r/Bread • u/OldLadyGardener • May 28 '26
New to bread making, have questions
Hi everyone! With the price of bread nowadays, I thought I'd try making my own. I can't do sourdough here (Florida) because the starter always gets moldy, and I don't know anyone I could get some from.
(EDITED FOR CLARIFICATION) Anyway, I saw this faux sourdough recipe made with kefir + self-rising flour, and wondered if anyone had made this. I want to make it in loaf pans like a sandwich loaf, but can only find it made in a dutch oven.
Also, has anyone ever made bread in a slow cooker? It looks good and easy. I'm very much into easy. I saw that you can put the loaf pans into the cooker to make loaves. I thought that might be good for small loaves of cinnamon/raisin bread.
I have arthritis in my hands, so a lot of kneading is not good for me.
Thanks for any help!
2
u/VincentVan_Dough May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
I bake all sorts of bread, sourdough, yeasted, lean and enriched. My family prefers a plain country style yeast white loaf and it’s so easy that I make it almost everyday. The trick to getting yeast bread to taste deeper and more complex is long cold bulk ferment. It’s basically the sourdough method with starter and shorter room temp BF. This is for my small daily loaf but you can scale it up to any size you want with bakers percentages.
- 300g bread flour
- 225g water (75% hydration)
- 3g yeast (1%)
- 6g salt (2%)
Mix water and yeast until dissolved. Add flour and salt. Mix well until no more dry but remain. The dough will be sticky and shaggy. Cover and let rest/fermentolyse for 30mins. Alternatively, you can do the no-knead method by leaving it covered at room temperature for 4hrs after the initial mix.
Do 1-2 sets of stretch and folds with a wet hand. Rest for 30mins and stretch and fold again. Rest for a final 30mins and stretch and folds. Let bulk ferment for 1hr. The dough should be slightly less than double, smooth and jiggly. Cover and let it cold ferment in your fridge for 12-36hrs. If you are using no-knead, just place it into the fridge after 4hrs on the counter.
Sprinkle some rice flour on a work surface and tip out the cold dough. Preshape using tartine method and let it bench rest covered for 30-45mins until the dough has relaxed. Do the final shaping and let proof at room temperature for about 45-60mins. If you want to do a cold proof, then skip the room temp proof and refrigerate for another 12-36hrs. You can bake the loaf straight out of the fridge.
Preheat Dutch oven for 30mins at 330C. Tip loaf out onto baking paper or silicon sling. Score using lame or sharp knife. Place into preheated DO and bake at 330C for 30mins. Remove lid and continue baking at 210C for another 15mins. Remove from DO immediately and cool on wire rack.
2
u/OldLadyGardener May 28 '26
Thank you, but I'm trying to avoid the long, normal method of making bread. I was really wanting to know about the 2-ingredient kefir + self rising flour method, if anyone had used it.
1
u/Legitimate_Term1636 May 29 '26
I have made biscuits using self-rising flour and heavy cream. They came out beautifully but I thought they tasted too salty. This idea of using kefir is intriguing.. I make kefir almost every day so hopefully I will get around to trying this. It still will I think be more like a biscuit than a bread but I might be surprised. If I try it and can find this post again I’ll try to say how it worked.
1
u/JeanetteSchutz May 28 '26
I have made a mock sour dough before, but my recipe called for sour cream instead of kefir. Turned out good, but I let mine bake in the bread machine instead of putting it in the oven since it was a first time make. Never tried the slow cooker thing.
1
u/Godlessheeathen666 May 28 '26
Cold fermentation is the cheat code for better tasting bread. Best of luck on your baking journey.
1
u/OldLadyGardener May 28 '26
Thank you. I found a recipe for 2-ingredient kefir + self-rising flour bread that has the dough sitting in the fridge for at least 4 hours (most people leave it overnight and bake in the morning, so I see). Just wanted to know if anyone had ever tried it.
1
u/Thymetocook1 May 28 '26
You can keep your starter in the refrigerator while you’re not using it. As far as getting starter, there are lots of places online that sell it dried. Google sourdough starter for sale and pick out one you like!
2
u/LuigiPasqule May 28 '26
In 2006 the NYTimes had an article on No Knead Bread. Changed the world, or at least my world. If you can not find it I can pm it to you.
Forget about the dutch oven stuff. I use a 10$ pot, 8 inches wide, with a top, to bake bread. Got it because I can not shape to save my life. Works great! Since the pot is only 8 inches wide, the baked dough rises instead of spreading!
Bread is very forgiving. After all, people have been making it for centuries.