Bake your own bread

Lately I started to make bread rolls. First, just to try if I can make it, but turned out it’s pretty easy. Flour, yeast and water. All the other things are just the cream on the top.

Now I, make a 500g bread or rolls 1-2 times a week. Without a kitchen appliance what would do the kneading it feels like a sort of exercise sometimes, but it’s also fun to experiment with the flavours, textures and looks. I always like to think about cooking or baking in a playful way, when you have all the infinity of options to create something, like a creativity excercise. For me this is fun part – most of the times. If I wouldn’t enjoy I’m sure I would never cook a thing.

But change to the topic of health. Most of us eat bread on a daily basis, because it’s delicius and you can make eat them in a dozen ways. Just grab some rolls and make a sandwich or put peanut butter and jam on a slice of multigrain bread and you have loads of protein too. So we love pastry, hat’s a fact. There’s nothing wrong with it. But. When you buy your bread either in a supermarket or either at bakery, do you know what’s actually in it? Even when you read the label sometimes it’s full of things I have no idea of. This isn’t always means that all of them are bad. If you have the time for that, I totally recommend to read some ingredients lists, and search for the things you don’t know yet. And search carefully because the internet is full stupid things. If something is written in its chemical name and it’s found in other – non foodstuff- things as well, doesn’t mean it’s ‘poison’ or anything alike. Like water can be H2O or even dihydrogen monoxide, and found in noumerous things from bread till antifreeze liquids… A healthy scepticism always comes handy when browsing the internet.

This type of food should have a couple of ingrediets yet there’s dozens on the labels sometimes. Maybe that product iusn’t the best choice. If you’re not into baking or don’t have the time, ect… try to find a local bakery who make good and healthy products. Maybe you can even find a family owned bakery, which uses local ingredients too. That would be awsome, I’m absolutely found of these small businesses which use local food,products. But in most supermarkets – and nowdays they’re increasing – offer healthy(er) options too. One of my problems with this is that they can be quite expensive.

I live in Sydney currently and everything is expensive here. The cheapest pack of breadrolls (6pcs) is 2 AUD, but it’s true crap. So that’s an other reasons why I bake.

Cheaper

Endless options

More delicious

The ingredients are totally controlled, so I know what I eat

the basic Recipe

Ingredients

500g whole plain flour
250-300ml lukewarm water
1 satchet dry yeast
1 Tbs Himalyan salt
some pepper
optional things

Baking

1. Mix all dry ingredient in a big bowl (flour, yeast, sesame seed, pepper, salt) and stir them well.

2. Slowly add the water mixing and massaging it in the mixture. If it doesn’t form a ball and it’s too sticky – add flour. If it’s too dry – add more water.

3. Knead for at least 5-10 min on a clean surface (or sprinkle some flour under the ball)

4. Cover with a kitchen cloth and let it rest for minimum 30 minutes in a warm and wind free place (I put it into the oven and heat it up to 30 celsius – not warmer otherwise the yeast won’t work)

5. After 30 mins of sitting, knead a little againg, pump up the oven to 250°C (480°F) put some water in the oven in a thermostable bowl or pan (to avoid too much dry cracking)

6. If you making bread put the dough in a baking pan wich is oiled a little. If you want breadrolls, make 6-8 rolls (depending on how big you want) from your dough. I usually make 8 +1small one which is for tasing right after it comes out from the oven. Put them in a baking pan (oiled or using a baking paper). Leave some space between them and water a little the surface of the rolls or bread to make it shiny.

7. Bake for 20-25 mins. depending on the oven.

Variations & Optional things

The flour

I use whole plain flour and partly something else. That can be spelled wheat, buckwheat, linseed, LSA, oat flakes or anything you like. Experiment with all you can find, to find what really suits you.

Spicies

Salt, pepper, smoked paprika, turmenic, cumin seed, garlic, coriander, basil, marjoram, dill, sage, thyme, oregano, curry mix, caraway, ginger, cayanne pepper…

Seeds

Sesame, linseed, diced almonds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, peanuts, pecan nuts… 2 Tbs to 50g

Veggies

Onions, spring onions, dried tomatoes, cabbage, capsicum, zucchini, fresh basil, coriander, thyme… Finely cut.

The jucier the ‘optional’ is, the less water the dough needs. Different flours work differently – how much water the dough takes, how much seed you can add ect. This post here is just for inspiration. There’s no strict rules in this game, so feel free and experiment with your ingredients!