Does anyone else here like to bake?

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The discussion revolves around the joys and challenges of baking, particularly bread. Participants share their love for baking, with a focus on bread-making techniques, including the soothing process of kneading and the satisfaction of enjoying fresh bread. There are mentions of various baked goods like cakes, cookies, and pies, with some expressing a preference for frying over baking. The conversation humorously touches on the idea of deep-frying foods and the ease of making cookie dough on demand. Bakers share their experiences, with some struggling to perfect recipes, particularly chocolate chip cookies, while others boast about their skills in making pies and cinnamon buns. The importance of patience in baking, especially for items like cinnamon buns, is emphasized, along with the communal aspect of baking and sharing treats. Advice is exchanged on overcoming baking mishaps, such as flat bread, with tips on yeast activation, dough kneading, and ingredient adjustments. The thread concludes on a positive note, celebrating successful baking attempts and the joy of fresh bread.
Moonbear
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Does anyone else here like to bake? I rarely have time anymore, but this weekend I've gotten myself back into baking bread. I love bread fresh from the oven! Of course it takes all day (two days for the sourdough...though better if I have more time to let the starter ferment longer than overnight). That's why I've been online almost continuously today, just killing time in between rises and while the bread is baking.

Bread is one of my favorite things to bake. Kneading the dough is very soothing. But I also enjoy baking pretty much anything...cakes, cookies, pies, etc., and I enjoy eating those far more than the bread. I have yet to learn to make a good pastry dough.
 
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I've only ever baked cookies once. As I recall, they were quite yummy. I'm just too lazy to bake things now. I'm more of frying pan sort of guy.
 
Moonbear said:
But I also enjoy baking pretty much anything...cakes, cookies, pies, etc.,

...

...

Will you marry me? :-p
 
:biggrin: Say YES Moonbear!
 
enigma said:
...

...

Will you marry me? :-p

Is that all it takes to find a husband? Maybe I should have listened to the advice in those 1950s home economics books afterall! :smile: Ah, but in case you proposed too hastily, I'll let you off the hook. As the folks in my lab know, you don't have to marry me to get those goodies, you can just come work with me...you don't think I keep my "girlish figure" by eating all that myself, do you? :blushing:

PS- If you were serious in your offer of marriage, then we better hurry up and get hitched quickly if we want the honor of being the first PF wedding...I hear Evo and Humanino are contenders now that we've learned Humanino can do electrical work (poor tribdog is crushed at that news). :smile:
 
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check said:
I've only ever baked cookies once. As I recall, they were quite yummy. I'm just too lazy to bake things now. I'm more of frying pan sort of guy.

[shakes head] Oh, no no no, poor misguided check...you can't fry cookies, they just don't turn out right at all! You really do have to bake them. :smile:
 
Moonbear said:
[shakes head] Oh, no no no, poor misguided check...you can't fry cookies, they just don't turn out right at all! You really do have to bake them. :smile:

But it's soo much easier! Plus you can make them on demand! Just keep some cookie dough/mix in the fridge and toss a scoop on the pan as needed. :-p
 
check said:
But it's soo much easier! Plus you can make them on demand! Just keep some cookie dough/mix in the fridge and toss a scoop on the pan as needed. :-p


ANYTHING is better fried.
 
franznietzsche said:
ANYTHING is better fried.

Agreed. That's why for the last couple of year's I've been asking for a deep fryer for xmas. LoL
 
  • #10
check said:
Agreed. That's why for the last couple of year's I've been asking for a deep fryer for xmas. LoL
:smile: :smile: :smile: :smile:

Not a bad idea.

Don't boil your noodles,fry them and then add the powder fromthe Macn Cheese box!

Don't microwave the hot pocket, drop it into a deep fat fryer!

I can feel my life expectancy plummet as i type.
 
  • #12
I like baking. I can make pretty good pies and pastries. My specialty though is cinnamon buns. The ones I make are SO good. For all the good things I make, my chocolate chip cookies never turn out right. It's really weird. I can make a great apple pie but I can't figure out simple cookies.

I've always liked cooking. Amidst all the physics, chemistry and math in high school I managed to take seven cooking classes in five years.
 
  • #13
Oooh, yummy, I love cinnamon buns, but never have the patience to make them from scratch! I don't think you can go wrong with the Tollhouse cookie recipe on the package of Nestle's chocolate chips. I've tried other recipes, but they are never as good.
 
  • #14
Moonbear said:
Oooh, yummy, I love cinnamon buns, but never have the patience to make them from scratch! I don't think you can go wrong with the Tollhouse cookie recipe on the package of Nestle's chocolate chips. I've tried other recipes, but they are never as good.

I usually make the cinnamon buns when I have a day where I'm doing nothing all day (VERY rare). It takes a long time but I make a lot of them so me and my family can pig out. I'll start them in the morning then just forget about the dough as it rises until the evening when I actually bake them. It's a long process, but definitely worth it.
 
  • #15
ek said:
I usually make the cinnamon buns when I have a day where I'm doing nothing all day (VERY rare). It takes a long time but I make a lot of them so me and my family can pig out. I'll start them in the morning then just forget about the dough as it rises until the evening when I actually bake them. It's a long process, but definitely worth it.

I can do that with bread, but with cinnamon buns, when I get to craving one of those, I can't wait a day to eat it.
 
  • #16
Moonbear said:
I can do that with bread, but with cinnamon buns, when I get to craving one of those, I can't wait a day to eat it.

But waiting makes it taste ten times better.

It also makes you foam at the mouth and go insane though...Is there a compromise?
 
  • #17
Yeah, it's called cookie dough.
 
  • #18
Smurf said:
Yeah, it's called cookie dough.

Problem solved.
 
  • #19
Cookie Dough is a miracle cure.
 
  • #20
Except first time i ever ate it, i got sick and threw it up on a throw rug. That was a fun christmas eve.
 
  • #21
I hate christmas
 
  • #22
franznietzsche said:
Except first time i ever ate it, i got sick and threw it up on a throw rug. That was a fun christmas eve.

You're not supposed to eat the whole bowl of it! :eek: Gotta be careful with those raw eggs too.
 
  • #23
I love baking, especially bread. There is nothing that smells more wonderful than the smell of bread baking. Then eating it warm from the oven with fresh butter... :!)
 
  • #24
Moonbear said:
[shakes head] Oh, no no no, poor misguided check...you can't fry cookies, they just don't turn out right at all! You really do have to bake them. :smile:

But on a camp out, you can make a pretty decent batch of donuts in a frying pan.
 
  • #25
BobG said:
But on a camp out, you can make a pretty decent batch of donuts in a frying pan.
Mmmmmm, yeast donuts. My mother and I used to make them all of the time when I was little. :approve:
 
  • #26
To hell with this stupid low carb diet, tonight I am going to binge on fresh bread, pasta & pastries! I can't take it anymore! :cry:
 
  • #27
I've never counted a carb in my life. I've always been skinny, but we are starting to run into a problem. In High School I was the 98lb weakling, I've filled out quite a bit but I'm still slender, however, there is a definite pinch-an-inch (or two or three) roll around my middle.
I once had a girl who was fishing for compliments say, "I think your roll is cute."
I said, "Really? I can't stand it, but at least its not as bad as yours."
Oh that reminds me, I've got a couple of stretch marks on my back, right near the top of the butt. How did that happen? I didn't stretch, neither did my butt. At least not that I remember. Do alien anal probes have a stretching effect?
 
  • #28
Who needs to count carbs? Or calories for that matter, just eat well! I think now I'll have to make cookies or something when I get home.
 
  • #29
tribdog said:
I've never counted a carb in my life. I've always been skinny, but we are starting to run into a problem. In High School I was the 98lb weakling, I've filled out quite a bit but I'm still slender, however, there is a definite pinch-an-inch (or two or three) roll around my middle.
I once had a girl who was fishing for compliments say, "I think your roll is cute."
I said, "Really? I can't stand it, but at least its not as bad as yours."
Oh that reminds me, I've got a couple of stretch marks on my back, right near the top of the butt. How did that happen? I didn't stretch, neither did my butt. At least not that I remember. Do alien anal probes have a stretching effect?

:smile: i like your way of not putting up with any crap!

i love to bake...i haven't mastered bread yet, but hope to someday...cookies are a lot of fun, especially chocolate chip cookies...
 
  • #30
Kerrie said:
:smile: i like your way of not putting up with any crap!
i can't afford to put up with other people's crap. I have enough trouble with my own.
 
  • #31
Kerrie said:
i love to bake...i haven't mastered bread yet, but hope to someday...cookies are a lot of fun, especially chocolate chip cookies...
Kerrie, get a bread machine. The most wonderful device ever made. I can have homemade bread every day now if I want.
 
  • #32
I got a bread machine once. I think its slogan was something like, "Makes great bread until you run out of the free sample packets, then only takes up 12 square inches of counter top while it sits and collects dust..
 
  • #33
tribdog said:
I got a bread machine once. I think its slogan was something like, "Makes great bread until you run out of the free sample packets, then only takes up 12 square inches of counter top while it sits and collects dust..

They usually come with a bunch of fairly simple recipes, as in, a list of ingredients, dump them all in and push a button or two, come back after work and there's bread waiting for you. I've stopped using mine though. When I lived in MI and worked with a bunch of exercise nuts always looking for a carbo fix, I used it more because I had no problem taking my slice and passing along the rest, but now everyone is on these wacky low carb diets, and won't touch the bread, even when it's whole wheat! The bread machines also cause me trouble when the humidity isn't consistent. One day the bread is too dry, the next too wet. With making it by hand, I can just add as much flour as needed until it feels right.

Actually, that reminds me that I need to take my out of the cabinet and move it to the basement appliance graveyard. Then again, I didn't buy it for myself, my sister gave it to me as a Christmas or birthday present one year...she tends to send me strange appliances for gifts...she sent me a foot bath thing once...that scared me...fill it up with hot water then plug it in and stick your feet in it while it vibrates. I thought she might have been trying to get rid of me via electrocution. It makes a great bin for collecting junk mail though. I had another idea for it, but it still scared me to plug something in that holds water.
 
  • #34
tribdog said:
I got a bread machine once. I think its slogan was something like, "Makes great bread until you run out of the free sample packets, then only takes up 12 square inches of counter top while it sits and collects dust..
:smile: Hey, all you do is dump the ingredients in, (you don't even have to stir them), close the lid, hit "start" and a few hours later fresh bread pops out. IT'S A MIRACLE!

You can buy more of those packets, you know. :wink:

edit:Moonbear, my cats LOVE bread, so my surplus problem is solved.
 
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  • #35
I'm actually really good at baking pies, my mom and grandmom are jealous of me because I can make it better than them. I also get requests from girls all the time at school that will pay me to bake pies for them. My favorite pie to bake without a doubt is strawberry rhubarb pie, which is the best damn pie on the face of the earth.
 
  • #36
Now I want to get a bunch of PFers together for a feast! Nevermind that there won't be any main courses, there will be plenty of fresh bread, cinnamon rolls, pies, cookies, cakes...yummy! We'll have plenty of tea, coffee or milk to go with all the desserts. Don't worry tribdog, we'll manage to fatten you up with that feast. Gravenewworld, you're definitely invited to bring along that strawberry rhubarb pie. Sounds delicious! Sorry Evo, the cats are not invited, I'm not sharing my pie! They can wait for any leftovers, but I don't think there will be any. :smile:
 
  • #37
No, with us there, leftovers will not be a problem! Food, it sounds so good.
 
  • #38
Evo said:
I love baking, especially bread. There is nothing that smells more wonderful than the smell of bread baking. Then eating it warm from the oven with fresh butter... :!)

I'm just making whole wheat bread right now!(first time in my live).Very simple recipe: whole wheat flour,yeast,little salt, brown sugar, however i don't add any oils!, maybe some olive oil to grease the baking pan.
Wish me luck.I Looooooove Breads! :-p
 
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  • #39
Good luck tumor. Whole wheat is a tough one to start with...it will be very sticky. You might want to add just a touch of unbleached flour just to give it a bit more gluten to hold it together. Knead it for a long time (15 min). A scraper will help to keep lifting it off the work surface as you knead...don't be afraid to add flour as you go along.
 
  • #40
also with whole wheat, that doesn't mean the "whole" wheat. Learned that one the hard way. Those stalks are tough and I was backed up for about 4 days.
If someone asked me if I knew how to knead I'd say kno.
 
  • #41
Jeezes! one word says it all AWFULL! bread came out of oven flat and i baked it too long because crust was so hard i almost chiped my front teeth, ate whole bread anyway.I could not throw that thing into the garbage.
So why my bread was so flat? and not like that in the supermarket? Help me people!

PS Ups!, maybe i forgot to add yeast? :redface:
 
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  • #42
tumor said:
Jeezes! one word says it all AWFULL! bread came out of oven flat and i baked it to long because crust was so hard i almost chiped my front teeth, ate whole bread anyway.I could not throw that thing into the garbage.
So why my bread was so flat? and not like that in the supermarket? Help me people!

PS Ups!, maybe i forgot to add yeast? :redface:

A few possibilities:
1) You indeed forgot the yeast. You should mix the yeast with lukewarm water first and let it dissolve and start to react a bit, then add the other liquid ingredients, and then the dry ingredients.
2) Your yeast was too old and died.
3) You didn't give the bread enough time to rise...usually about an hour or two for the first rise, then gently roll it back in a ball (punching it down doesn't really mean punching it), and a second rise for another hour or two, then shape the loaf and let it rest another 10 or 20 minutes before putting it in the oven.
4) You didn't knead the dough long enough to get it elastic.
5) It was too wet, so didn't hold its shape when you put it in the oven.
6) The whole wheat flour didn't have enough gluten in it (whole wheat is low in gluten, which is the stuff in flour that helps the dough get elastic and hold together). You can solve this by either buying some gluten to add, or by substituting some white flour (I prefer unbleached) for wheat flour.
7) A combination of several of the above.

Try a white bread next time, or sourdough (though you need an extra day to make that). It's easier to learn to work with white flour because it has more gluten in it. You can also buy whole wheat with a higher gluten content, but you might have to find a specialty store to get it. It just takes a little practice. Watch some cooking shows on TV to see what dough is supposed to look like.
 
  • #43
Moonbear! thanks. you are the greatest! tomorrow or even tonight i will try again to bake bread according to your suggestions.
 
  • #44
My second try at baking bread today was more sucsessfull than yesterday.
I bought real yeast at Polish delicatessen and added some white flour with gluten.Final result- delicious.Mmmmm :-p
Thanks for advice Moonbear.
 
  • #45
tumor said:
My second try at baking bread today was more sucsessfull than yesterday.
I bought real yeast at Polish delicatessen and added some white flour with gluten.Final result- delicious.Mmmmm :-p

Yay! Isn't fresh bread the BEST?!

Thanks for advice Moonbear.

No problem...just remember to nominate me for the baking expert medal! :smile:
 

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