Comments on: The bread-baking frenzy

By: Sandi

Sandi — Wed, 10 May 2017 04:26:10 +0000

LOL! I started the bread frenzy at 17, but I blame it on my genes, specifiaclly, the ones I inherited from my maternal grandmother. I only do quick and yeast breads (the DH doesn’t like sourdough, but I love him enough to keep him anyway), and I am puzzled by people that think making yeast bread takes hours. Sure, the wait time can take hours, but the make time does not. The bread I make most often takes 10 minutes to proof the yeast, and another 20 to mix, knead and have in a large Tupperware bowl on top of the freezer to rise. Go about my day for 1-1.5 hours, punch it down, reseal bowl and leave on counter to rise a second time (the dough is baby bath warm from first rising), go back to other things. At an appropriate period before when I want to put the bread on the table, punch down and shape into rolls or loaves, cover, and go start dinner (unless of course it’s a holiday meal, in which case it was started hours ago). Once dinner is well underway, go uncover pans and pop into preheated oven. Total hands on time? Maybe 35-40 minutes. It just makes no sense to count the wait time. It’s not like you can’t be reading a book, taking a bath, heck, even cleaning the house if desperate for something to do. 😉

By: Nancy B

Nancy B — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 17:22:00 +0000

I love the K.A.F. starter… and have recently started a second wind of baking… I got sick of reading more chemicals than ingredients in the commercial loaved… even the ones coming out of the in shop “bakery” at the local grocery store has preservatives and cellulose?

I mixed up the recipe a bit and added honey to the first sponge… now making a cinnamon raisin 3rd loaf out of the cup removed :-)!

By: Nancy B

Nancy B — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 17:22:00 +0000

I mixed up the recipe a bit and added honey to the first sponge… now making a cinnamon raisin 3rd loaf out of the cup removed :-)!

By: Molly

Molly — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:59:06 +0000

laurenb, I have to admit that I haven't done a good job of tending to my starter lately, and though there was a time when I would have offered to mail you some, you probably wouldn't want it now! You might try looking into buying some from King Arthur, the flour company. They sell it through their website.

By: laurenb

laurenb — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 02:12:34 +0000

are you still willing to provide some help with sourdough starter? : )

By: mysonglines

mysonglines — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:41:30 +0000

Hi Molly,

This is the first time that I have written on a blog, but felt compelled to do so. I am halfway through your book, “A Homemade Life”, and I am thoroughly enjoying it–you write with such warmth and love about your family and friends, and you have put to words so well how food, family and friends are intricately connected. I am a little (make that a lot) older than you and most of the folks who have written to you–so I am on my second “frenzy-go-round” of baking bread and knitting. On the subject of instant yeast–do we all use electric washing machines to clean our clothes? I, for one, have no desire to do my laundry with a scrub board in an icy creek in the dead of winter nor in the warmth of summer for that matter. It seems to me that if something makes life a little easier and does no great harm, there is nothing wrong with using it. I look forward to reading more of your blog and trying out some of the recipes–the first will probably be the Honey Gold Oatmeal Bread. Thank you. Lisa

By: sj

sj — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:41:17 +0000

Hi. 5 years after the original post, I've found you. I've also survived the bread-baking frenzy, still revisit from time to time. But here's what fascinates me: I recently became a certified massage therapist. During my training, we learned tummy rubs. The first time I did one, I kept wondering, “Why is this so familiar? Why is this so evocative?” I finally figured it out: the tummy felt exactly like fresh, warm dough, and I was feeling the exact same love and connection I always felt when kneading that living, breathing, beloved dough! Every time I do a tummy rub,I have this same healiing experience.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:44:00 +0000

how do i print simply the recipe, no comments etc? can’t seem to find a print area?jk

By: hoperu

hoperu — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:44:00 +0000

I just found you through the Times of London list (via Dorie Greenspan’s blog) and can’t wait to catch up. Everything I have seen looks so good! I too am in the prime bread frenzy years, and bake bread at least once a week. I was sort of forced to do it in self defense after moving last year to a town with no good bread. I’ve kept it up after another move to another town with sub-par bread. Now, I couldn’t go back (except for the Three Girls Bakery in Pike Place Market).This recipe is an awful lot like one I have from my mother, just without the sourdough starter. I wrote about it back in October:http://hoperu.blogspot.com/2008/10/let-them-eat-bread.html

By: Molly

Molly — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:05:00 +0000

Sophie, are you looking for some sourdough starter? If so, shoot me an e-mail at cheeseandchocolate (at) gmail (dot) com. I’ll see what I can do.