Now that Pesach is over, and we've all had more than our fill of matzah, nothing hits the spot like a loaf of freshly baked bread. The scent wafting from the oven, the beautiful crisp edges, the insides soft as clouds, and the taste ah, the taste.  Fresh bread delights all the senses. But how many of us have the time-or motivation-to make bread or challah from scratch?

Enter Simplyaddwater, an innovative new line of bread mixes that offers a shortcut to homemade loaves.

Here's how it works: First, you choose your mix. There are seven so far: regular challah, whole wheat challah, sugar-free challah, rye bread, pumpernickel, multigrain, and sourdough. Several more varieties are in development. All the ingredients are added in precise quantities and pre-mixed in a sealed bag with instructions printed on the front. You also receive a bottle of water which contains the exact amount of water to be added.  

As many a home baker has found, even a great recipe can yield so-so results. The reason, says company founder Isaac Oziel, is that people measure ingredients differently and with varying degrees of precision. The idea behind Simplyaddwater is to "ensure that anyone making our mixes will achieve similar results that we obtained in our labs every time they make one of our mixes," Oziel says.  

You can knead the dough the old-fashioned way, or using a bread machine or stand mixer.  Then you do as you would if you'd prepared it from scratch; let the dough rest, form it into a loaf or other shape, place it in a pan, let it rise, and then bake it.

I tried the whole wheat challah and the multigrain bread. Preparing the dough, I was skeptical.  Was it too sticky? Was my pan the right size for the dough to rise? But both loaves came out great, and got thumbs-up reviews from my tasters-otherwise known as my family. (Though Oziel does not recommend it, I found that you can successfully constitute the dough using a food processor with a dough hook attachment.) 

Oziel, who runs his business out of Dallas with his wife, Nina, has been involved in the baked goods industry for more than 30 years. But his interest in baking goes back even further. "Being the youngest of 13 children, I was always in the kitchen with my mother. [She] was a tremendous cook and baker, but I was fascinated with the fact that every time she made something it rarely came out the same," he says, recalling that she "never measured anything."  He set out to understand the science and chemistry of baking. "I wanted to perfect a process when making my mother's recipes so I could achieve the same results every time," he says.

Simplyaddwater bread mixes are sold online at simplyaddwater.com or by calling 469-248-5046.  $3.99 each, plus S&H; kashruth certification by Dallas Kosher.

Read Comments (0)

Back to Top of Article