Beautiful pie!

I love to cook and bake but slowed down after my kids moved out. It was not good for my waistline. Now we live in Colorado and baking is a waste of time and ingredients. Baking in altitude is a challenge and even if I like the finished product (which doesn't happen often) everything dries out too quickly.

I used to bake homemade bread quite a bit then bought a bread machine. Last week I made a no knead bread in the machine and it was pretty good.

If you do have a bread machine, after all these years I finally found the best mixes. Prepared Pantry

The texture and taste is just like homemade. Here's a picture I took a couple of weeks ago. This was much better than the no knead bread.

I cheat. I buy the IKEA bread mix. All you do is pour water into the carton, shake it, pour in baking pan, let rise, and then bake. It's yummy, kind of like a whole grain pumpernickel.

I bake bread fairly often. It's the only way SO and I can afford good bread. I use a bread machine that was gifted to me many years ago by a Cooking forum member - Ohiomom!

I recommend Brother Juniper's Bread Book.

I haven't made bread in years.

I make bread several times a week. I have a 17-year-old boy, so it doesn’t last very long. It takes about 10 minutes to make the dough. It’s super easy, but I think a kitchen aid mixer, or it’s equivalent, is a necessity. It also freezes beautifully if you happen to have any leftovers.

If anyone wants the recipe I use, just ask and I’ll post it.

Beautiful stuff here, folks. I love to bake, cook...and EAT!! That's the problem. With just the two of us here most of the time now it isn't waist-effective. I still spend an awful lot of time reading recipes and longing to make something. Ann-t is a very bad influence ; ) !!!

I do make a small loaf of white or whole wheat every 2-3 days in the bread machine, a loaf of no knead every so often just because it's so darn good (and essential with pasta), and Greek yogurt every few days. We eat a lot of yogurt.

I'm going to make a loaf of white bread or no knead with the whey from today's yogurt tomorrow. Should be delicious. Unfortunately.

Oooh, that pie looks delicious!!! I’ve been trying out a few alternate bread recipes lately myself. We pretty much have stopped eating starches, meaning anything made with wheat, rice, corn or potato flour including “regular “ breads and pastas. No potatoes, rice, corn, or sugar either.

But, please know that I definitely DON’T mean that as a criticism of you or anyone else that makes and eats starches! DH is a family practice doc and is helping me (and him) try to avoid my strong family history of heart disease and Type2 Diabetes.

Anyhoo, The bread recipe I tried last week called for almond and coconut flours, eggs, and blueberries. It was pretty dry tasting by itself, though. I’ve made some great soft “tortillas” using oat flour and egg whites that are good for wrap sandwiches, crepe dishes, etc. I’m looking for a tried and true bread recipe using oat flour to try next.

I also bake bread though not as regularly as I did when the two boys were home, but still do. I have a sourdough starter and also use it to make waffles, pancakes, pizza crust and cinnamon rolls with it and I make other breads as well. My sons have a favorite dinner roll I try to make for them when I can and I am working on adapting a King Arthur one for the dark wheat rolls they love at a steak house. It's in the right direction, but too heavy.

Jojoco, which recipe are you using. if your recipe is from one of the popular books, I may have it. If not, II'd be interested in knowing what is working well for you. We no longer have moms and grandmothers to teach us these things Mine have both passed, but my mom's version of homemade bread was the frozen dough you bought at the grocery store and put in the metal loaf pan (we still loved it). I don't know if my grandmother baked bread in earlier years, but not that I saw.

I make no knead from artisanbreadinfive.com and I am a convert to breadmaking. And I give it away, usually. I love the authors of these books. Their website discusses the problems and solutions In using their method.

We make our own pizza dough in the KA mixer with dough hook attachment. I use rapid rise yeast.

Sausage-mushroom-fresh basil pizza with local farmers market sausage and mushrooms.

I used to bake a big loaf every week, but since hubby and I just don't eat very much bread any more, I've pretty much stopped. Haven't done much of any kind of baking for quite some time now. I agree - it's no friend to my waistline!

Mmm tho, there's nothing as good as fresh baked breads = )

"Waist-effective," my new mantra Sheesh! :)

JoJoco, I would like your bread recipe. I have a KA mixer with a bread attachment. You bread looks amazing!

I just took mine out of the oven a while ago. Both DH and I give it a thumbs up! So tasty and couldn't be easier:

Gorgeous pie, Bonnie! I looooove good bread, but like others, I really have to watch my calorie intake, so I rarely have it. If only I could be a marathon runner so I could eat more calories!

My dh would love your pie! Something I don't make. I'm crust impaired.

My bread baking is typically done in the cooler months, but since it's tomato season which means burgers in our house, I'm going to try making Kaiser rolls tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

My French bread recipe comes from AnnT on the Cooking forum.

Bonnie, your pie looks perfect! well done!

I am not really a fan of bread from a maker EXCEPT a bread the ex would make that was loaded with sesame seeds. It was amazing when cut very very thin and then toasted.

I haven't baked bread in ages but I usually made a jewish rye bread (lost my bookmark to the recipe) or this truly foolproof recipe from King Arthur: Crusty Old World Sesame

Jojoco, your breads remind me of the French baguettes I used to make when I spent the summers in NH. My then bf's family had a home on the lake and they had these great French bread tubes that must have been 50 yr old! The bread took no time to make and was always just perfect. I think a lot of people don't know how easy it is to make a simple French (or Italian) loaf!

I make my own 100% organic whole wheat bread. Have a slice for bkfst every a.m. I use the king arthur recipe and I add cocoa powder and cinnamon and it smells soooo good when it's toasting.

Here’s my recipe. Not exactly sure where it’s from, probably king Arthur. I also bake mine in the French baguette pans.

2 cups warm water

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs salt

5 cups KA all purpose flour

Mix the sugar into the warm water and then add the yeast. I give it a little whisk to mix it up. Let it sit until yeast foams up a bit (a few minutes). Mix flour and salt together and place in mixer bowl. Pour water/yeast mixture over the flour. Using dough hook, set to number two and mix for five minutes. Remove dough from bowl (it should feel like a springy and not sticky ball, and “alive” ) Place dough in a large bowl (I use a big ceramic mixing bowl) that has either been sprayed with Pam or greased some other way. Roll the dough to cover all sides with whatever it is that has greased the bowl. Cover bowl with saran wrap that has been sprayed with Pam. Leave on the counter and let it rise for a while. When it has doubled, punch down the dough and divide it in two. Shape into two baguettes and pinch the seam and ends to seal. Brush with cold water and sprinkle with salt. Place in a cold oven and set the temperature to 400°. Set timer for 30 minutes. It should be perfectly done when the timer rings. Cool on a rack. Serves one.

(If you want to add things like fresh chopped rosemary, or shredded cheese, add those additions to the flour before adding the liquid. Works like a charm.)

Thank you Jojoco. It is very similar to the NY Times recipe. I will try it to make baguettes like you have. Looks yummy!

Ooh, that pie looks amazing!! Love lemon meringue.

I’ve been making bread for north of four decades. My favorite is adapted from my Grandma’s recipe, half whole-wheat. Two other standbys are Cook’s Illustrated’s take on no-knead bread and Paul Hollywood’s ciabatta. I recently bought a CI bread cookbook, and I plan to work through it and make each recipe. Tomorrow will be Parker House rolls.

I exercise a lot, partly so I can eat like this. And drink wine.

Thank you fouramblues. The pie is so good!

My grandmother's both baked bread, so did my mom and aunts. Thus as a newlywed I baked bread. I gave it up through the years, but I am so happy to be back at it. It is just DH and me now, but we both workout and eat bread/drink wine. All in moderation.

I'll look up Paul Hollywood's ciabatta. DD and her boyfriend made amazing Parker House rolls for Easter. I can taste them now!

Thank you. Happy bread baking.

I'm not a great baker but do make my own sourdough of the no-knead variety. It's a combination of the NY Times recipe with some of the technique of the America's Test Kitchen. I don't do it often, but that smell...maybe I should make some this weekend. It's supposed to be cool.

I haven't read all the responses, but I have to say that the pic of the pie and the title of the thread "Bread" kind of makes my head explode every time the thread comes up! NO, that's not bread, it's a PIE! lol

Oly, that is because while the bread was rising I made the pie.