I went to the store this morning. Price of everything I bought except one thing was up. ~sigh~ And I'm only buying staples, not processed or packaged meals.
Quick Starter:
2 1/2 cups Bread Flour, Sams Club $10.78, 25 lbs
1 Packet Yeast, last one you will ever buy to make bread.
4 TBS Sugar.
2 cups warm water, 90 degree.
1/3 cup white vinegar, a must, natural yeasts and bacteria need a 3.5 pH to develop.
Let it ferment until foamy and working.
Bread:
Add 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of warm water to your Barm, the foamy stuff, let it develop, bubbles and foam, a couple of hours.
Take 2 cups of the Barm plus: 2 tbs of oil, bacon grease, olive oil, butter, or margarine. 1 tsp of salt, 2 TBS of sugar.
Mix, I Use a Bread Machine to mix the dough, put liquids in first, add 3 cups of bread flour. As it is mixing look at it
It should not stick to the bowl, add water if needed.
After you get a ball, stick your finger into it, it should be plastic and not bounce back.
Raise the dough, remember Christ resurrected in three days, natural yeasts need three hours or more to double. Divide, degas, and rise again, bake at 350 for an hour or until the bottom sounds hollow when thumped.
Put starter in fridge, make bread or add 1/2 cup flour and water to feed the barm every seven days.