Episodes

  • Top Five bread baking strategies that helped elevate my baking from flavorless bricks to beautiful delicious loaves.

    Top Five bread baking strategies that helped elevate my baking from flavorless bricks to beautiful delicious loaves.
    Jan 7 2025

    Happy New Year!

    1. Embrace the fact you will have failures, and it is all part of the journey.

    2. While embracing the learning curves you still want to set yourself up for success by using the right type of flour.

    3. Recognize the correct moisture content needed to produce a loaf of bread.

    4. Understand it is not an exact science and embrace the fact that there is no set rising time as it all depends.

    5. Just as all environments are different producing different fermentation times, same with ovens. They produce variations in the product while baking at the same temperture setting. Focus effort on getting the product properly baked.

    Have fun and relax you’ll get it right and above all else make sure you are Happy Baking! Sheila

    Please subscribe to this podcast, and share with your friends on social media. To purchase the House of Bread recipe book, take an on line baking class or purchase a box of fresh bread, please visit eStore

    If you’d like more information about House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbread.com. For our Utube channel, please go here https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCXH5NgT8vpnAuSuZN5AxEQQ.



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    21 mins
  • Stollen, the German Christmas loaf

    Stollen, the German Christmas loaf
    Dec 9 2024
    Show Notes: STOLLEN Two loaf yield. I know I said I was Irish in my intro, I’m also half German. My Grandma McCann was German and her Stollen, was delicious. The bread is shaped like how you would wrap a baby in a blanket. The baby would be Jesus. I don’t make this stuff up. One day before you make the sponge and the fruit soak in two separate containers. Let sit out at room temperature. SPONGE FRUIT SOAK 1 cup of flour Raisins 1 cup 1 cup of water Dried Cranberries ½ cup 1 Tablespoon of yeast Walnuts ½ cup Vanilla ¼ cup Sponge: Measure the flour, water and yeast in a bowl. Combine thoroughly and cover with a towel to let the mixture breath. Fruit soak: Put the raisins, cranberries, walnuts and vanilla in another bowl, combine them to make sure the fruit will be soaked, cover in any type of cover as the fruit doesn’t need to breath. The next day you make the dough, with the sponge and after the good dough stage, you knead in the fruit and nut mixture. Dough: 1/4 cup Milk (whole milk preferred but not necessary). Warm it to the point it is hot but not boiling. 1/4 cup sugar 2 T vanilla 2 T yeast 2 tsp. of lemon extract ¼ cup of butter softened to the point half of it is liquid 1 egg 1 T Salt 4 cups white bread flour 1 lemon zested 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp each of cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Please subscribe and share this podcast with another bread head. For more information about House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbread.com. To purchase the House of Bread recipe book, please visit https://houseofbread.com/recipe-book/ To take an on line class, please visit https://houseofbread.com/product-category/online-baking-class/ If you’d like more information about the franchise opportunity with House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbreadfranchise.com. For our YouTube channel, please go here https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCXH5NgT8vpnAuSuZN5AxEQQ
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    12 mins
  • Water, simply the most overlooked but one of the most important ingredients in baking.

    Water, simply the most overlooked but one of the most important ingredients in baking.
    Oct 28 2024

    Understanding the portion of water in bread baking, helps guide the baker in knowing how to shape the dough, proof the dough and bake it.


    Want to learn about a particular subject, recipe or just a bread head idea for a podcast? Send me your ideas and if selected, I'll send you a pdf of my recipe book.


    Happy Baking and happy Halloween! Sheila McCann

    Please subscribe and share this podcast with another bread head. For more information about House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbread.com. To purchase the House of Bread recipe book, please visit https://houseofbread.com/recipe-book/ To take an on line class, please visit https://houseofbread.com/product-category/online-baking-class/ If you’d like more information about the franchise opportunity with House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbreadfranchise.com. For our Utube channel, please go here https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCXH5NgT8vpnAuSuZN5AxEQQ.

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    17 mins
  • Day of the Dead=El Dia De Los Muertos

    Day of the Dead=El Dia De Los Muertos
    Oct 19 2024
    Sheila covers how to make the calaveras skull type bread and the pad de muertos which are the more traditionally shaped loaves. The base is a sweet egg bread with a hint of citrus. The topping is festive as it is in celebration to honor the spirit of a departed loved one. We also have a Youtube channel that has short video on the bread found here https://youtu.be/QMS74rbSJ8E. The base dough for three medium sized loaves or four smaller one pound size. 2 1/2 cups of warm water (approximately 100 degrees or think hot tub water) Zest of one orange, and avoid the white bitter part of the orange-then squeeze in the juice 2 packages or one and 3/4 Tablespoons of active dry yeast 6 cups of unbleached flour (approximately 1 1/2 pounds) 1 1/2 cups of whole-wheat flour 1/2 cup of butter that is very soft but not melted 1 cup of sugar 1 1/2 Tablespoons of salt 2 large eggs at room temperature Caramel Color-Combine granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water in a heavy sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar completely. Boil until sugar colors-this is how you make caramel. But don't stop here. Continue cooking until sugar turns black and starts to smoke. Remove from heat and carefully add 1/4 cup water, then return to heat and stir until liquid. Pour into glass jar and use as needed. Please subscribe and share this podcast with another bread head. For more information about House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbread.com. To purchase the House of Bread recipe book, please visit https://houseofbread.com/recipe-book/ To take an on line class, please visit https://houseofbread.com/product-category/online-baking-class/ If you’d like more information about the franchise opportunity with House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbreadfranchise.com. . For our Utube channel, please go here https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCXH5NgT8vpnAuSuZN5AxEQQ
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    19 mins
  • Guarantee deliciousness-blueberry walnut coffee cake that happens to be gluten free and vegan.

    Guarantee deliciousness-blueberry walnut coffee cake that happens to be gluten free and vegan.
    Aug 25 2024
    I know a long title, but I wanted you to pause on passing on this amazing recipe because it is both gluten free and vegan. I'm neither and this is one of the few pastries I eat on a regular basis due to the flavor, texture and how it makes me feel afterwards. If you are willing to try making this and you don't love it, then email me sheila@houseofbread.com and I'll send you an online baking class of choice or a download pdf version of my recipe book. GLUTEN FREE VEGAN BLUEBERRY WALNUT COFFEE CAKE 1. CREATE THE FLAX EGG MIXTURE. GRIND 1 CUP OF FLAX SEEDS IN A VITAMIX BLENDER ALONE BEFORE ADDING IN THE WATER. 2. PUT GROUND FLAX SEEDS IN A LARGE PASTRY MIXING BOWL AND ADD 2 1/2 CUPS OF WATER, MIX TOGETHER WITH YOUR HAND. LET SIT FOR 15 MINUTES. 3. CREATE WALNUT BUTTER. PUT 6 1/2 CUPS OF WALNUTS ON A SHEET PAN. BAKE FOR 10 MINUTES. 4. PUT 1/2 CUP OF CANOLA OIL AND 1/2 CUP OF WATER WITH WALNUTS IN A FOOD PROCESSOR. MIX TOGETHER. 5. ADD 3 CUPS OF THE WALNUT BUTTER MIXTURE TO THE FLAX SEED BOWL. THERE WILL BE REMAINING WALNUT BUTTER LEFT OVER FOR THE TOPPING. ADD THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS TO THE BOWL. MIX ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER UNTIL INCORPORATED. VANILLA 1 T BAKING SODA ¾ T BAKING POWDER 1 T SALT 1 T BROWN SUGAR 1 CUP WHITE SUGAR 2 CUPS 7. ADD 4 CUPS OF GLUTEN FREE FLOUR THAT HAS XANTHAN GUM. WE RECOMMEND BOBS RED MILL ONE TO ONE FLOUR. MIX TOGETHER. 8. ADD 1 CUP OF BLUEBERRIES AND PUT IN A WELL SPRAYED SHEET PAN. 9. MAKE TOPPING. USE THE REMAINDER OF THE WALNUT BUTTER AND ADD 1/2 CUP OF OATS AND 1 CUP OF BROWN SUGAR. COMBINE FOR A STREUSEL TOPPING THAT YOU PUT ON TOP. Amazon.com : Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, 22 Ounce (Pack of 4) : Grocery & Gourmet Food Cheaper at webrestaurant but check the shipping costs. Bob's Red Mill 4 lb. Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (webstaurantstore.com) Please subscribe and share this podcast with another bread head. For more information about House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbread.com. To purchase the House of Bread recipe book, please visit https://houseofbread.com/recipe-book/ To take an on line class, please visit https://houseofbread.com/product-category/online-baking-class/ If you’d like more information about the franchise opportunity with House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbreadfranchise.com. For our Utube channel, please go here https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCXH5NgT8vpnAuSuZN5AxEQQ. 10. BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR ABOUT 60 MINUTES UNTIL INTERNAL TEMPERATURE REACHES 200 DEGREES OR FIRM ON TOP.
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    12 mins
  • Snickerdoodle Cookies

    Snickerdoodle Cookies
    Jul 22 2024

    What's with the funny name and how to make one of the most popular cookies in the US.

    SNICKERDOODLES

    In a bowl mix the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.

    5 1/2 cups of flour-pastry or all purpose

    1 tsp of salt

    1 Tablespoon + 1 tsp of baking powder

    In the bowl of your electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth about 5 minutes.

    2 cups of butter softened

    3 cups of white sugar

    4 eggs add one at a time beating after each egg is added.

    2 tsp of pure vanilla, beat it in. Then add in the flour mixture until you have a smooth dough. Round into dough balls and then roll in the below mixture.

    Coating:

    1 cup of white sugar

    2 Tablespoons of ground cinnamon

    Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 for smaller sized cookies and 15-20 minutes for larger sized cookies. Should take out when the cookies are slightly golden around the edges. Keep in mind, the cookies continue to bake for a couple of minutes while cooling on the pan. Thus, take them out of the oven before you think they are finished baking.

    Thank you for listening and Happy Baking! Sheila

    For more information about House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbread.com. To purchase the House of Bread recipe book, please visit https://houseofbread.com/recipe-book/ To take an on line class, please visit https://houseofbread.com/product-category/online-baking-class/ If you’d like more information about the franchise opportunity with House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbreadfranchise.com. For our YouTube channel, please go here https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCXH5NgT8vpnAuSuZN5AxEQQ. For red food dye you can buy options here Amazon.com : natural red food dye or Edible Paint Christmas Red Chefmaster Liqua-Gel Food | Etsy To make beet food dye, the video is here 100% Natural Homemade Red Food Color Recipe | For Restaurant Style Gravies & Indo Chinese Recipes - Bing video
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    12 mins
  • For better bread nail your second proof

    For better bread nail your second proof
    Jun 5 2024

    While proofing may be the most passive step in bread baking — you literally sit back and wait — it’s also one of the most crucial. Most people focus on the first rise, while the second proofing stage of knowing when to put the dough in the oven is where I see more mistakes being made.

    Be willing to make mistakes and master the second proof for Happier baking!

    Thanks for listening-Sheila McCann

    To subscribe to this podcast, please go here. For more information about House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbread.com. To purchase the House of Bread recipe book, please visit https://houseofbread.com/recipe-book/ To take an on line class, please visit https://houseofbread.com/product-category/online-baking-class/ If you’d like more information about the franchise opportunity with House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbreadfranchise.com. For our Utube channel, please go here https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCXH5NgT8vpnAuSuZN5AxEQQ.

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    21 mins
  • Buttermilk biscuits-perfect for strawberry shortcake or biscuits and gravy

    Buttermilk biscuits-perfect for strawberry shortcake or biscuits and gravy
    Apr 24 2024

    Strawberry season on the Central Coast of California means strawberry shortcake for dessert! These biscuits are semi-sweet and can be used for biscuits and gravy too.

    · 2 cups all-purpose flour

    · 2.5 teaspoons baking powder

    · 1/2 teaspoon salt

    · 5 Tablespoons butter or 1/4C plus 1T butter, frozen· . 3/4 cup buttermilk

    · 3 Tablespoons honey

    To purchase the 4 inch rings Amazon.com: English Muffin Rings,10PCS Double Rolled Stainless Steel Crumpet Tart Rings 4 inch for Baking,Muffin Ring,Cooking Rings for Baking with Silicone Brush for Kitchen Baking Muffin : Home & Kitchen Happy Baking!

    Sheila McCann

    To subscribe to this podcast, please go here. For more information about House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbread.com. To purchase the House of Bread recipe book, please visit https://houseofbread.com/recipe-book/ To take an on line class, please visit https://houseofbread.com/product-category/online-baking-class/ If you’d like more information about the franchise opportunity with House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbreadfranchise.com. For our Utube channel, please go here https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCXH5NgT8vpnAuSuZN5AxEQQ.

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    11 mins