My bread is way better than any store bought....Not my first rodeo.
I dont throw out much breads.
I should probably be more clear. When I'm testing some recipe or technique, especially so with bread making, I'm not looking for sustenance, I have a very specific result in mind. If the bread doesn't end up the way I wanted, I definitely try some, but I'm not eating all of it. Most of all, I simply don't eat a lot of bread. On top of that, shelf life is a major factor to me for obvious reasons in the previous paragraph. I'm not going to finish a loaf before it molds.
Rustic breads I have great luck with. That's not the challenge I've tried to address. I love all those, and yours look great, but the two things I have tried to make for decades are hot dog rolls and white bread. Ya know, the most sold items in the grocery store? There's a few of those items which I consider the very best I can get, and I've been unable to replicate them. The ingredients list is pretty simple, but intentionally cryptic as all of them are.
I'm looking for a bread that is totally soft and stays that way for at least a week, if not longer. I want the spine of the roll (once cut) to remain pliable so it is a roll, not a sandwich. I've experiented with varying density on one side, moisture variations using 2 layers of dough, oil coatings, various pans, even a steam oven, and the list goes on.
I've gotten pretty close recently on the hot-dog / sausage rolls. when kept in the fridge, these can be re-constituted for a month, perhaps more. The white bread, I can achieve a texture I'm really happy with, and the shelf life is fine, but the bread itself dries out over time more than I'd like. Texture is about perfect. Pliability though suffers as it ages.
And in that context, the cost of a loaf of homemade bread simply ain't comparable to a prime rib that was 5 degrees over or something similar. The bread goes in the can, the prime rib we eat medium rare. lol.
