Bread Making Madness

I grew very tired of 4 dollar whole wheat bread at the supermarket. It was preposterous. So we checked out bread machines on the good ol' iNet and learned quite enough to make a sound purchasing decision. We struck out to search the local used goods thrift stores for a suitable one in good shape. The first we went to had none, not a one...the next had one but it looked like it's best baking days were twenty years ago so on we went and at the lovely Thrift Center on West Texas Street in Fairfield we found one that looked as though it had never been used! No manual but we figured correctly that the manual would be available on-line from the manufacturers site. Kelly then found a dynamite whole wheat recipe and away we went to make delicious, homemade whole wheat breads for far less than the 4 dollar price the market wanted. Cost per loaf, about $1.35. Cheap these days.
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Then I gre curious about the making of sourdough breads. Why? Well here in The Bay Area sourdough bread is endemic, found everywhere in all kinds of forms, bagettes, rolls, pizza dough, bagels (really!). Thus I have undertaken the creation of my own starter ( 1 cup of bread flour, one cup of water ) and at this very minute have the beginnings of tonights hamberger buns becoming dough in the bread machine. So far it looks good, nice round all togther wonderful shape. Next to allow it to rise in the machine, drop it out, shape it into rolls and bake. We shall see. Sourdough, according to experts, takes much patience, more than ordinary bread making as the yeast is slow to burp thus making the bread slow to rise. I'm going to let it rise in the bread machine itself as it maintains a warmth that is beneficial to the rise time. Home after a quick trip to the store and a round about town to check out foreclosure-looking sales posted on houses...not many about at this time. The dough just sat there while we were gone, I saw no doubling or maybe even 10%...but it is pretty and I hand cut the dough into quarters and formed them to make hamburger buns, we shall see. May be hockey pucks when they are baked.
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Sometime later...
We have hockey pucks! Rise? What rise? Except one that had trapped air in it and blew up to a small round object that looked deceptively like a loaf of bread sort-of.
Alas upon sawing it open the hole was discoverred and the texture was that of so much flour and water cooked to a consistency of hard rubber. So much for sourdough bread making for the Unthanksgiving lunch upcoming this Sunday. Back to whole wheat for now.

Money, Money, Money

The recession in our house is in full swing, we have a balky renter, can't or won't pay. That sets us back about 1200 bucks a month in income, not good. We won't starve, but it's far from ideal. Kelly called a lawyer and before long he had taken the case, it's more complicated than normal rentals as it's really a sub-lease of the original renter who never actually stayed in the house. Odd but true. Nontheless we will have them out shortly with any luck. Our plan is to move into that house this winter and in turn rent this one so we can eventually sell that one down the road a bit. It has to do with taxation in our country, you need to actually LIVE in a place for 2 years before you can sell it without staggering financial penalty.
I've begun baking bread(s), bought a nice bread machine and acquired a basic whole wheat recipe with which to practice. The first few loaves were basic doorstops, bricks, lumps...not good. But the instruction manual had ways to repair the loaves the next time, add a bit of this if it looked this way and take away a bit of that if it looks another way. I spent the better of last week trying this and that and over a course of about 10 loaves came up with honest, delicious whole wheat bread.
I will post the recipe for those interested.
Here goes!
Whole Wheat Nut Bread
for Bread Machines:
5 oz (5/8 cup) 7 grain cereal mix
10 oz plus 1 Tablespoon hot water
Combine these for one hour.
14 oz (1 3/4 cup) Bread Flour (high glutin)
4 oz (1/2 Cup) Whole Wheat Flour
2 1/2 Tablespoons Honey
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 Tablespoon salt
3 oz (3/8 cup) crushed nut meats.

There you go. Combine the water with the cereals for about 1 hr until the temperature falls to below 110 degrees F. Add all ingredients except the yeast, add it last (on top of the rest). Turn on your machine and go play. The results are well worth your efforts. Delicious with a fine crumb.