The current craze for home baking continues to grow and grow. Why is this? Is it because of the huge interest in various television programmes? Magazine racks in shops are stacked full of all sorts of cookery and baking publications, so, for a while at least, home baking is here to stay.
It is true to say that television channels have assumed we are a nation of food lovers, although there are many of us who wouldn’t have a clue how to cook and bake but enjoy a regular trip to a local restaurant. However, baking is a real part of family life again and one of the greatest pleasures is making your own bread.
Homely and Wonderful
There is little to compare with the smell of fresh bread baking. Indeed, the smell of the yeast when the dough is proving is one of life’s pleasures, taking people back to their childhood when they watched their mother or grandmother at the kitchen table working away surrounded by various items of kitchen equipment.
This nostalgic feeling is very powerful and there is nothing quite as satisfying as making your very own bread.
So how does it compare with the shop-bought variety? Unless you have a good artisan baker close by, pre-packaged shop-bought bread does not even come close.
If you bake your own you have to have all the right kitchen equipment, but that is minimal. Unless you splash out on a bread maker, all you need is a bowl, some measuring spoons and a jug and a good heavyweight tin.
The most important things you need are good strong arms and some time. Making bread cannot be rushed and the longer the dough takes to prove, the better the flavor of the finished article.
Healthy and Cost-Effective
The beauty of home-made bread is it has no additives at all. This means it will go stale as bread used to years ago. Shop-bought bread does dry out and go hard. Instead, it goes mouldy. This means you can’t recycle the leftovers to make bread crumbs or bread pudding as you can with homemade.
The flavor of homemade bread is much better and you can add whatever flavourings and herbs you want. Sourdough is a completely different taste sensation and requires you to grow a yeast culture instead of simply using freeze-dried yeast.
Making your own bread also works out much cheaper. Good bread from a shop will be expensive nowadays. Sliced loaves in supermarkets can be bought comparatively cheaply, but their texture is nothing like homemade and they seem rubbery and lifeless. It’s all right to toast supermarket bread, but it’s not want you want for sandwiches.
For the sake of convenience and if you’re short on time, then shop-bought bread is useful. Homemade bread takes time to prove and requires lots of elbow grease unless you have either a free-standing mixer to knead the dough for you or a bread-making machine. These machines are a boon for busy people and mean a loaf can be made overnight. You can then wake up to the smell of baking bread every morning.
It’s all down to personal taste and the time you have available. If asked, though, the vast majority of people would say they preferred homemade bread.
