Breadmaking: Our Tips & Flour Favorites

Sandwich bread - see Recipe page

My husband and I are big fans of homemade bread and in fact, almost all of the bread we consume was baked in our own kitchen! From soft sandwich bread to hamburger buns, quick breads, cookies, pizza crust, tortillas, dinner rolls and sourdough.

We’ve come a long way in learning. Early in 2024 I started recipe testing to get a feel for it. Just the other day looking through my camera roll I found pictures of those first few loaves, we gasped! They were hideous! Crumbly and pale, they looked nothing like the bread we make today.

After lots of trial and error we learned a few keys to successful breadmaking, here they are:

Sourdough pizza crust - we had so much fun thinking of topping combinations!

1.     Patience is key – follow the recipes exact timeframes for how long to knead and how long to rest. These 2 key factors effect the gluten development which has a huge effect on the final product.

2. Measure! – This and the above is the reason my husband is in charge of the yeast bread, and I do the sourdough breads. I’m not precise! Sourdough, once you get the hang of it, is not very finicky about exact measurements but with yeast breads, being a bit off will affect the dough’s texture from the start, my husband can feel the difference in his hands as he kneads it. We use an inexpensive digital scale like this one from Amazon to measure in grams.

   
   

   

   Soft Honey Sourdough - soon to be added to Recipe page

   
   

3. Bloom your Yeast – For yeast breads, you MUST ‘bloom’ your yeast. Mix the warm water, sugar and dry yeast, I like mixing this quickly with a whisk to incorporate and then pinching a bit of the floating yeast bits with my fingers to feel the texture, if the water is sufficiently warmed, it should feel sticky to the touch. Let this rest for 10-15 minutes before proceeding with the recipe, it should foam up, if it doesn’t you can either discard and try again or just roll with it – knowing the bread likely wont rise as well but will likely still result in a tasty loaf regardless.

4. Flour Matters – We’ve used a variety of all purpose flours, bread flours, whole wheat flours and now we know just what we like!

   1.   We get the Organic Unbleached Flour from Costco in bulk. This flour can be used for just about anything and makes a perfect loaf on its own.

   2. I like to mix in some whole wheat flour, which provides a stronger taste and adds color and nutrition to the bread. Note that when using whole wheat, the flour will soak up more water and result in a drier dough, you may need to add an extra couple spoons of water. For those who are new to working with whole wheat I recommend starting with just a cup or two mixed in with the regular flour or even up to a 50/50 mix. Try this first before delving into 100% whole wheat! Different flour blends from different wheat can bring in lots of flavors and some folks just like a milder bread for everyday toast/sandwich making. In your experimentation you’ll find what ratios you and your family enjoy!

      
      

      

      
      

   3. For whole wheat I like sourcing local organic flour from tegnermill.com, a mill located in Turlock milling wheat grown in Waterford and Hilmar, I live very close to mazzeltovfarms.com, a natural shop which specializes in handmade goat milk soaps, which stocks this flour so I can pick up close to home! This is as local as it gets! Their All-Purpose Flour is mild enough to use in anything! I use some of their Bread Flour when I want that deeper rich flavor.

   4. I have also purchased from haydenflourmill.com, which mills organic heritage wheat in AZ. Their flour-sack style tea-towels are perfect for throwing over rising dough!

   5. I also sometimes get the Organic High Protein Farmer Flour from ballerinafarm.com in northern Utah, this high protein flour is great for any bread, with a mild flavor similar to the Costco flour and the red/white striped bag is so cute on the counter!

5.      Cool before slicing – the hardest part! After the bread comes out of the oven, the heat inside the bread is still at work, when you cut in too soon and let the steam out it can result in a loaf with an unappetizing slightly gummy texture, which is a huge bummer after your hard work.

Check out our recipe page here to find our go-to bread recipes!