Bread Making

[Cutecumber]

Breadmakers require a quite different approach to bread by hand, so be careful with the amount of water - I don't want to cause an electrical fire!!

[kethry]

I'm surprised she hasn't posted here yet but my friend kethry makes the loaves by hand, using i think 3/4 wholemeal and 1/4 white flour, and plenty of seeds, the loaves are deelish and i think she said last time they work out about 40p a loaf? which is considerably cheaper than the equivalent in the supermarket.

LOL sez, didn't post here cos i didn't know this thread was here!! nearly right: its 1 and a 1/4 pounds white to 3/4 pound of wholemeal with extra bran, seeds and stuff added. Link's here. and yep, last time i worked it out it was between 40 and 50p a loaf, it may be a little more now with recent food price rises but still well under the nearest commercial equivalent which i suppose would be something like Warburton's Seeded loaves. oh and i make mine by hand every 2/3 days. Don't buy commercial bread unless its one of those ones that just don't work in a home oven, like good french bread, or i'm poorly.

HTH

keth
xx

[Nessie]

We have been making bread nearly every day. I am now on a DIET! Just to say another huge thank u for all the help and advice. Lidl have bread flour for 58p a bag at the mo, so well worth stocking up.
(Also strawberry plants £1.49 for 6, although very leggy and poorly... bought 2 boxes and they have really perked up after a bath in the sink. Fruit bushes - gooseberry and redcurrant too for £1.60).

[zazen999]

Nobody has mentioned the use of vitamin c (ascorbic acid) to aid the rising process especially when using granary and wholemeal flour. Can be a little difficult to find the tablets- don't use the flavoured fizzy vitamin c tablet -although that could give an interesting flavour!! The local chemist orders in the tablets just for me!
A 500mg tablet is about right for a one and a half pound loaf and add it with all the ingredients at the beginning. Happy baking!

Hey!!! I did in my post no 3.

It does add a certain lushness; I just had an old pot of vit c and zinc tabs; so use them.

[Paulottie]

What weight are these bags of flour from Lidls? is it just white or do they have wholemeal and/or granary too?

A 25 kilo sack of Doves farm Organic unbleached strong white is about £23 this year ...About £18 last year!!!

We have had a Panasonic for about five or six years, (A hopeless Kenwood for a while before that) It is used every day and the tin is so knackered the paddle actually rarely sticks in the loaf!! still have to stand there like a cocktail barman trying to shake the thing out but hey...usually better if you leave it for 20 mins to cool first.

Have tried quite a few fancy recipes over the years.

Sometimes I use a percentage milk instead of water which I find softens it a bit and makes it save better.... and granary for interest, but most of the time Mrs P just churns out a standard 90% white loaf. Feeds the family and this means we don't have to go into town very often at all. Frankly it is just a chore but certainly saves money for us and keeps us out of the supermarkets. If we want a treat I'll just go to the bakers and buy a special loaf...that's what they are good at eh.

[Nessie]

The Lidl bags are 1.5 kg. They were 48p not 58p so even better. They only had the white in.

[bluemoon]

I bought some oatmeal bread flour a few weeks ago, but haven't used it as I don't have a recipe. If anyone has one for the bread maker I'd be grateful.

[DORSETFOODIE]

Hello,

I have recently attended The Bertinet Kitchen in Bath, a bread workshop where french chef and artisan baker Richard Bertinet makes the most wonderful bread, by hand. His technique is quite different to the usual kneading and you do get lovely bread. If you get the chance have a look at his website The Bertinet Kitchen | Cookery Classes in Bath | Bread Making, he also has two great books; Crust and Dough. It is quite a quick process (the kneading) once you get the hang of it and has a nice therapeutic rhythm. He is a great believer in "real bread" and has no time for stuff that comes in plastic bags "it is not bread".

If you need yeast Tesco's and Sainsbury fresh bread counters have it. I think you can get small amounts free from Tesco but Sainsbury's sell it, it's very cheap and with bread the price it is, I'm sure it's worth making it and you know what's in it. There looks to be some good recipes on here and good luck with your breadmaking.

Dorsetfoodie

[Bren In Pots]

Dorsetfoodie just looked at the link thanks, after reading some of the customer feedback it looks like he keeps the dough wet and kneads then cooks it on a granite block without using tins. All sounds interesting.

[angeleyezx]

heya, does anyone else when ever they make bread, in a BM or oven thet the result is nice warm, but quite yeast-y and sugary tasting ?

[Bren In Pots]

I use 1oz of fresh yeast to 3lb flour never had any problems, but then I don't add sugar.
Here's a photo of my last loaves

[Millit]

Hi all, just to say i have just made my own bread for the first time, and its turned out pretty good, hubby cant leave it alone,god im so chuffed about it.

[kirsty b]

I bought some oatmeal bread flour a few weeks ago, but haven't used it as I don't have a recipe. If anyone has one for the bread maker I'd be grateful.

I did do a google earlier for oatmeal bread, I'll see if I can find the link again and edit this post if I can.

Oat Flour - You can make it yourself by grinding rolled oats in a food processor or blender. Oat flour adds lovely flavor to breads and because of certain natural preservative in the oats themselves, it improves their shelf life. Oats contain no gluten, which is needed for bread to rise, so it must be mixed with a gluten-containing flour such as wheat. Substitute 1 of every 5 parts of wheat flour with oat flour. If your recipe is for a quick bread, no addition of other flours is necessary. - found this nugget of info on an oat site, hope it is helpfulOatmeal Bread Recipe - Bread Machine Recipe

[kallista2]

I agree with Alison

I have a Panasonic breadmaker - recommended by a friend and believe me I have never looked back. Shop bought bread disagrees with me and so I make it all the time and it can be made to suite your lifestyle. As I work full time that is invaluable.

[kirsty b]

Fresh yeast

Where do you get it from?