The art of breadmaking, classic artisan bread loafs. This is one of the most practical and fun hobbies I have adopted in recent years. Think organic ingredients: self-cultivated yeast, flour, water and salt. Yes, that is all, just basic ingredients! In this post, I share my experiences and also putting together a few recommendations for those of you who would consider to get started with breadmaking!
Breadmaking using live yeast involves more “uncontrollable” factors. It definitely requires experiments and practices. Well, we are dealing with live organisms after all. Preparing the dough is an engaging activity, I call it a bit of mixing, “massaging”, “checking in” intermittently. The process simply can’t be rushed and actually, I find it therapeutic! You have the liberty to experiment with different flavors, be it spices, nuts or fruits (my favorite bakes are with cumin/ walnuts/ olives) and tweaking recipes. Even to try out some creative scoring patterns!
You do not need many fancy tools or equipment to make artisan loafs. The least would be a sharp blade for scoring the dough (I have both a UFO bread lame as well as a slashing tool, both come in really handy!) and a dutch oven for baking.
I bought my Kela Dutch Oven (a German brand) more than 3 years ago and I really love it! We all know that good quality Dutch Ovens can be rather pricey. Hence, I am very pleased to find my Kela Dutch Oven, in pretty iconic red – a product of quality at an affordable price. Kela offers their Dutch Ovens in different sizes (I have a 5l), colors (choice of red / black / gray) and shapes (round / oval). Of course, it is a multi-functional pot and you can use it too for making other kitchen dishes!
Additionally, I use a dough scraper which helps with shaping and a banneton basket for proofing.
Lov’in the anticipation each time.. how the loaf is going to look and taste? Of course I had my fair share of ups and downs.. failed bakes mostly in the first months before finally, mastering the consistency.
Home-made bread is always a winner! Besides, who can resist the smell freshly baked bread from the oven? Trust me, it does not taste like what you gonna get from the supermarket or the regular bakery!
