The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Newbie

Aaron E's picture
Aaron E

Newbie

My name is Aaron and I am a brand new bread enthusiast  Sure, I have enjoyed eating delicious bread my whole life, 31 years, but never baking! Until now.  i have been reading so many books and sites regarding bread making I finally gave it a try. Three nights ago I made my first brick, I mean loaf of bread. Tasteless, dense and downright terrible. So last night I tried again. Slightly more success but still the wrong density and no flavor. 

Now I am not one to give up so just a short while ago I tried again. Started with a nice yeast, bread flour, water, salt, honey, egg, oil and next thing I know, I have a dough that looks sort of like what I have been dreaming about. 

It is currently in the first rise. I put it in my oven, turned off of course, with a bowl of warm water to get the temperature up to 75 degrees. 

I am so excited to see how it looks after this rise. I will let it double, plus a bit more then do a second rise in a baguette shape. 

if it is a success I will post my victory pictures!  If not, back to the drawing board

cranbo's picture
cranbo

Congrats and welcome to TFL. Hope it turns out well! Even if it doesn't, tell us about it, and we'll help you make adjustments for next time. 

DavidEF's picture
DavidEF

Please let us know how it turns out, even if it is disappointing, because there are lots of people on here that can help you figure out where it went right (so you can do it again!), and where it may have gone wrong (so you can fix it).

Oh yeah, and Welcome to TFL!

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

and happy baking!

Aaron E's picture
Aaron E

They turned out beautifully!  Two great loves of white bread.  Crunchy crust and tons of flavor.  I put a light egg wash on before baking to help the crust and to seal some moisture.  I'm having a tough time uploading a picture but I'll work on it so you can see what they look like.  

I will make several more loaves tonight to use as gifts for the holidays!  Thank you all for the welcome and encouragement.