Yesterday I made two loaves of bread. I used a recipe that came with my Kitchenaid mixer. It was called Rapid Mix Cool Rise White Bread.

I’m sure if you are a seasoned bread maker, that name probably is foreboding. Like, I’m sure a real bread-maker would look at that and say “What could possibly go wrong?” The answer is, a lot. Speeding up making bread is probably not going to produce a good loaf of bread. At least, it sure didn’t for me.

First of all, you just add the yeast to the dry ingredients. Then you add hot water. Then the mixer does the kneading. It only takes 2 minutes, or maybe 4. But personally, I think even 4 minutes was too long for a mixer to be kneading. Then it rises in the refrigerator. YES! In the fridge, in a couple of hours!

I was excited, I have wanted to try baking bread but under normal circumstances, I just never find the time. However, when one is home all day, every day, what better time to try it?

I’d love to be able to make bread. Even though I’m diabetic and can’t really eat much of it. Still, I think that would elevate my baking to a new level, if I could make a good loaf of bread. I know people who would eat it, and I’d have a slice or two.

This bread however, was not that loaf, not that recipe that was going to elevate anything, except maybe your weight or glucose levels. It rose, as it was supposed to. I baked it, but it never got that golden brown color that a loaf of bread should have. So maybe I baked it an extra 5 minutes trying to get that color, but to no avail. It is a sickly color of beige. Still, I thought, maybe it will taste decent. When I took it out of the oven, I tapped the crust, just to see how it felt, and sounded. Well, it sounded kind of .like a tree might sound if you tapped it. Tree bread. But, tenacious as I am, I had not given up yet. I thought I’d just wait for it to cool and try a piece.

After I managed to saw through the tough, hard crust with a bread knife, I got to the bottom crust, which didn’t want to be cut. Not a good sign, I now know. I kind of tore it. I slathered some butter on it, and went for a bite. Ok, the taste was ok, maybe because it was warm, but it was just ok. The bread was so dense. It was not the light fluffy loaf of bread I had envisioned. It was heavy, and tasted too much like flour. I think probably not using the mixer to knead it would be a good idea. I’m guessing that eating that piece of bread was probably the reason my weight was the same this morning as yesterday. So, when Dan gets here, he can try a piece. If he does not like it, it will go into the garbage.

But it sounded so simple! And it was! But it was not good.

I’ll be on a hunt for a new recipe. As soon as I can find yeast again. Apparently I’m not the only person who thought that this would be a good time to learn to make bread. Flour and yeast have been hard to come by. I’m not giving up on this quest to make a decent loaf of bread, that I can’t eat anyway. But I make lots of stuff I shouldn’t eat. I like to bake. I just have to give it away.

So onward. I’ll try to find something else good to make today. Or tomorrow. Whatever. I have a month to figure it out. If I can buy yeast.

Stay safe, stay well, stay at home, wear a mask and gloves if you have to go out. Love and light