Road to Making of Artisan Breads

Mission : Baking Artisan Bread twice a month.

Yes, and why it's a mission??? because from past few months hubby dear wants to buy a bread machine, which I'll be happy to have in my kitchen but only one problem, I told him that if we buy one, then every weekend it'll be his responsibility that he makes fresh bread, so that the machine can be put to it's optimum use. It's not that he won't make it,he'll be happy to do that but, I'm very much sure that in couple of weeks this machine will also be sitting, waiting to be picked, with few other gadgets like Ice cream maker,Meat grinder to name few which we, or i should say, he bought, because like me he also loves the kitchen stuff & get really excited shopping for the same.

So,I decided to take the matters into my hands(fingers crossed). It's not like, that I have no baking experience, but I don't call myself an experienced baker but at the same time I enjoy baking & have my own share of rise & flops.But my experience in baking is mainly with cakes & cupcakes(and I do consider apple/banana breads in the category of cakes) & occasional cookies, pie etc.

I don't know of anybody who doesn't like Freshly Baked Bread still warm to eat. The experience is totally different, if you have never eaten one it's worth a try.Before I go any further in this post let's see

What is Artisan Bread ???

Artisan bread is exactly what its name suggests: bread that is crafted, rather than mass produced. Baked in small batches rather than on a vast assembly line, artisan bread differs from prepackaged supermarket loaves in a number of ways. Special attention to ingredients, process, and a return to the fundamentals of the age-old bread-making tradition set artisan bread apart from soft, preservative-laden commercial breads.

The basic building blocks of bread are flour, water, yeast, and salt. Sourdough is added for some breads; eggs and sugar for others. Bread has been around for centuries. No chemicals were added to the breads baked by ancient Egyptians or those mentioned throughout the Bible, and none are added to artisan breads now. Since chemical additives are not used, the flavors of each ingredient are fully developed. And because of no chemical additives, artisan breads tends to have a much shorter shelf-life than the mass-produced prepackaged store-bought bread. It should be eaten within a day or two of purchase/baked or frozen for extended storage.

The process of crafting and baking an artisan bread remains largely the same as then. Quality ingredients are mixed, slowly fermented, hand shaped, and baked in small batches in stone ovens. Often, steam is utilized during the baking process to produce the crispy golden-brown crust characteristic of certain varieties of the artisan loaf (Source : wisegeek.com).

Why I'm discussing all these, because I think bread making is the simplest daily routine activity(well thru out the world people bake it everyday in the comfort of their home so why can't I) BUT then at the same time it's as complex as science, needs patience also,hmmm....well i some time dig into my cupcakes the moment they come out of the oven.

So, Saturday, October the 10th of 2009 was the day....I set my mind a night before, that first thing in the morning I'm gonna make Irish Soda Bread (Of'course I did my research). Now, the question is why this bread? and answer is I wanted a fool proof recipe to start with, plus the one, which doesn't need lot of prep time as i wanted to surprise my family.Click here to experience my Irish Soda Bread.

So, I'm starting my experiments with bread making, while keeping this Russian Proverb in my mind ......"One can get sick of cake, but never of bread.". All of you are welcome to join me in this adventure.