Feast logo

"Modern Conveniences" Bread

A bread recipe for the ages

By Cheyenne LeoPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
Like
Crispy, Crumbly Goodness!

Ever wish for the good old days? Well, you might be misguided. Toilet paper wasn’t even invented, let alone widely available, until 1857. Commercial soap came along even later, hitting markets around 1900. It was a germy, germy world. But one thing that has always been very nearly the same (aside from some changes in the original state of the ingredients) is the staff of life—bread.

I came up with this bread recipe after having a holiday marathon with my family where we watched Victorian Bakers. It was amazing to think that the yeast to make the bread came not from the store or from the production of sourdough as I had always assumed, but from the brewers. The series goes over the conditions and hardships the bakers and people in general went through back in the good old days. By the end, my whole family was well and truly grateful to live in these modern times. That’s where the name of this bread recipe comes from.

It makes a nice, soft sandwich loaf. You can put it in a standard loaf pan, roll it into a ball and quarter and slice the top to make a crown, roll it into a snake and twist or braid it, or divide it into eight small balls and make buns. You can also add sugar and cinnamon, add a ½ cup of sugar and a ½ tsp of dried lemon zest along with ¼ cup each of dried blueberries and cranberries, or add a scoop of oat bran or other grains. These are just the things that I have tried with this recipe. It’s versatile and easy, so experimentation is relatively safe. The basic recipe is as follows:

3½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup wheat germ

½ tsp baking powder

1 tbsp instant dry yeast (or traditional dry, changes at bottom of the recipe)

3/4 cup margarine

1 cup milk, heated till almost boiling (keep an eye on it unless you want a mess!)

Up to one cup of warm water

Put all of your dry ingredients into a bowl. Start with the flour so that the lesser ingredients will be easier to evenly distribute. This helps you not have big pockets or large doughy spots in your bread. Stir the dry mix until it’s all homogenous, and set it aside.

In another bowl, start mashing your room-temp margarine with the back of a fork. When it’s mashed and soft, start pouring your hot milk into it, stirring all the time. When it’s combined and liquid, pour it into a well in the middle of the dry mix and stir until it all gets sucked up. At this point, you start adding your water until the ball of dough comes together. It should not be overly moist, at first. Remember that you can always add a little flour if the dough is too wet to knead—add it in 1/2 cup increments.

Knead the dough for ten minutes. It’s hard work, but it stretches out the gluten in the bread and makes it soft. Around the seven minute mark, there’s usually a distinct change in the feel of the bread. It becomes more stretchy and pliable in your hands, and if you press your hand flat and firmly against the top and lift, the ball should come up with your hand briefly before coming off and slapping back down onto the counter. If you have a mixer, you can use the dough hook to save your arms. I find that using the mixer gives the bread a finer texture, more like what you would find in a store.

Now, the dough needs to rise. Dampen a kitchen towel with warm water, and set your oven on to preheat at 350 degrees Celsius. Pour a little oil onto the dough ball and roll it around so the oil coats the outside. Place the ball in the bowl on the middle of the stove (on top- not inside!!) and cover it with the warm, damp towel. Leave it alone for 45 minutes and the dough should have risen to twice its original size. If you live in a warm place, you could just put it together to rise without the oven being on. Here in Canada, the oven is a necessity, except for in the middle of summer.

Now you can shape it however you like. Once it’s shaped and in its pan, you leave it alone for another 45 minutes, then move it into the oven and bake it for about 35-50 minutes, or until it’s all golden and sounds hollow when you tap it with a fork. The time really depends on the bread and your oven, so be careful. It's better to have a little dark crust than to have dough in the middle of your bread.

Traditional yeast:

If you are using traditional yeast, you should add the yeast to a large mug containing a half cup of warm, not hot, water with a teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit for 15 minutes. It should get nice and bubbly and come alive, and if it doesn’t, you’d better bomb down to the store for more. And be glad you can!

You should let it sit on a cooling rack in the pan for about 15 minutes before turning it out onto the rack and letting it alone to cool for another half an hour at least before cutting it. It’s absolutely molten hot on the inside if you don’t let it sit, and you risk not only burning yourself, but squishing and wrecking your beautiful bread. So seriously, let it sit.

recipe
Like

About the Creator

Cheyenne Leo

Hi! I’m 27 years old, I live in rural Canada and I make my living as a Content and Copy Writer. I love writing (of course), reading, cooking and most of all- Science.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.