Homemade Yeast Bread

Don't Ever Think That There are Only Two Crusts on a Loaf of Hot Fresh Bread

A Memory...

There were four loaves of bread just out of the oven sitting on the chopping block to cool. One of my grandsons came in and asked for a crust.

I gave it to him.

Soon he came back and asked for the other crust.

I gave that to him also.

He then came back and asked for another crust. I said that he had eaten all the crusts.

He looked at me and pointed to the sides and said "Those are crusts too!"

He returned three more times for the rest of the crusts. All I had left was the inside soft part of that loaf of bread!

Irma Rombauer in her book "Joy of Cooking" says:"Yeasts are living organisms with 3200 billion cells to the pound---and not one is exactly like another. They feed on sugars and produce alcohol and carbon dioxide---the "riser" we are after. But you may prefer as we do, to accept a Mexican attitude toward yeast doughs. They call them almas or souls because they seem so spirited."

I think that using yeast is similar to planting a seed in the garden.

The seed is planted in soil. The seed is fertilized. The seed is watered. A plant grows.

From that tiny seed!

Amazing!

It is the same with yeast. Yeast is added to flour. Sugar,salt and fat are added. Water or milk are added. The dough is mixed and then kneaded. It is covered.

Soon the yeast causes the dough to rise. It is baked. And Voila! there is bread

It is magical!

I used to use compressed yeast in bread baking but now I use dry granular yeast.Lately I have been using "Saf Instant Yeast" which tends to work faster than regular dry granular yeast.This yeast is produced by LeSaffre Corporation a French firm with production sites all over the world.

My favorite bread recipes are from a book called "Homemade Bread". It was written by the food editors of The Farm Journal. First published in 1969, copies can still be found at book sales,yard sales and on the Internet.

The editors list many ways to make bread-for both the novice and the expert-but "Cool Rise" is the way I like best. With this method, four loaves of bread can be made and baked in two hours or less.

Or they can be saved in the refrigerator to bake another day.

The bread recipes make two loaves but I always at least double the recipe and make four or more. I choose to use organic flours for all my breads.

I bake Coolrise White Bread,Coolrise Whole Wheat Bread and Coolrise French Bread.

Even my dog Sweet Annie, knows when the yeast bread is ready and she comes and sits beside the chopping block where it has been set to cool and waits for her own bite of mouthwatering homemade bread.