If you are new to baking bread, it may be helpful to know what the 'essential' pantry ingredients are. These are what I consider to be the ingredients that either cannot be dispensed with, or are just so downright tasty that I keep them close at hand. Consider adding these to your shopping list if you are headed to the store this weekend:
1. Unbleached White Bread Flour
2. Whole Wheat Flour
3. Active Dry Yeast
4. Honey
5. Oil (any kind, but Canola if I only had one)
6. Salt
7. Rye Flour (good for making starters)
8. Granulated Sugar
9. Cinnamon (cinnamon-swirl bread = yummy!)
10. Corn Meal (for the bottom of rustic-type loaves)
Of course, I've ended up accumulating a lot of other fun ingredients too! Any type of flour, seed, nut, sweetener, oil, or grain can be used in bread-making. (Warning: If you acquire very many of these items, you may have to also invest in some organizational tupperware!)
In coming posts, I hope to address the properties of some of these ingredients more specifically. In the mean time, remember that experimenting is a great way to learn!
