Catherine Love~ Ramblings from my Heart and Home

Bread

OK, I have a question for those of you who are more experienced than I with the bread thing.... 

Can someone help me with making my loaves of bread more "sliceable" for sandwiches???  I posted a quote on the Front Porch earlier, and my own ramblings about my young guests refusing to eat my homebaked bread got me to thinking......

I'm not properly caffeinated yet, so that can cause some trouble .  Caffeine is bad, very bad and my next area of attack in the healthy lifestyle pursuit....not looking forward to that one, but it is necessary I know.  

Back to my bread issue.  I have a couple of recipes that I really like- but they are very dense, heavy breads and slicing thinly enough for sandwiches is tricky.  Perhaps I don't have the correct pans?  I just use the plain ol loaf pans that I've had forever.  I think they were my husband's Grandmothers pans. 

Ideas, tips, recipes for sandwich-style whole wheat bread, or thoughts on sneaking in healthy whole-food bread to unsuspecting guests ?!?! 

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10:47 AM, Saturday, August 4, 2007 .. Posted by morningsunshine

my mom has a bread slicer - it's a board with a plastic end, and two plastic side that have lines cut in them at even intervals. it probably would not be hard to make one. hey I did a google, and look what I found:
http://www.google.com/products?q=bread+slicer+guide&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=GkL&um=1&sa=X&oi=froogle&ct=title

also, maybe try a different recipe? a lighter one that isn't dense and heavy and "different looking" or maybe make homemade white bread next tiem guests come over.

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4:47 PM, Saturday, August 4, 2007 .. Posted by HomesteadingCarnival

Hello!
I would like to put this article in the 10th Homesteading Carnival!

Sincerely,
Jocelyn for the THC

OK, I"m confused! LOL

9:22 PM, Saturday, August 4, 2007 .. Posted by mulberrylane

Slicing bread thin enough? With a dense bread, this should be easier. I'm thinking of my attempts to slice bread and hmmmm.... I have trouble with very light breads... I tend to squish them, especially if slicing too early after baking.

For me, to slice bread easier, I let it sit overnight. I slice the next morning and it firms up enough and is just easier to cut. I've also read that letting bread rest 24 hours after baking is good for you... something about the yeast in warm bread is not good for our bellies. (Warm bread fresh from the oven on it's first bake... reheating is fine).

As for a trick, I don't know one. I've got a bread slicer guide. My mom gave it to me, it came with her bread machine... sure helps the girls or me when I'm using the electric knife (when I have many loaves to do). Otherwise it's just practice. I can slice a loaf of bread with rarely a crooked slice, just from practice. My kids aren't as skilled and if an unsliced loaf is found, they either use the guide or call me in to slice the bread. You can get those guides somewhat cheap... I've seen them for $10-20. Mine looks like a U shape that you stick the loaf into. The walls have slats to guide your knife for thin slices.

Warmly, ~Melissa

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11:51 AM, Sunday, August 5, 2007 .. Posted by crewchief

I used to use a guide thingy but gave up on it. Those slices weren't sized right for me and only about 1/2 the loaf fit in it at time. Now I just use my electric knife to slice it. They aren't always perfect, but we don't mind a bit. Just practice practice practice.

I use Crystal Miller's recipe and use hard white berries for my flour. My family LOVES this bread. I just sold a loaf to my mom and she was going to take it to work to share until she realized "this is good for toast, its good for sandwiches, its good for everything!" So she just kept it for herself and my dad. (um, yeah, we don't buy bread anymore, of course its good for everything! LOL)