| Author | |
DeAnn M
Forum Pro
Joined: Aug 18 2007
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 188
|
| Posted: Jan 14 2009 at 4:51pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
I REALLY want to start making homemade bread. As much as I would love to do it the old-fashioned way, I don't have the time or skill to do that. (My FIL used to own a bread bakery and tried to teach me. I just have a disconnect with baking unless it's Nestle Toll House Cookies) I was all prepared to use our AMEX points for a breadmaker and a grain mill...then, I happened to read in my Vitamix manual that you can grind grains and knead dough in a Vitamix.
Does anyone make bread this way?
Does anyone use a breadmaker? Do you prefer this method?
Does anyone use a Kitchenaid to knead the dough?
How many gadgets does one household need?  I feel a little silly trying to simplify my life by buying more kitchen machines, but it seems like a good way to use our points since I can't very well use them at the Marriott in Maui.
Thanks,
DeAnn
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Bookswithtea
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2621
|
| Posted: Jan 14 2009 at 6:14pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I should tell you upfront that I love kitchen appliances.  Its a weakness.
I have a vitamix. You are supposed to use a separate container (they sell one) for grinding grains, but its possible that that is not necessary. I haven't tried it. I would not recommend it for kneading bread dough. Its an awkward container for that. It really is at its best as a blender.
If you want to start making bread, I wouldn't worry right away about grinding grains. First make sure that you will make bread regularly before investing in a grain mill. I bought mine used 10 yrs ago and its still going strong.
The best way to invest in appliances like these when you are new to them is to buy used. I had an old stainless Vitamix for years before finally investing in a new one. And my current bread mixer is on its very last leg but, again, I've had it for close to 10 yrs. When I buy again, I'm getting a Bosch Universal. There's another machine that might be a bit better (called a DLX...its awesome but its more machine than I need).
If baking bread is your primary goal, then I'd invest in a bread mixer, not a machine...you can do so much more with a mixer and make several loaves for the same amount of energy that it takes you to make one loaf in a machine.
Kitchen aids are commonly shown on tv mixing up bread dough, but when I did some research on it, experienced home bakers all gave it the thumbs down as an investment for bread kneading. And they are sometimes more expensive than the Bosch!
My favorite site to read up on home baking as well as purchase equipment is
www.urbanhomemaker.com
Marilyn Moll is a Christian and has been encouraging women to bake their own bread since the 90's. She is a hs mom, too. And she answers her phone and answers questions very patiently.  Just know that she is not Catholic and some of the book recommendations she makes on other topics are not necessarily appropriate for a Catholic family.
__________________
Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mackfam
Board Moderator
Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14656
|
| Posted: Jan 14 2009 at 8:33pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
DeAnn - Do you have Karey Swan's Hearth and Home? I just love her book, and she refers to her kitchen appliances as her kitchen servants! I have a few kitchen servants of my own, including a Vitamix and a breadmaker...I'll give you my take.
DeAnn M wrote:
| I happened to read in my Vitamix manual that you can grind grains and knead dough in a Vitamix. |
|
|
Yes, you can. My mom grinds in her Vitamix. You do need the dry blades to grind. She has also tried kneading the dough in her Vitamix.
You won't be able to grind your flour as fine as if you ground in the Nutrimill. That will make a difference if your family isn't used to home-made, whole grain. It was difficult for my family anyway. The texture is much different even from store brought whole grain. We prefer a finely (almost pastry flour setting) ground flour which yields a pretty light loaf.
My mom has found that you can't grind enough for a whole loaf at one time in the Vitamix. She has it down to an art, but I can't remember the exact amounts. Anyway, she can put in something like 2 cups of wheat berries, grind, dump into a container and then grind another 2 cups. So, that's another thing you'd have to be aware of. Also, kneading the dough doesn't work very well in the Vitamix...at all. I wouldn't recommend it.
DeAnn M wrote:
| Does anyone use a breadmaker? Do you prefer this method? |
|
|
Yes. I grind in a Whisper Mill (mine's 12 yo and still kickin', but if I replaced it I'd get a Nutrimill) and then I dump all the ingredients in to my Zojirushi Bread Machine and walk away. 3 hours later we have a loaf of fresh bread.
There is a learning curve to making 100% freshly ground whole wheat bread. It took me 18 bricks (dense, inedible, lumps of ick) to finally figure out my bread machine, the settings (knead time, cook time, etc.), the right proportion of ingredients to get a loaf of whole wheat bread that actually rises. My Zoji is a workhorse. I've had it for about 3 years now and it has made bread every day or every other day for those 3 years. So, that's the bread machine.
Two books I've found to be very, very helpful in the effort of making the daily bread are Laurel's Bread Book and The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook.
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
DeAnn M
Forum Pro
Joined: Aug 18 2007
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 188
|
| Posted: Jan 14 2009 at 9:11pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thanks for your responses, Ladies. I'm glad to hear that others love their appliances. My husband gets, "points" at work and travels quite a bit using our AMEX card. So, between the two I have been very fortunate to get and give some really cool stuff. (He lets me have free reign with the points...sweet man that he is!)
That's why I would just rather get while the gettin's good! My friend and I have done taste tests with freshly ground flour and store-bought organic and the freshly ground flour wins hands down!
Thanks to both of you for responses on the various appliances like the kitchen aid and vitamix. That saved me quite a bit of trial, error, and frustration.
I think I may invest my points in a Zojirushi Bread machine. I'm sure I'll have my own, "dense, inedible lumps of ick" but I would love any tips on using the "Zo" to make whole wheat bread. (Sometimes I feel like I'm copying off of someone's paper with a request like that, so it's fine if you want to let me do my own work!)
Thanks again for your responses! So Helpful!!
Blessings,
DeAnn
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mackfam
Board Moderator
Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14656
|
| Posted: Jan 14 2009 at 9:22pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
DeAnn M wrote:
| I would love any tips on using the "Zo" to make whole wheat bread. (Sometimes I feel like I'm copying off of someone's paper with a request like that, so it's fine if you want to let me do my own work!) |
|
|
Of course, DeAnn!!!! I'll be happy to post my Zoji settings for you. Are you familiar enough with it to know you can customize the settings?
Anyhoo...happy to share....but....your settings will likely differ from mine. We live in an exceedingly and oppressingly humid area of the country so my settings account for a lot of moisture in the air. Your altitude may affect your settings as well.
Here are my settings for Brick #13 (our most edible brick )
Preheat - 18 minutes
Knead - 30 minutes
Rise 1 - 30 minutes
Rise 2 - 50 minutes
Rise 3 - off
Bake - 45 minutes
Have fun ordering your Zo!
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
BeckyC
Forum Newbie
Joined: Aug 08 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 26
|
| Posted: Jan 16 2009 at 7:52am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hi DeAnn,
I use my kitchen aid to knead my bread and it works great. The only thing is that it is too small for me to double my bread recipe, so I increase the recipe by 50% in order to make 3 loaves at a time. I freeze 2 loaves after they are baked and when I pull them out to eat they are just as fresh as when 1st baked! I do plan to get a Bosch when my Kitchen Aid dies.
One of the reasons I do not use a bread machine is so I can make several loaves at once with the same amount of work. As long as I set my timer (so I don't forget about it) for the rise times and baking, my bread comes out great every time with very little time and effort.
In my favorite wheat grinding cookbook from the Bread Becker's ( www.breadbeckers.com )there is a wonderful bread recipe and there are suggested settings for the Zojirushi bread machine.
Happy Baking!
Becky C
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Jan 16 2009 at 1:32pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
yes the kitchen aid can work.. I've been using one for a number of years.. but they've also had to replace it for me about 3 times.
Now their customer service is wonderful.. they send me the new (refurbished) machine and I send back my old one.. no cost to me.. but I don't have a working machine for whatever time it takes.. and it's just a pain in the neck having to deal with that.
But on the other hand.. my kitchen aid easily mixes all sorts of things and I have the shredder/slicer attachment and the grinder attachment which are lovely to use. (ground fruit makes the best jams  )
I have the 6 qt lift. But it says you can only use 8 cups of whole wheat flour in it. I use about 6 cups for 2 loaves of bread.. so I couldn't even increase by 50% to get that 3 loaves without exceeding the directions. And I won't do that with the problems I've had.. it's very important that I can honestly tell the company that I used the machine according to their directions and it still happened. But I do have to admit that the last machine I recieved was a different model so it could have just been the first model I had that was so bad.
oh yeah.. I LOVE my nutrimill
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Making Bread--Vitamix? Breadmaker?
