My house smells incredible, right now (how nice is that for a change?)! There is something about the smell of freshly baked bread that makes a house feel like a home. We also had delicious home-made orange cinnamon rolls today as we watched General Conference, and what’s best about it, is I didn’t do any of the baking!
So what has turned Boy Scout Barry into Baker Barry this weekend? Actually, if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you will recall that Barry is quite serious about his baking. He has perfected the Ginger Molasses Cookie (Truthfully-any others I’ve tried are disappointing now.), and has been on a bit of a quest to find the perfect homemade bread recipe for a long-while now.
So when my friend, and celebrity chef (she’s on the news channels in AZ all of the time), Chef Tess, contacted me about doing a giveaway in exchange for a lesson of my own, I knew that would make the perfect Christmas present for Baker Barry! Last weekend we redeemed that gift certificate, and Chef Tess came all the way across town to our home, armed with dough, ingredients, pans, and some serious bread-making skills.
Let me tell you, Chef Tess knows bread! You have to check the gorgeous decorative bread she makes on her site, but since Barry is a no-frills kind of guy, we focused on hearty whole-grain bread and getting the right kind of texture.
We both learned so much! Barry was a natural, and really took in everything she said! I promised her I wouldn’t reveal all of her secrets, but she said they can all be found on her website. So I will share one new thing that I learned.
To get great structure in your bread, flatten your dough into a rectangle and fold it into thirds. Flatten it again (to about the width of the bread pan) and then roll up the dough (like Vanna Barry is demonstrating above). Pinch the ends together and put it in the pan. You’ll have perfectly shaped loaves like this, and the consistent structure inside of the bread after it bakes is amazing! (See the top picture on this post.)
I am also really excited to try her recipe for 5 day bread dough! Genius, I tell you!
Barry was so excited, and it was so fun to hang out with Stephanie (her real name) again. We haven’t seen each other since my oldest was a baby.
(Try really hard not to judge my new bangs from this photo. My 3 year old, had been playing hair-dresser on me just before this photo was taken.)
In addition to all of the wisdom gained from Stephanie, both Barry and I had the chance to attend a Pantry Secrets bread class with in the last couple of weeks. The Pantry Secrets method is really fast and easy to do, and great for people who are a bit intimidated by baking. We will probably use both recipes depending on what we are making and how much time we have to make it. But in the meantime, I am excited to try all of Barry’s baking practice, and hopeful that we can save some money on bread in the future.
…And hope my house will always smell this good!
Do you bake or buy your bread? If you bake, how do you fit it into your schedule?
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I aspire to bake my own bread, it just hasn't actually happened yet.
I just started playing around w/ making my own bread. I let my moms old bread machine nead the dough then I let it rise and bake it in the oven. I cant wait to someday get a kitchenAid stand mixer. This is the recipe I've been playing around w/ http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_wheat_bread
But I'm really excited to try some of the things from the site you linked to.
Thanks
I've always wanted to make my own breads! I do it in spurts and always LOVE it and swear I will keep it up. Haven't done it in years. Yours looks fantastic!
Rebecca@RootsAndWingsCo
I do make my own bread periodically, and my kids LOVE it! In fact, my 6-year old usually asks "Is this homemade" before eating any bread. He claims he doesn't like anything but… : ) I love the rolling trick – I do that with French bread, especially, because I seriously cannot shape a loaf well without that trick.
And how funny you had orange cinnamon rolls yesterday, because I made those, too!! They were yuuuuuumy. 🙂
Aw, it looks like you guys had so much fun! That is some beautiful bread. I have been struggling to get my bread beautiful. Maybe I will try again tomorrow… Hey-contact me if you are still interested in pedis for your girl's bday. I just remembered that! 🙂
I truly had a wonderful time reconnecting with you! What a wonderful family you have! Big hugs to you and may Baker Barry keep up the great work. He's a natural!
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