sugar Corwin: Sugar is what the yeast feeds on... it eats the sugar, and excretes alcohol and carbon dioxide to make the bread rise. That lovely smell of fresh-baked bread is mostly alcohol vapor and yeast. mmmmmmm Corwin: My pleasure to be of help. I actually bake my own baguettes all the time. With rising grain prices, a loaf of bread can cost up to $4 these days. Over the last few years I've perfected a recipe that is quick and simple that produces lovely Artisan style crusty baguettes for only pennies each. The same dough makes great pizza crust, or you can fry or deep fry some amazing bread-sticks. And there is nothing as divine as the smell of fresh home-made bread baking in your own kitchen. And all you need is a big bowl and your own two hands. If anybody is interested, I can post the recipe right here for you.  new not: corvin ime interested , its true bread is getting expensive , i dont know if its france but the region is very expensive, its like paris, with less tourists ! its a skinging resort here ,moutains and lakes, if i go to italy three hours drive i can buy daily living stuff the same !! for harth the price !! Corwin: Here ya go. This recipe makes about 5 foot-long baguettes You'll need: Bread Flour (I prefer Robin Hood brand, and bread flour is better than all-purpose) Yeast (for baguette, Fleschman's Pizza yeast works best) Sugar Salt Water In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 cups flour, 1 tsp yeast, 1 tsp salt... blend thoroughly. In a small pot, heat 1 cup water until warm (not hot), and dissolve 2 tbsp sugar, and 1 tbsp yeast. Let stand for about 5 minutes to let the yeast activate. Make a crater in the flour, and pour the water/yeast mixture in. Mix around with a spoon, until it begins to congeal, then knead by folding in half repeatedly. Not much kneading is required, and if it's too sticky to work with, dust a little flour onto it. When the dough becomes elastic in texture, roll it into a ball, dust it once more with flour, and cover the mixing bowl with a cloth. Let stand in a warm place to rise... about one or two hours, or until it has at least tripled in size. The dough will be very sticky, and you will have to dust with flour as you shape it. Cut one fifth of the dough at a time with a steak-knife and gently form into foot-long strips, being careful not to squish out the bubbles in the dough. Lay on an oiled pan, and let stand for another 15 minutes to allow to rise further. You can also drizzle olive oil and rock-salt over them before you bake. Pre-heat oven to 400 Fahrenheit and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the tops become lightly golden. Remove from oven, allow to cool a bit, and enjoy. mmmmmm I can practically smell them baking. Corwin: Another delicious appetizer that you will love, is to cut the dough into thin strands a bit thicker than a pencil (spin them between your palms a bit) and drop them into hot oil (375 degrees F)... Sunflower oil is my favorite... very light. They quadruple in thickness right in the oil, turn golden brown, and are the most amazing bread-sticks. Sprinkle a little salt on them immediately after you remove from the oil. The one benefit of cooking them like this is that they take only a few minutes to cook. (you may want to turn them a few times to brown evenly) mmmmmmmmmm (Edited by Corwin) Corwin: Oh, and I'd like to hear some feedback as to how it turned out for you. Don't be discouraged if you make a bit of a mess of it the first time around. Bread-making takes practice, but you will eventually find your own style and kneading method... practice makes perfect. And there is something so rewarding about enjoying something so good that you have made with your own hands.  Tart_With_A_Heart: OK I'm going to come clean here...............I try not to eat bread!!!! I'm on a diet Too much temptation if I were to make it to eat the lot! It does sound delicious though. new not: ive been babysisting for 36 hours promiss will get make bread ! i need to the familly are going to love it ! and the kids are going to see me diffrantly ! Tart_With_A_Heart: I thought you were going to say you had been babysitting to make extra money LMAO (Post deleted by new not ) new not: tell me about it , wife says ime gay ! just because i garden plant flowers ! make beds ion shirts ,drink wine too but thats somthing else i personally think she does not know how lucky she is ! today somone women not all ! are just feminist , house work ime not made for that ,somone else can do it ,ime not saying there bad folk,thet just have the ways peace ! new not: she will be happy to see the back side of me ! so as the house is sold we are going each others way! we dont have the same back ground ,and today well larst year we dont see eye to eye ,there to much tension in the air what with kids angry moods , we cant live like this !  ArkM: BTW, the original question hasn't really been answered. Sure, yeast needs something to eat, but the amount of sugar needed to bring dry yeast to life is very small. The reason some grocery store bread has sugar is to extend its shelf life. Also, it helps trick your tastebuds into thinking that you're eating something tasty. Good bakeries use a kind of live yeast mixture called "poolish" that doesn't require sugar at all -- the yeast is happy to slowly dine on flour instead. :-) Basic bread should have only four ingredients: flour, water, yeast, salt. | Food Chat Room Similar Conversations |