Baking Your Own Bread: It’s Easier Than You Think

Baking your own bread might sound daunting, but it’s quite simple once you grasp the basics. I mean, I didn’t realize how easy it could be until I tried it myself. Now, I’m eager to share what I’ve learned.

So, if you’re after some homemade sandwich bread, here’s a quick tip: swap out the water for milk or half-and-half, toss in some melted butter, and add a tablespoon of sugar. It’s that straightforward.

Once you get it right, the idea of returning to store-bought bread—those products stuffed with chemicals and fillers—seems almost crazy. The authentic stuff, recognized as “bread” for millennia until only the last century, is not just tastier but also more affordable and nutritious.

Getting Started with Sourdough

And don’t fret; we won’t make this an overly complicated affair like some influencers out there who stress about using the latest kitchen gadgets for tradition’s sake. No need for a kitchen scale or high-tech thermometers. We’ll be channeling methods that your great-grandmother would recognize, without all those modern conveniences.

Your thoughts on sourdough might be clouded by the notion that it’s complicated—like only an artisan from a hip city could pull it off. Months back, I committed to learning how to bake bread using a natural sourdough starter entirely by hand, and guess what? I did it! And it felt great. Now, I can tell just by touch when the dough is right and by sight when it’s ready to go in the oven. The only “tools” I had? A measuring cup and a timer.

Had I a failure? Just a couple of loaves. I realized I was using a starter that was a bit weak. Once I adjusted my approach, the results were incredible.

Trust me, when you make bread this good, you’ll remember it a month later.

Next, I wanted to create something a bit fancier, like those $9 loaves from my local bakery. I opted for a recipe made simply with flour, water, salt, and a dash of olive oil and rosemary. The combination was divine!

Give It a Shot

So, why not experiment on your own? I won’t dish out a detailed recipe—it’s not about rigid steps and amounts. What I want you to take away is a basic process that you can feel and understand through doing, rather than just memorizing.

For Beginners

Forget about buying expensive starters online; you can make that on your own. The yeast needed comes from rye flour and the air around us.

Materials Needed:

• Stone-ground whole grain rye flour (yes, it’s essential even if you aren’t making rye bread).
• Water.
• A jar or bottle.

Method:

Begin with about a cup of whole rye flour, adding room temperature water to form a thick paste, something reminiscent of that paper-mâché glue from your school days.

Don’t stress if it’s a bit too thick or thin—it’ll still work. Mix thoroughly in the jar. Wrap a rubber band around the jar where the starter dough sits to track its growth. Cover it loosely with a towel or lid and place it in the oven with the light on. Leave it for 24 hours.

After that, discard half, add equal parts rye flour and water, mix, and let it sit for another day. Repeat this for about a week. After a few days, you should notice bubbles forming—don’t worry if it smells a little odd at first; that’s normal. By the end of the week, it should have a pleasant sour aroma, and you’ll see it double in size between feedings, which is exactly what you want.

By this point, you’ll have a lively starter ready for bread-making. You can keep feeding it with rye or even switch to white flour. I usually use whatever I have available.

Your First Loaf

Starting out, I used rye flour and water, but then you’ll need to mix in white flour and salt as the last two ingredients.

Don’t get too hung up on the details; what’s important is that bread flour has a higher protein content essential for structure and rising.

Begin by taking your starter from the fridge and feeding it with flour and water. Then, turn on the oven light to create a warm environment—ideal for yeast. Wait 3-4 hours until it’s doubled in size.

Afterward, use about half a cup of this starter combined with another half cup of room temperature water. Return the rest to the fridge, needing only a tablespoon for next time.

In a large bowl, mix about 4 1/2 cups of strong flour with two teaspoons of salt. Gently combine the salt and flour, then add your wet mixture. Stir until everything is blended and no dry bits remain; the dough should have a slightly sticky texture.

No Kneading Required

Guess what? You don’t need to knead it. The tradition of kneading arose when commercial yeast became available in the 1860s, as its rapid fermentation didn’t allow enough time for the dough’s structure to develop naturally.

With sourdough, time does the work that kneading would. Simply cover it and let the dough sit in a cool spot for 18 to 24 hours. This slow fermentation process enhances flavor and keeps the bread fresher.

Once that phase is done, it’s baking time. Preheat your Dutch oven to 450 degrees for about 45 minutes. Form the dough into a ball or loaf and place it inside. Cover it and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the lid, lower the temperature to 400 degrees, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until you achieve a beautiful golden brown crust.

In the end, you’ve crafted bread that’s leagues above the bland, plastic-tasting variety from the grocery store, all at a minimal cost and effort. Forget scales and precise measurements; this is how bread was made for centuries, long before the 20th century.

If those first loaves don’t come out perfectly, don’t let that discourage you—just keep baking. And be sure to slather on the butter!