Although I'm not sure that I've had anything as good as the best home baked bread.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Put old bread out for the birds.

 

[gusherb]

My grandmother only baked Banana bread (the best damn banana bread I've ever had) and the rest of it, well you know the story about that. I think after that incident she never bought Sara Lee again though. Usually she'd have some half decent store bought white bread, and her Polish Rye from the local Polish deli she loved.

My great aunt Cookie as we call her, bakes her own white bread, rye bread, just about every kind of bread. For one occasion she made a Sauerkraut rye bread that everyone went nuts for, myself included. And on St. Patricks day she makes the best Soda bread i've ever had.

 

[launderess]

Banana Bread

Or muffins, cake, etc... is a great way to use up some bananas that are past it but not yet turned to squishy brown mush. *LOL*

In fact the "browner" the bananas are IIRC they are more sweet so you need less sugar. Have used such things when making banana cheesecake as well. If they are really ripe you may have to adjust any milk or other liquids a bit for extra water content, but not by much or perhaps at all.

Banana walnut muffins or bread freeze very well. Like to wrap each muffin individually and defrost/reheat as necessary to have with coffee or tea.

 

[58limited]

I've been baking sour dough bread for the past two years, won't go back to store bought. If I'm lazy, the local grocery store bakes decent artisan bread.

I've found that fresh-baked sour dough keeps for months in the freezer - tastes like fresh-baked when thawed.

I generally make a plain "country loaf" sour dough, a bacon cheddar jalapeno version, and a garlic rosemary Parmesan version. I bought an old 1970s grain mill and grind my own whole wheat. Otherwise, I use King Arthur flours (and I have their sour dough culture which dates back to the 1700s).

 

[mark_wpduet]

I do eat white bread

from the grocery store - but not very much at all..usually if I do it's just one slice with peanut butter on it...

The other bread that comes to mind that I LOVE are those frozen dinner rolls, I can't remember the name - Rhodes, I think....crusty dinner rolls or something like that. OMG they are so freaking good , but I rarely eat those either....I wonder if it's frozen they don't need to put so many preservatives in them?

I know what you guys mean about the bread lasting FOREVER and not molding....but I will mention, I have seen recent white bread mold! In fact, I had some hamburger buns that were lying on the counter way too long, and yes, they did mold!

Another thing I find really ODD is the organic Milk we buy from Costco! It it kirkland brand and it comes in 3 cartons when you buy them, and it lasts for a LONG TIME! And it's organic!

 

[launderess]

Lots of organic milk is super pasturised now

Just like some regular.

The upshot is the stuff has sell by/use by dates stamped on carton several weeks from the day. Organic producers of milk claim ultra high temperature processing is required because organic milk often must travel greater distances to local store shelves.

Here in New York City it is often the "normal" and inexpensive milk that still only lasts a few days. The organic stuff costs much more (about $4-5 a half gallon in some stores) but again will last weeks in the fridge.

Ultra High Temperature processing: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-organic-milk-lasts-longer/

 

[sudsmaster]

When I buy more bread than can be consumed in a couple of days I freezer wrap the excess. Bread keeps very well in the freezer for a week or two if securely wrapped.

 

Refrigeration tends to toughen bread and is not recommended unless one is going to toast or heat it.

 

 

[countryguy]

Being a household of 1, not including the 2 cats, I keep all my bread (white, rye, bagels, etc) in the freezer. Every morning I take out 2 slices, put them in the microwave for 20 seconds to defrost and then go about making my sandwich for lunch.

 

[jerrod6]

Not into it

Not into eating bread, so when I do eat it, it is going to be pumpernickel or something made out of whole grain.  I probably eat bread once every two weeks at a resturant.  It just seems like some type of filler thing and not really satisfying to me.