Any way you slice it, you'll want to play around with this baking project
Rise up for bread month!
Hello! Hello!
With back-to-school in full swing, it’s lunchbox time again. Afterschool-snack and anytime-snack time, too. It made me think that even if you're part of the Bento Brigade – I’m knocked out by the lunches on Instagram – or if, like my husband (about whom, more later), you're a committed sourdough baker, you'd want to have a terrific slicing loaf within reach at all times. It's what inspired me to make our first BAKE AND TELL project an enriched white bread. It's kind of a return-to-basics project, but with a loaf that's not entirely basic.
A QUICK CATCH-UP ON BAKE AND TELL
For those of you who might have missed the memo I’ve organized a new group, BAKE AND TELL, that everyone can join. No fees. No premiums. All that’s required is a passion for baking, for learning and for sharing what you know. Also, kindness – a characteristic that I’m convinced is ingrained in every baker. (OK, there is one requirement: Please answer the few questions to prove you're human and not a spammer, so your membership can be quickly approved.)
Of course, there’s no obligation to be part of the group. I’ll still be sending out recipes regularly, so that you can bake them whenever you want and share them wherever you want.
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THIS MONTH’S PROJECT IS AN ALMOST-CLASSIC LOAF
For our first bake, I’ve picked the first recipe from BAKING WITH DORIE. I call it THE DAILY BREAD: WHITE BREAD EDITION. It’s a beautiful made-in-a-pan bread with deep flavor and endless possibilities – it’s a good loaf to have in your repertoire.
We're a big group and we've got bakers who are at all different levels, but I think that no matter where you are in your bread baking, checking in with the basics is always a good idea. There's something to be learned at every step in making this bread. Certainly, it'll give you reason to practice patience - this loaf needs three rises. And, even more certainly, it will help you remember the satisfaction of working with a responsive yeast dough, of rolling and shaping it, watching it rise high above the pan and bake to gorgeousness. And then there's the pleasure of enjoying it straight up or transformed. Toasted or fresh, sliced Texas thick or Melba-toast thin, slicked with butter, slathered with peanut butter or swished with a layer of crème fraîche to cushion a bit of fancy caviar or a swath of smoked salmon, it’s a loaf that’ll see you through the day, every day, in many ways. I love a recipe that’s practical and, in its own way, luxurious.
HERE’S WHAT I’M THINKING WE CAN DO
Over the course of the next month, I think it would be fun if we all baked a loaf of bread (or a gazillion loaves). Today, I’m giving you my recipe for my favorite white bread, but you may already have a recipe for a pan loaf that you love. If you do, I hope you’ll make it and share it in the group. And I hope that over the weeks, you’ll also post what you like to do with the bread. It will be fun to see your sandwiches and maybe your French toast; your croutons and crumbs; your tartines; your panzanellas and puddings.
ABOUT THE DAILY BREAD
As some of you may know, it’s my husband, Michael, who’s the regular bread baker in our house. He tends a pair of sourdough starters and every week he bakes a dozen baguettes, two free-form crusty boules or bâtards and some pizzas. I’m the one who makes the “regular” yeast breads – the daily loaves, both white and whole wheat, cinnamon-swirl loaves, babkas, buns, twists, braids and brioche. I think of what I make as pastry breads, a category that’s not official anywhere in the world. The breads are not technically viennoserie, but like that category, which includes croissants and Danish and kouign-amann, many of them are enriched with milk and butter and contain some sugar or honey.
The Daily Loaf is richer than most white breads. It’s got butter, egg and milk, both whole and powdered. These ingredients add to the bread's full flavor and lovely texture. They also contribute to making the bread toast more beautifully and hold its tastiness under heat.
I can’t wait to see your loaves and everything you make with them.
Don’t forget to tag what you make #dailybread. And, if you post your bakes to Instagram, please tag me @doriegreenspan so I can find them.
Bake, tell and have fun. I’ll see you in the group every day and back here on Friday.
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