Conference turris::cooks

    
    I have a great recipe from my Bon Appetite complimentary "mini book"
    file.  They sent me four of these little books and one was entitled
    "Breads".  I'll try to remember to post it tomorrow.
    
    Just had some of the wonderful stuff last night for din-din.  Its
    pretty easy and always seems to come out with a perfect brown crust!
    
    Allison

>>    I haven't been able to locate a recipe for BASIC WHITE BREAD.  
    
    Then I assume that you have not yet tried DIR/KEY=BREAD/ALL
        
    The epitome of "PLAIN bread" is a loaf of French bread, Note 947.10;
    French bread contains only yeast, water, flour, and salt.  But French
    bread is not a good project for a novice, and it doesn't keep well.
    
    My recommendation is the recipe of Note 1020.0 without the lemon peel.
    For years my wife fed this bread daily to our growing teenagers.

    re .2
      I DID a DIR/KEY=BREAD, and I saw the recipe for French bread too.
    That's not what I meant by plain white bread.  That and many of the 
    other recipes have variations with them, and because I am a novice to the
    baking world (beyond a box with a little red spoon on it!) I'm not so 
    bold to try using a recipe and intentionally leave off ingredients!  
       The recipe for the lemon bread sounded like what I remembered my mom 
    cooking way back when, (and that's what I'm looking for) but again it
    had a variation of adding lemon, (or other fruit peel) and I wasn't
    sure it would be regular bread without the lemon or whatever.
       Now that you've clued me into that, I'll give it a try!
    
    
             Thanks for the response!
    
    
    
    						Steve C.

    I'm sorry for the use of words that scold; it was neither warranted nor
    my role. 

    Looking over some of the recipes I have entered, I realize that a basic
    understanding of breadmaking has been implicit; the instructions are
    quite terse.  Breadmaking is such a rewarding hobby, it is well worth
    an investment in learning the basics, but the techniques are more
    easily learned from an illustrated book than from this limited medium.
    Most cookbooks have a section on bread, and there are some supermarket
    books such as the Sunset book, "Breads --- Step-by-Step Techniques",
    that are worth the seven dollar price.  Note 891.5 has an annotated
    list of books on breadmaking.     Hmmmmn, that list needs an update,
    so you may find it deleted and re-entered as 891.(later number).
    
    Welcome to the world of flour-dusty delights. 

Recommendation from an 'old hand':

buy yeast, flour (5 lb.s unbleached white, 5 lbs. whole wheat), some honey,
some oil, salt...and the Tassajara Bread Book...get covered with flour,
follow the book's step by step on making a sponge and then a loaf of
bread or two...and get the most wonderful stuff out of the oven...

I recommend you do this on a cold, gray day when it will be extra nice
to have that smell wafting through the house.  HOWEVER, be prepared to
make an absolute pig out of yourself when that first batch comes out of
the oven......

		Ah memories......

    I'm taking a bread baking class starting tonight for 5 weeks in
    Marlboro. I imagine the first recipe we make will be plain, white
    bread. If so, I'll post it here tomorrow. If you're in the Marlboro
    area you might want to check into this class the next time around.
    Its being offered at Assabet H.S., some sort of adult community
    education.
    
    Debbie
    

    Re: .6
    
    If this is the class taught by the couple who run "Festive Breads"
    in Northboro, then I also took the class.  I had a lot of fun and
    it was a good way to collect some starting recipes.
    
    Each week, you make a different type of bread.  You sample the
    instructor's loaf in class and have a loaf to take home.
    
    The last class was pizza.  YUM !
    
    
    - Terry

    Yup, its the same class. We got the recipe last night for dinner
    rolls and will make it next week as French bread. Since we didn't
    actually do the mixing ourselves this week I figured I'd wait til
    next week to enter the recipe since the original requestor seems
    to not have any of the basic knowledge about making bread. The rolls
    were delicious...I can't wait for next week!
    
    Debbie
    

    Buy a 5 pound bag of King Arthur White Flour. On the
    side of the back is an excellent white bread recipe
    with step by step instructions.
    
    Have fun!
    
    Gail
    

    In addition to finding a good basic bread recipe on the bag of
    King Arthur flour, it is the opinion of this veteran breadmaker
    (I've been making bread for at least 15 years) that you can't
    buy a better flour for bread making (at least, not one that's
    readily available at your friendly, local supermarket).
    
    Have fun with it!
    
    					Joanna