**This post is part of the Get Real series. Please remember that this is meant as a learning community. We know that many of you are passionate about what you do and we want you to express that, just please do so in a way that will be an encouragement and aid to others making a transition. We want this to be a “safe space” for participants to learn. For that reason, we reserve the right to delete any comments that are not handled in this manner.
This week Tricia will help you learn how to overcome your fear of baking bread and share her own Get Real story and how she faced her fears.
Kelly is still off snuggling her newborn, so I told her to be confident in letting me take the reigns this week as we get started with grains and bread. I am not the keeper of the knowledge, I am a newbie to this process like many of you. I am learning, learning, learning and sometimes that is the best place to be to “teach” and encourage.
You might be like me if the mere mention of using yeast in culinary pursuits causes you to break out in a cold sweat. Yeast? Oh no, I can’t do that! I mean, it doesn’t like me. In fact, it hates me. It just plain scares me. Yeast is the one ingredient in my kitchen that gives me nightmares. A baker I am not. But a few months ago when we decided to take this journey for Get Real, I realized I was going to face my fear.
So what should I start with? Nothing too complicated and nothing that was going to cause me to take the fetal position in tears if it didn’t work out too well. Kelly suggested pizza dough. I thought I might be able to handle that. So I went for it. Turns out, it was a SUCCESS! Score! I actually was able to make yeast rise! And the dough? The dough and the pizza were amazing.
I was ready to conquer the world of bread baking.
Okay, maybe not, but it did give me the confidence I needed to continue trying out increasingly more difficult bread. And that is what you need too! If you are nervous about your bread making abilities, it is time to tackle them head on. Think outside the loaf a bit.
Tip #1: Start with an easier recipe as there are lots of variables with bread baking.
Here are a few recipes to get under your belt apron:
Homemade Pizza Dough
Tortillas
Sweet Bread
Tip #2: Use only fresh ingredients.
If you have older ingredients, several months or more, you should go buy NEW! If there is one thing that I have learned it is that I cannot find success with stale ingredients. And most of the ingredients needed in these recipes are dependent on being FRESH!
What if I already bake bread?
Congratulations! That means you get a little bit of a break this week as we ease ourselves into bread making. Perhaps you would like to get ahead a little and start tackling some of the resources that our blog partners have available for you to discover.
A little later this month we will begin discussing…
- the nutrient differences in already milled flours versus freshly milled flour
- the different types of whole grains that can make up bread grains (and how not to pull your hair out in confusion)
- gluten-free grains and recipes
- sprouting and soaking grains
Here are some other resources to get ahead. Just be careful not to overwhelm yourself with information. Be comfortable in knowing where you are and moving up one level for right now. You will experience more confidence and more sustained learning in doing so. When you are confident at that level, you can begin learning and start moving to the next.
- Is Your Flour Wet? Soaked, Sprouted and Soured guide from Kitchen Stewardship
- Sourdough A to Z eCourse from GNOWFLINS
February Week 1 Action Item:
- Identify where you are at on the bread baking spectrum:
- Virgin Bread Baker: Never made my own bread.
- Newbie Bread Baker: Bake bread on my own sometimes but still intimidated.
- Accomplished Bread Baker: Confident baking bread but only with already ground flour.
- Aspiring Bread Baker: Milling my own flour to bake bread.
- Master Bread Baker: Sprouting or soaking before milling and baking my own flour.
- Based on your identified “level” above, tackle a task below this week to continue building your confidence:
- Virgin Bread Baker: Choose one of the recipes outlined above and make bread.
- Newbie Bread Baker: Choose one of the recipes outlined above that you have never made or rarely make.
- Accomplished Bread Baker: Watch one of the Bread Beckers videos – Bread Baking 101 or Basics of Healthy Eating or Gluten Free 101.
- Aspiring Bread Baker: Watch one of the videos on sprouting your own grain AND/OR encourage an identified reader to encourage in their journey.
- Master Bread Baker: Pat yourself on the back and encourage an identified reader to encourage in their journey.
February Get Real:
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