Breadmaking 101 and Taste Test

I don't know how many times I have been asked to teach someone how to make homemade bread. I had some great teachers but I have also taken it upon myself to try out new ways to make bread every week. Maybe this should be called "Carb 101" or "How to fall off your diet"! Anyway, here are 3 methods below and at the end we are going to have a taste test and see which method is better!

Bread the with the Kitchen Aid Mixer (or Big Sally as I like to call it :-)
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey (bread does not need sugar, contrary to most store bought variety!)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup flax seed (optional)
1 1/2 cup warm water
4-5 cups flour

Mix half of flour and above ingredients with a wooden spoon, then add:
1 T yeast

 Before the second wave of flour.

 Drop in yeast then rest of flour.

This is what the finished product should look it. It should be creeping up the arm.

*Tip* You want your dough more sticky than not, it taste better!

Now the fun part! Stir until it's formed a ball,  then turn it out onto hard service and knead for 5-7 minutes.

Grease a glass or stainless steel bowl and put a damp cloth over. Let rise until double. Can take 1-4 hours. Just be patient.

Shape into desired shape...we are making rolls today or as my southern son calls them "rauls".

Let rise 30 min. While rising turn over to 350 degrees.

After 30 minutes pop into the oven.

This recipe will be ready for the taste test in 20-30 minutes.

Quick note: Never use a timer to determine a food done-ness. Use them for a gauge but ultimately your your sight and the barometer.

Method #2 Bread the Ole Fashion way, or the way your Momma did it.

Add ingredients the same as above, but start by stirring with spatula or wooden spoon.

Once you add yeast and 2nd round of flour, sprinkle flour on counter so when you knead the dough, it will not stick.

Get in there and work your frustrations out! There is no real way to knead, just make sure by the end the dough is smooth and not lumpy with flour.

You can tell it's rising good!

After it's risen, punch dough down and knead about 20 times then shape into whatever you are making and let rise while over is heating.

Method #3
The Bread Machine

My bread machine...purchased at a garage sale for $7!

The only trick to this is to dump all ingrediants, put yeast on top and set on dough setting. However I do not let the dough rise twice in the machine...it seems to taste better when I don't.

After 1 1/2 hours of rising. The good thing about bread machines is that you know exactly when the dough will be done!

So the experiement begins!!!

Here are my 3 batches of dough. Each recipe the same, but made by each method listed about. 

Hand made....Kitchen Aid...Bread Machine.

Im pulling for the hand made!

 Ready for the cooking.

 My taste team was summoned to the kitchen for this event which included 2 mothers, 2 fathers, 2 crazy kids ans 1 baby who only wishes she could have a bite.

 On your mark....

I asked Solomon which one he liked the best, and he decided to show me. 

The winner was unanimous, which one do you think it was?