Throwback Thursday: How-To Make Bread for Beginners

  When I was little--like low single digits--my father decided he wanted to learn how to bake his own bread. I wish I could have found a photo to share of one of his first attempts, but between selling a house recently and helping my mother move most of her belongings into storage for a move to Rhode Island, I can't seem to put my finger on it.
  Let's just say it didn't go too well. I recall my mother climbing onto a stool to scrape a few bits of dough off the ceiling. Everything was sticky with what was essentially an explosion of paper mache goop.
  But he kept at it. And before too long, every sandwich I took to elementary school was made on homemade oatmeal or whole wheat or molasses bread. He bought a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, because it's much easier to use a dough hook for kneading than to do it by hand.
  Eventually, he discovered other tricks, like making pizza dough in a Cuisinart food processor, or using a bread machine for the initial mixing and rising. He brought a loaf of bread as a gift to almost any social call. He sent his special white bread to my niece with autism who was a very picky eater due to textural dislikes--it was the only bread she'd eat.
  Literally on his death bed from cancer, he'd instruct my mother (who doesn't cook) step by step how to make the bread. I had a toddler and a newborn at the time he died, and I regret that they never got to sample his homemade bread. I tried in vain to reproduce his method with the bread machine, but it turned into a crumbled mess. My mother still has his cookbook with handwritten notes and recipes. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, I now know who has the talent and patience to decipher his notes to create the next generation of his artisan bread!

  Maia made her first loaf of bread using a recipe she found online. The Easy Perfect Yeast Bread at Gather for Bread was delicious! This is the same Kitchen-Aid mixer that my father used decades ago that was handed down to me. Built to last for sure!!

I made a couple loaves from the
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes
a Day cookbook. Maia's definitely
turned out the best! She made
another a few days later, but in an
effort to conserve baking yeast, I
have limited her to two loaves per
week for now. I suppose I'll have
to learn how to make my own
starter before the shortage is over!


I am a huge fan of sandwiches, so
it's hard to give them up entirely.
We also love bread for dipping in
soup, for breakfast toast topped
with avocado, nutritional yeast, or
hummus.

Another favorite sandwich of
ours is Tofu Salad. It's a perfect
use of shelf stable tofu during
times like these. If you are out
of celery & scallion, just use a
little diced onion for crunch.


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Tofu Salad

1 firm asceptic pack tofu (12.3 oz.)
1 T. nutritional yeast (optional)
1 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soy sauce
1-2 ribs celery, chopped
1-2 scallions, chopped

Mash tofu and next 4 ingredients with fork. 
Add celery & scallions. Mix with fork. Chill. Serve!


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  I am looking forward to
learning more about bread
baking and watching my
daughter use her new skill.
Her older brother, AJ, used
to say he wanted to be a
baker when he grew up.
But I think it's my oldest,
Ryan, who looks the most
like his grandfather.
What do you think?

What's your favorite simple
bread recipe? What method
do you use to make starter?
Do you have a yeast-free
bread that you like to make?
What are your kids baking
while spending extra time
at home?