help for novice bread bakers

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Help for novice bread-bakers,and the not-so novice! Check out PBS, Breaking Bread with Father Dominic. He also has a website,www.breaking-bread.com. He's a cool guy,lots of tips, and he's really down-to-earth, speaks about family values, and self-reliance.

-- Margaret Jensen (gjensenii@earthlink.com.), October 13, 2001

Answers

If you all know anybody who isn't into computers or TV and they still need help with bread, tell them to check out "The Little House Cookbook" by Barbara M. Walker. Libraries should have it; I have my own copy. Goes step by step, in simple terms (author seems to assume a pre-teen or young adult audience), and also explains the WHY of each ingredient--a big help to me in experimenting with developing my own recipes.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), October 13, 2001.

And remember that most of us have made bread previously that would be suitable for a geologic study...hard as rocks and about as pleasant to eat! Practice makes perfect they say, though. Guess I don't practice enough, but my bread is still edible!

-- sheepish (WA) (the_original_sheepish@Hotmail.com), October 13, 2001.

Seventeen years ago we moved to the country from an area which had many ethnic bakeries and really missed the variety of breads available there. I don't know if it is still in print but I would try to find a copy of 'Old World Breads ' by Charel Scheele published by The Crossing Press. To improve rising, place a cassarole dish in an ice chest or cooler, pour a kettle of boiling water in the dish and put a rack or something over the dish.Put a bowl or two of dough in there and close the lid.We get nice high rising without a dry skin on the dough.

-- Rich Craig (froghollerfarm@intellex.com), October 14, 2001.

In an earlier issue i saw a request for how to make bread lighter and more like store bread. the responses did not include adding 1-3 tablespoons of wheat glutin to each cup whole wheat,fresh gruond,or storebought flour even "better for bread" lacks enough glutin.

-- nicole morgan (bamorgan@mindspring.com), November 01, 2001.

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