Perfect Homemade Bread and Butter

The old idiom "bread and butter," as in "a waiter's tips are his bread and butter," or the means by which you're able to eke out a living, has always kind of confused me. I know what the saying is getting at, bread and butter being staples and all, but then why not say "car loans are a banker's rice and beans" or "terrible movies are Nicholas Cage's onions and potatoes"? The answer, I guess, is that both of those sound really stupid.

For me, bread and butter means something a lot more luxurious. They're a treat when done well. I actually get really excited for the bread and butter part of a meal at a nice restaurant (speaking of which, have any of you had the brioche at the Wildflower here in Edmonton? My brain went blank for like a whole week because of how good that brioche was). Warm, fresh bread with equally fresh, creamy butter is one of the most beautiful things to eat. So simple. So comforting. And making your own feels so good - just a little bit of time and effort produces something you can be really proud of.

Since I found this recipe a little over a month ago, we haven't been buying bread. A loaf of whole wheat or rye used to be on our grocery list every single week, but with a few ingredients and a Sunday afternoon, I've been able to make three loaves at once, slice 'em up and put them in the freezer for morning toast or sandwiches - this recipe makes a flavourful, tender bread with an ideal density. Making your own bread costs way less than buying it all the time, plus you can feel good about the ingredients (there's no sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate or  acetylated tartaric acid esters in these loaves, in case you were wondering). The butter is the creamiest I've ever tasted, plus I was able to add as much or as little salt as I wanted. It's shocking how good butter tastes when it's fresh.

The original recipe is for three loaves, which I find is the easiest way to do it - make a lot so it lasts for a while. But if you don't eat a lot of bread or don't want to freeze it, click the link below the recipe title to go to the Allrecipes page, click "adjust recipe" beside the servings, and change the servings to 12 - that'll calculate the amounts you need to just make one loaf.

 

 

Perfect Homemade Bread and Butter

Bread recipe adapted from Allrecipes

Makes 3 loaves of bread and about 1/2 cup butter

Whole Wheat Bread

3 cups warm (not hot) water, 110°F/45°C to be exact

2 packets or 4 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast

1/3 cup honey or golden syrup

5 cups whole wheat bread flour

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup honey or golden syrup (again)

1 tablespoon salt

4 cups all purpose flour

Butter

1 cup whipping cream (33-36% MF)

pinch of salt

To make the bread: 

1. In a large bowl, stir together the warm water, 1/3 cup honey, and yeast until dissolved. Add 5 cups whole wheat bread flour and stir to combine - leave this starter to sit for 30 minutes. It'll puff up and get nice and big.

2. Stir in the melted butter, the other 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Add 2 cups all purpose flour and mix into the dough (you may need to abandon your stirring implement and use your hands to mix). Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 or 15 minutes, constantly dusting the bread and the work surface with the remaining 2 cups of all purpose flour and working it into the dough. Eventually, you'll get a smooth dough that feels slightly tacky but still comes away from the work surface with ease. Put the dough in a greased bowl and turn it so the dough itself is oiled. Cover with a dishtowel and leave it in a warm place to rise, about 45 minutes or until it's approximately doubled in size. (I usually preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and set the bowl on the stovetop to keep warm).

3. Once the dough has risen, punch it down again and divide it evenly into three greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Let the dough rise again for a further 30 minutes, or until it rises about 1 inch above the height of the pan. If you haven't already, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

4. Bake for 25-28 minutes, cool for a few minutes on a rack, then remove the loaves from their pans and let them cool on the rack completely. I slice up my loaves with a sharp serrated knife and store them in resealable freezer bags. 

To make the butter: 

1. Pour the cream into the bowl of an electric mixer or food processor. If using a mixer, use the regular paddle attachment, not the whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed - remember you're not trying to whip air into the cream - and leave to mix for about 10 minutes. 

2. Towards the end, watch the cream as it mixes. It will turn thick, then granular, then clumpy... when the mixture separates into large clumps and watery liquid, turn off the mixer/processor. 

3. Pour the contents (butter and buttermilk at this point) into a strainer to get rid of the liquid. Rinse with cold running water. Scoop the butter clumps into a small bowl, sprinkle with salt, then press the butter firmly into the dish, draining any liquid that squishes out. Cover and refrigerate if you won't be eating it right away.