Baking Bread


It was a year ago that I decided that I was going to bake all our own bread. I haven’t bought a single loaf this whole year. I will never go back. There are so many things I love about baking bread. Something about providing with my own hands something that is so sustaining to my family. I like that I can provide a healthier bread for less money.

It has been a year of a lot of ups and downs as I have taught myself to bake bread. I have experimented a lot and failed a lot, my poor family had eaten a lot of flat, heavy bread. When I think I have it all figured out, I learn something else and make it better and better. Last night, I baked 6 loaves of bread, 4 came out beautiful and perfect, the last batch was fallen and flat!

Despite all the failures and struggles and hot kitchens on hot summer nights it has been a wonderful experience, and something that I plan on doing indefinitely.


Who else bakes their own bread, what do you enjoy about baking bread?

18 thoughts on “Baking Bread

  1. I bake bread about 90% of the time. Like you, I’ve had a lot of failures. However, I have enough delicious successes to keep me at it. I love it because, I am rotating my stored grains. I love it because, my family appreciates it. I love it because, a little love lives in each loaf. I love it because, I can fellowship and serve my neighbors with it. I bake 2 mini loaves each time I bake a batch and share with someone new.

  2. I bake most of our bread. I’ve noticed that the bread I bake goes really fast, while storebought bread stays around until it molds!

  3. I used to occasionally bake bread. The last time I tried, it totally didn’t work. I hate baking bread and doubt I’d ever make all our own bread. If I’m in the mood for nice warm bread I buy Rhodes dough… LOL

  4. I bake all my bread (thanks to you and your fabulous recipe)…but I’m too chicken to experiment much…guess I should do that to add more grains and such. I also do all my own rolls and hamburger buns. My family wouldn’t have it any other way!

  5. I love making my own bread and I completely agree that it is so satisfying providing nutritious, inexpensive food for your family with your own hands!

  6. I bake our bread, rolls, etc and love it. The satisfaction it brings….Just like anything you create with your hands for your family or yourself bring great satisfaction and sense of accomplishment.
    Do you grind your own grain?
    If not wait till you do that and make bread with it beyond words at how good you feel.
    Erika

  7. It’s funny you should post about baking bread….I was just thinking yesterday about making bread to use up some of our stored flour! Of the three loaves that come out of the oven at one time, at least one is eaten before the other two cool.
    Time doesn’t always permit making bread, but we all love it! Your picture says a thousand words, the first one being “delicious!”

  8. I bake my own bread and love it. I haven’t gotten my tortillas down yet. Keep on going!

  9. When my husband was in medical residency, I went a year making my own bread. Somehow I got out of the habit, but am hoping to start again (after I get my broken mixer replaced).

  10. i’m at the beginning stages of baking my own bread…i end up with a lot of heavy bread that doesn’t slice too cleanly..i’m guessing i have to knead it even LESS than i already am, at least that is what i’m being told…i’m hoping that over the next year, i’ll keep going and get better and better at it…by the way, my bread doesn’t turn out as pretty as yours is..it also doesn’t slice that cleanly..

  11. I’ve come a long way in my bread making skills over the last year. A year ago I was a stressed out mess when I tried to make bread. Now I love it. I am still learning a lot and make mistakes fairly often (my Christmas rolls did not rise!)
    I want to work on making even more bread this year so I can make the switch to all homemade like you.

  12. I do! I do! I have lots of bread recipes, but have found my favorites (a wheat and a white) that are foolproof and delicious and they are what I stick with.

  13. I don’t bake my own bread. But, it’s sure a talent. I love to eat my moms! You are REALLY talented Momzoo.

  14. I bake bread but only for pleasure or when I run out and cna’t go to the store. I’d like to make it more often though!

  15. I bake most of our bread. But it would be a lie to say we never buy it. And to be honest, I like it because of the taste, and I know it’s healthier. I don’t really LIKE to cook, I just do it because I love my family. I have definitely had good and bad loaves too.
    *hugs*

  16. I bake all our own bread too—and it is so good I don’t know how we ever ate store-bought. I am a bit bread obsessed and bake bread of all sorts just about every day!

    Yours looks wonderful and it’s so nice to see others baking their own bread.

  17. We love homemade bread, especially in the winter time with homemade soup. The kids and I love fresh ground whole wheat bread but my husband prefers white bread so we usually make both types. I like to make half the dough into a loaf and the other half into cheese rolls.

    You mentioned making 6 loaves and 2 loaves fell; don’t know if this will help but I have learned that a loaf of bread will fall if it is allowed to rise too long in the pan.