All Things Considered

Posted by: DL on Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Leafing through the pages of the book I had just purchased as part of a wedding gift, I couldn’t help but wonder if I too might benefit from this approach to bread baking. Slated to be sent to a newly married young couple seeking to be make wise lifestyle choices, this book of healthy artesian bread recipes looked like something they might enjoy. I convinced myself that I could easily justify the cost of the book if I purchased one for myself. I had been buying store-bought bread of late because of our very busy pre-wedding schedule. The book would pay for itself if I applied the recipes in just one month’s time.

Fortunately, I have learned when making decisions to give myself some time to mull over all the ramifications of a decision. Making homemade bread is often a priority in our home. We purchase wheat berries from a co-op and grind them to make fresh milled flour. Now, though, with Daughter newly married, and me solo kitchen woman again, I needed to renew my bread baking skills.

On the plus side of my analysis of the decision to purchase this book was that serving homemade bread with a meal makes me a blessing to Husband and Youngest Son. Not only are their taste buds enhanced but I have found my men are much more content leaving a meal with grains in their stomachs. The pantry closet gets opened less and the meal seems more appreciated.

Lately I had seen a great deal of blog chatter regarding artesian bread and it was mostly favorable. My only experience with baking an artesian bread was the recipe for Cuban bread found in The Tightwad Gazette read some years ago. My family enjoys this bread and I have made it on numerous occasions. The thought of improving my bread baking skills and providing my family with yummy bread was a real temptation. What particularly intrigued me with this particular book was the many different kinds of grains used in the process of making bread more healthy. I have access to many different kinds of grain.

However, what kept coming to mind was that artesian bread seems to be best made on a daily basis. Although I love bread fresh out of the oven, I had to remember that I live in South Texas. The thought of turning on my oven every day to 450 degrees was not a pleasant thought. Especially since frugal me tries to live without the air-conditioning whenever possible.

My summer bread making plan usually consists of baking several loaves on one day and using the freezer as my depository. This keeps the house cooler on the non-baking days and also keeps kitchen time to a minimum on hot days. From what I was reading, this didn’t seem to be the best plan for the baking of artesian bread.

So for now taking all things into consideration, the decision to buy the book is no. As much as I would like to add artesian bread to my baking repertoire, where I live has to be considered. Maybe if we were heading into “Winter” (does happen here once in awhile), but I can feel that heat is just over the horizon. So for now, I will stick with my old recipes and be forgoing yummier, easier bread.

I am wondering though if any of you have found a way to make artesian bread work for you if living in a hot spot like I do?

P.S.  When I wrote this post I had no idea that baking bread was the topic on Kimc's blog Inashoe.  Check this out for some excellent information!

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Topics: food

6 Responses to “All Things Considered”

Donna J Says:
March 17th, 2011 at 7:29 am

I live in Miss. and bake bread like you do…3-4 loaves at a time and then freeze. Its just too hot here to do this daily. However, I have heard that you can bake bread in your gas grill. Set the temp and sit the bread pans on the top rack (not the one right above the blowers). Even doing this would cost money though. My bread pans are glass and I would need metal to do in the grill. But its an idea I had never thought of.

Practical Parsimony Says:
March 17th, 2011 at 9:44 pm

Can’t you just get the recipes for atisan bread from your daughter after she opens her gift? I suppose she is the person to whom you are giving this gift.

DL Says:
March 17th, 2011 at 10:20 pm

Daughter would certainly “share” but this wedding gift is not for her.

DeputyHeadmistress Says:
March 19th, 2011 at 12:38 am

Do you use the oven at all on hot days? If you don’t use the oven, then this wouldn’t work, but if you *do* use the oven, you could make dinner rolls instead of larger loaves, reducing cooking time to about fifteen to twenty minutes.

Monique Says:
March 23rd, 2011 at 10:13 pm

you can cook bread in a solar oven, though I don’t know if artisan bread would turn out quite the same without the super hot oven most recipes require.

 

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