Homemade bread is not only delicious but making it can be therapeutic as well. In fact, baking is one of personal top forms of self-care. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and pride, and it also gives you a feeling of nostalgia. Not to mention the amazing smell coming from your kitchen!
Homemade bread is the perfect treat for breakfast or a mid-morning snack. It’s also an easy and inexpensive homemade gift.
You can use an assortment of different types of flour to make your own bread, including whole wheat, white, rye and more. The type of flour you choose will affect not only the taste but also the texture and nutritional value. Baking bread is also a great way to get creative in the kitchen.
There are many reasons why you would want to make your own bread. For example, baking your own white or wheat bread can help you save money on your grocery bill. Eating whole wheat bread will keep you healthier and may even help you lose weight.
The process of making your own bread is surprisingly easy and can save you a significant amount of money.
You can enjoy your homemade bread in your own home or even start baking some for friends and family members.
Homemade bread ingredients
Bread is a staple in many cultures and has been a part of the human diet since before recorded history. Bread is a carbohydrate-rich food, typically made from wheat flour, water, yeast and salt.
You can also add other ingredients to flavour your bread – for example, you might want to make a cheese and garlic flavoured bread, or add rosemary to your bread.
How to make homemade bread
Every bread recipe will have a different method, however, the typical process of making bread begins with mixing flour and water to form a dough; this is kneaded for 10 to 15 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. The dough is then placed in a loaf pan for proofing; this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the type of bread being made.
After proofing, the dough is baked in an oven until it is cooked, then removed from the oven to cool down.
Once removed from the pan you can slice your bread and taste it straight away, or store it to use later.
Homemade bread tip – practice makes perfect
When it comes to making homemade bread, practice makes perfect. You can’t expect every loaf to be perfect so remember that your bread baking will get better with time. You will soon learn that if your mixture seems too sticky then leaving it for 10 minutes after mixing can help it. Hacks like these come from getting more practice.
Store your yeast properly
When making homemade bread it is very important to not only use the correct yeast but also to store it correctly. Make sure the yeast you are using is in date and stored correctly – for example, fresh yeast should be stored in the fridge.
Feel free to experiment
Homemade bread can be made in a variety of flavours as well as using topping on the bread.
Feel free to experiment with different flavours, sizes and toppings when making your own bread.
Take your time
When baking bread it is important that you don’t skip any steps, especially the proofing time. You can put this time to good use by tidying up the kitchen or finishing other chores whilst you wait.
Measure carefully
When baking homemade bread you will find that even small differences in the amount of ingredients you are using can make a big difference. Therefore be careful when it comes to measuring out your ingredients, especially your water, yeast and salt.
