Battle Axe

For my first loaf I chose the basic white bread and light crust. I used King Arthur flour, not the gluten enhanced kind. It turned out like fancy sponge cake. Very light and looking perfect. All except for one paddle that stayed in the bread. I figure one slice per day would take the place of the loaf that I won't be buying now.

KalamaQuilts

the downer side of homemade bread is it doesn't keep well. Commercial bread generally has 7 to 10 ingredients in it to keep it soft and fresh in taste and appearance. Read the labels of flour you buy, some of these chemicals can be in the flour.

Most of these additives used still in US bread are banned in other parts of the world
Benzoyl peroxide (banned in the EU and China)
Calcium peroxide (banned in the EU and China)
Chlorine (banned in the EU)
Chlorine dioxide gas (banned in the EU and Australia)
Azodicarbonamide (banned in Singapore, the EU and Australia)
Potassium bromate (banned in the EU, Canada, China, Nigeria, Brazil, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Peru and more)
Calcium bromate (banned in the EU and Canada)
Nitrogen dioxide (banned in the EU and Australia)

so just saying, if you eat a loaf slowly, get a set of small pans and freeze the extra loaves.

bearisgray

My reaction was - "if it's banned in China, it must be horrible"!

sandy l

I read a article by a nutrition export that said "if you can't pronounce all of the ingredients listed for the product, don't buy it"

origamigoldfish

I enjoy making bread by hand, I find it relaxing. A bread machine is on my wish list; we had one when I was a teenager, but it was big and bulk and half burnt all the loaves, but it was wonderful for kneading! If I'm in a big hurry, I will mix the bread in my food processor, throw it in the fridge before work, then take it out and shape/bake it after work. It doesn't make as smooth a loaf, but any kind of homemade bread is better than store bought!

Daffy Daphne

After I had been baking all our bread for a couple of years, our oven went out and required a part to be ordered. I bought a loaf of sandwich bread and my DH and I both thought we could taste the chemicals in it. I guess that was because we had gotten used to eating sandwiches made with homemade bread nearly every day for lunch.
I too use King Arthur flour, and my Bosch mixer does all the kneading for me. There's always bread in my freezer.

Daffy

Darcyshannon

I use my kitchen aid to knead the dough and then let in rise in a warm place. I like shaping and baking in oven.

I had no idea that added chemicals were common in flour. I usually use whole wheat and organic except for cakes etc. I will be mindful on white flour.

Battle Axe

Thanks Kalama for that list of dreadful chemicals. I think it's the Azod. So I wrote to King Arthur who said not in their flour.

So loaf # 1 was King Arthur but not with the extra gluten, just regular. Now # 3 is in the machine. You can look through the window and see the bread move, it almost alive, well I guess it is. Loaf # 2 was with the gluten, Sir Lancelot flour and was devoured by the neighbor kids. I had one slice and it was pretty good, more bread like than the non extra glulten loaf. That was more like pound cake and I had the crust set too dark.

The Zo machine has so many features on it. It came with a DVD and watching that gave me some good tips on how to measure stuff.

KalamaQuilts

the added gluten helps give the bread elasticity in the dough process and extra nice 'crumb' in the finished product.
If I make a loaf that has real potential, but doesn't quite make the grade, I note it on the side and add a tablespoon or so of gluten the next batch. I also get that at Bob's Red Mill.

the additive list above is part of what is found in finished loaves, not necessarily in flour, just something to watch for in bread flour, particularly if it says bleached.

Iceblossom

I've been devouring this thread virtually because I had to cut out basically all bread products in order to manage my diabetes. Back in my early 20s I baked weekly, usually just french bread for me, and a batch of rolls for my roommate (aka, my friend in Phoenix who gave me the Bernina) but I had sort of an open house Saturday mornings and would also make sweet rolls or specialty bakes. I can make me some mean cakes too, but never a good pie crust somehow.

The single thing I miss most in my current way of eating is everything bagels. Drool...

So I can't have a bread machine, I still look when I see a nice one in the box with the manual at the thrift store but I know I can't be trusted with it. When I baked, I did everything in a large bread bowl, that's what those huge ceramic bowls are for. You can warm it up with warm water first, proof the yeast and you do all the mixing and kneading in the bowl, I would put a towel down in one side of my sink for a good work height. Living in Alaska meant I had to do things like warm up the bowl! Would also raise baked goods in the dishwasher during the no-heat dry cycle.