Martha Stewart's Bread -Verdict

The dough was really easy to work with.  I got good rises and a nice oven spring.  I did cut back on the baking time by 5 minutes - with 10 minutes left, the top crusts looked dark, so I covered them with aluminium foil.  I did take their internal temps when I took them out 5 minutes early and both showed over 200 degrees.  So they were definitely done.  It does have a very crumb and it does taste like white bread.  The bread I am comparing it to is my Portugese Sweet Bread which is definitely the better bread (da da I am the winner!)  I will have my husband and son try it tonight and get an unbiased opinion. 

The next bread I would like to try is in Julia Child's book, From Julia Child's Kitchen.  Apparently, she met with a bread baker in French and translated several of his French recipes into English.  The recipe that I want to try is called French Sandwich bread.  You are supposed to bake it in a pullman bread loaf (a bread loaf pan with a top - makes square bread).  I can't afford those, so I am going to improvise - just use my regular loaf pans and put a cookie sheet on top.

Stay tuned for further adventures!

A Challenge

The other day I was in our local Wally World and happened to be walking past the magazine aisle.  I saw Martha Stewart's Living magazine and noticed on the front cover the caption "One Recipe, 4 Great Breads".  I had to buy that magazine to see what type of breads Martha makes.  The basic recipe is a "Classic White" bread and the 3 variations are Multigrain, Cinnamon Raisin and Rye. 

I accept your challenge Martha!  Let's see who makes the better bread!  Today I am going to try the Classic White bread and next week I plan on comparing her Rye bread to my Sour Rye.  Let the best baker win!

For those interested in the recipes, they are located in Martha's February issue - it has a big chocolate Valentine Heart on it.

Follow-up on Cinnamon Raisin Bread

The bread does dry out fairly quickly.  Also the cinnamon sugar on top made the crust very hard.   Though the bread did taste very good, I am not sure I would make it again unless you are planning on eating both loaves within a day or two of baking.  So the search continues for the perfect Cinnamon Raisin Bread!

Verdict - Cinnamon Raisin Bread

The dough raised beautifully. The picture to the left is the dough after the first rise. It was very easy to work with. The only problem is that it makes the kitchen smell wonderfully so when you take it out of the oven, you can't wait for a nice warm slice.   After taking it out of the oven, I rubbed the tops of the loaves with butter and sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar.

It tastes as good as it smells. This is a keeper recipe.  The recipe makes two loaves, this is one of the finished products.  Definitely a good project for a cold, snowy afternoon.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread by Peter Reinhart

It is snowing here in Cincinnati and it is supposed to snow all day. Good day for baking. I got out my Peter Reinhart's book "The Bread Baker's Apprentice". What a neat book! I am planning on trying a lot of the recipes in his book. Anyway, the Cinnamon Raisin bread caught my eye. You can make it with walnuts, but my husband doesn't like nuts in his bread.

The bread is now "fermenting" for 2 hours. I didn't do the swirl, just added the cinnamon, sugar and raisins in the initial mixing. Well, you add the raisins in the last two minutes of kneading - this way they don't get crushed or mashed.

I am anxious to give this a try. My family does like his Cinnamon Roll recipe better than the Sourdough recipe I got from Bob Packer.

Whole Wheat Bread

If you don't own a copy of the "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" book by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Fancois, you should order a copy from Amazon. Great book! I have made several of the recipes in the book and can't complain about any of them. Much to my surprise, my son (the McDonald's Addict), loves the herb bread!

Basically, you make up the dough the day before, let it rise and store it in the refrigerator in a huge container. The next day, take out a "grapefruit size" of dough and bake it (this is a very simplified version). You do need a few pieces of equipment like a pizza peel and baking stone (you can easily find these on eBay).

I made the Whole Wheat version today and am quite pleased with the results. Most of the whole wheat bread I have baked make really good doorstops or hockey pucks!