I've been trying a few different bread recipes lately, like a lot of other people out there. And I like to think about what I like and didn't about certain recipes. Now, I am pretty new to bread making, probably only in the past 5 years or so have I really gotten into it other than basic "quick bread" or "cake bread" recipes (think your banana breads or friendship breads type thing). I eventually branched out into the scary world of yeast breads. And had more than one flop. Had several of them, and thought it just wasn't something I was able to do. (I might have taken up hockey with one of my loaves that flopped.)
That was then.
Now, I have a standard one that I adore. It's the NYTimes no knead bread recipe. (AKA NYTimes recipe) It's great, it's fantastic. It takes a 12-18 hours rising time, and then, you shape it, and let it rise for 2 more hours. and then you bake it for an hour.
Which is great. Normally, we just eat the bread when it comes out of the oven, more as a snack than as part of a dinner. Because fresh from the oven bread is one of the greatest treasures of life. (Yes, I exaggerate, but truly, it is one of life's finer pleasures.)
So, to try to expand my bread making abilities, I decided to try this recipe:
Simple Depression Era Bread Recipe
(I'm just going to call it Depression Bread, because it's a heck of a lot shorter.) Now, it wasn't anything fancy. Just mix the ingredients, let it sit, punch it down, split it into two, let it rise again, and bake for 30-35 minutes.
All told, I think the bread was done in about 2.5 hours.
Now, that's a hell of a lot of time difference there. And if that's all I was judging things one, yeah, I'd be switching recipes.
In reality, they are very different types of bread. The Depression Bread is much more what I grew up calling a sandwich bread. It's good. It's filling. It's there to help things get into your mouth. The crust is there, but thin - not a bad thing some days, especially if you've got a jaw problem or have problems with your teeth. It's "golden on the top, and hollow when tapped" standard bread that would go well sopping up gravy on a dinner plate or just as well topped with butter. I might try it as a PB and J tomorrow and let you know how it is. It's a good, basic bread in a quick time (for home made bread).
To compare it with the NYTimes bread, which produces what is more akin to "artisan bread". It's got a crust that's hearty and flaky, and an open structure on the inside. The long, slow rise gives it a fuller flavor. It's a bread that you wouldn't be surprised to find at a store, or at a restaurant. This is one you experiment with and add herbs to, and garlic cloves, and try adding cheese on the top. This is the bread that you use artisan cheeses with to make an Adult Grilled Cheese. It's a Breeeeeeeeeeeeeaaad.
So, yeah, it's kinda like comparing a loaf of Sara Lee white bread with the bakery baked loaf. Both have their uses. And both are good, but they are two very different beasts.
The recipes also hold a difference. The amount of yeast used - since we're in the middle of a global pandemic and bread baking renaissance - is something to take into account. The Depression Bread uses 1.5 T of yeast, whereas the NYTimes bread uses 1/4th a tsp. The trade off is the time that you let it rise, obviously. There's also a difference of about a cup and a half of flour - 4.5 c for Depression Bread, and 3 for NYTimes recipe.
And while not a huge difference - the NYTimes makes one large loaf vs two bread pan sized loaves from the Depression Bread.
So, if you can spare the time, but are low on yeast and flour, go with the NYTime bread. If you want bread for dinner tonight, and don't want to run to the store, go with the Depression Bread.
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