Bread is a staple in our home. Every culture on the planet has poverty food and said food usually includes a healthy filling of starch – be it rice, beans, potatoes, noodles or, in this case, bread. Below I’ve included two recipes – a basic bread recipe good for everything from jam & butter to sopping up gravy, and a root vegetable bread that is just as versatile but far more nutritious. I’ve kept the steps of each recipe simple so that they can be made without any special equipment but both recipes can easily be translated for use with a stand mixer.
Basic Bread- 16oz Bread Flour
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp yeast
- 290ml milk, cold
1) Combine bread flour, salt and yeast together in a large bowl. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, slowly add the cold milk to the flour mixture until a dough starts to form. Add only enough milk to produce a dense but pliable dough. Dough should be slightly sticky to the touch but not come off on your hands.
2) Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Because dough is dense and cold, it will take some elbow grease and around ten minutes. Just keep at it until you see a noticeable change, testing it with the windowpane test until desired results.
3) Place dough in a very lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film or dish towel and allow to rise, in a draft-free area, for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
4) Punch down dough and knead lightly to release air bubbles. Form loaf in desired shape and let rise on a lightly floured surface for second time, approximately 45 minutes.
5) Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet and transfer loaves to sheet. Carefully but quickly, with a sharp knife, score desired pattern on dough.
6) For a crisper crust, as you preheat the oven, place cast iron or aluminum pan on bottom rack. When time to bake, slide sheet with dough onto middle rack, pour 3/4 cup water into cast iron or aluminum pan, & close oven door quickly. This will produce steam. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
7) When bread is a dark golden brown and sounds hollow when bottom of loaf is tapped, remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.
Root Vegetable Bread- 115g parsnip, steamed or boiled
- 55g carrot, steamed or boiled
- 1oz milled flax
- 6oz whole wheat flour
- 9oz bread flour
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 2 tsp yeast
- 230ml milk, cold
1) Slice carrots and parsnips into small sections & steam or boil until soft. Drain or remove from pot. To remove excess moisture from vegetables, add dry pot to burner and add vegetables to pot. Let sit on low heat until vegetables stop steaming. With potato masher or the back of a spoon, mash into a paste.
2) Combine milled flax, whole wheat flour, bread flour, salt, & yeast. Add mashed vegetables until well-mixed. Stirring 
constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, slowly add the cold milk to the flour mixture until a dough starts to form. Add only enough milk to produce a soft dough.
3) Knead dough on a lightly floured surface. If dough is particularly sticky, add bread flour as you knead, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough passes the windowpane test, approximately six minutes.
4) Place dough in a very lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film or dish towel and allow to rise, in a draft-free area, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
5) Punch down dough and knead lightly to release air bubbles. Form loaf in desired shape and let rise on a floured surface for second time, approximately 45 minutes.
6) Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet and transfer loaves to sheet. Carefully but quickly, with a sharp knife, score desired pattern on dough.
7) For a crisper crust, as you preheat the oven, place cast iron or aluminum pan on bottom rack. When time to bake, slide sheet with dough onto middle rack, pour 3/4 cup water into cast iron or aluminum pan, & close oven door quickly. This will produce steam. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
8) When bread is a dark golden brown and sounds hollow when bottom of loaf is tapped, remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.
old-fashioned bastards 
foods for the soul
I love the process of making bread, especially the kneading part. Certain days, I crave that kneading, even if we already have homemade bread from the day before!
the scullery maid
I totally agree. I own a stand mixer but I always knead dough by hand. There’s something so cathartic about it!
foods for the soul
Agreed! It’s partially why I doubt I’ll ever cave in and buy a bread machine. I wouldn’t have any (productive) way to punch out my stress on bad days!
aftermartha
I like to think of myself as a pretty decent cook but something about baking confounds me everytime. Are you able to give a kneading tutorial?
the scullery maid
Baking is chemistry, really. It’s hard to get right all the time because, if it’s dry or wet, cold or hot, all of those conditions affect the outcome. I really think it’s one of those skills best taught in person. I will absolutely do a kneading tutorial, though! I usually make bread in the middle of the week so I’ll see if I can’t rope Edgar into playing photographer for me. 🙂
aftermartha
That would be lovely! My boyfriends mother is an amazing baker so I want her to teach me but she is on an Atkins type diet so she rarely does it any more! 😦
cathelinadialessandri
The first recipe is pretty much my every day bread except I use water instead of milk. Do you know how using milk changes the bread? I’ve never tried it before. The second one looks great! At our living history events we usually have some left over veges from the feast on saturday and putting them in the bread is a fantastic way of serving them up the next day for breakfast/lunch. I’ll have to give it a go!
the scullery maid
As far as I know from experience, the higher the fat content, i.e., milk, the softer the bread, especially the crust. I don’t know if that’s a rule of thumb but it always seems to be the case for me. I hope you do give the veggie bread a try. It doesn’t change the flavor that much but it really does boost the heartiness factor.