Conversely, just saw this twitter post by @gloomfather: "Oh dude yeah you gotta try baking your own bread in quarantine. It takes 14 hours to do right and it’s boring as shit, but the results are often quite disappointing." :)
You do have to wait overnight for the dough to rise, but you don't have to do any kneading.
The results taste about 10x better than any other bread I've ever had in my life.
Recipe modifications and tips:
- I use a cast iron bread pan -- it really makes a difference
- I prefer to use a good quality bread flour, like King Arthur. Haven't had luck with all-purpose flour.
- I do everything in a single bowl, up to the point that the dough is transferred to the bread pan
- I keep the oven at 450 degrees F throughout, and only start it 15 minutes before baking.. works well enough for me
- I use the "3/4 of original" ingredients in the recipe to make one single loaf of bread, which fits perfectly in my bread pan
- I tend to apply coconut oil to the top of the bread half-way through baking, rather than before baking. It's a lot easier to apply coconut oil when it's melted, which it'll readily do atop hot bread, so this is the easiest way to do it for me. But I still oil the inside of the bread pan beforehand as usual.
- I like to use instant yeast, so I can mix it directly in to the flour without needing the extra step of activation. It's worked great for me.
- Before adding the yeast, I mix the salt thoroughly in to the flour. Yeast should not be dumped directly on a pile of salt as that could kill it. Also, don't let the water you add get too hot, as that can also kill the yeast. I make the water luke-warm to slightly warm and that's resulted in a big rise in the dough for me.
I use a simpler version, but very similar.
I like to roll it (or just coat the bottom) in seeds or cornmeal to prevent sticking, rather than dealing with parchment, oil, etc.
Also, if you are running out of yeast (like I did) you can just save some of the dough and learn how to feed the culture with flour and water daily.
I've never baked so much as a cookie, in my life before. Like any skill, baking bread simply requires practice... And a scientific approach, where you vary one parameter at a time, until you figure out something that works.
I own exactly two things that have made this process easier. A kitchen scale, for exact weighing (Because all bread recipes measure in grams, not cups...) - and an oven thermometer, because my oven is a lying, slanderous ne'er-do-well, and is never accurate about its temperature.
It does not take 14 hours to do. It takes about 30 minutes of up-front work in the morning, and then about 30 minutes of attention interspersed throughout the day.
And it's not like I have better things I could be doing.
The trick I figured out is to invest in a danish dough whisk - then I whisk it in the bowl instead of pinching. I also let the dough rise over night in the same bowl. Also - don't ignore the instructions to heat the dutch oven before baking. This is what prevents the bread from sticking.
Fresh bread can take as little as 20 minutes of work and tastes amazing.
The only valid complaint is it doesn't last long.
1. Use a mixer to mix flour (measured by weight), salt, yeast, water for 10 minutes.
2. Let sit for 4 hours
3. Kneed for 5 minutes
4. Rest for 30 minutes in a cold Dutch oven while you preheat to 425
5. Put it in the oven for 30 minutes
6. Remove lid and Lower temp to 375 and weight about 20 more minutes until bread gets to 200 degrees.
You do that. It’s 15 minutes worth of work, but you have to be home which makes it optimal for wfh days. You will get awesome results every time
Making bread yourself is incredibly delicious, easy to do, and takes no time at all.
Edit: I also set my oven to 510 Fahrenheit to get a consistent bake, but that may be a quirk of my particular oven.
So yeah, the variations make sense