General Chat

Barry ...

I did read that ...but did not appreciate what I read ...doh

I am with you now ....think I was distracted with the saranwrap comment,

will try that ....

My friends all make cakes in their bread makers ....

LadyScozz,

When I was hand mixing I would 'start' the dried yeast in some of the warm water and then add it once it had started to work.

I can still do this with the mixer but have found that putting the yeast in with the flour, salt etc. gives a bit more temperature tolerance.

Also, although my mixer handbook says that the mixer will take up to a kilo of flour, in reality that is too much so I do batches of 500gm

Allan :-)

Thanks Allan :-D

I'll give it a try

LadyScozz, I just bang all the dry ingredients in and start mixing. I add the warm water and olive oil, slowly down the side of the mixing bowl so as not to 'clog' the dough and then just mix until the dough comes away from the side of the mixing bowl, leaving it clean.

I also follow the mixer's recommendation to reserve a cup of flour which is added a little at a time once all the liquid is in

I used to make bread, but like many of you, my hands won't co-operate these days.

My mother bought a bread maker, she used it for a few months, didn't like it and gave it to me. I used it for a few months. It's now in a cupboard, can't remember the last time I used it. It made a very small loaf, with a big hole in the bottom of it.

I make Scottish "soda scones" and small unleavened loaves.

The only time I use yeast is for pizza dough.... and end up throwing half of it away because it's gone past the best by date.

:-)

Allan ~ I have dough hooks on a mixer........ how do you make your bread?

EOS

I enjoy bread making usually by hand, although we do have a bread maker.

Like Joan, my hands are no longer strong enough to do the kneading so for my birthday the family chipped in and bought me a very expensive, but very robust, food mixer.

Three or four minutes in there and the dough is ready. I also use the mixer to 'knock back' the dough.

I tend to make rolls, and because using the mixer is so quick (and clean) I can do several batches. I've now started experimenting and made some very nice cheese and bacon rolls last weekend.

Allan

Dear Barry

Hello

Just about to sign off!

I wanted to say how much I liked your post about the arrival
of the new royal baby in July.

I wasn't on the computer at the time but I saw it later.

I liked it very much. <3


Will keep you all informed of my efforts in the kitchen!


Take gentle care
Best wishes
Elizabeth, EOS
xx

Elizabeth, do let us know how you do with the recipes you try.

Renes, may I suggest that you read my post above ref removing the paddle?
This removal saves making the hole in the bottom of the loaf that you mention.

Hot Ovens!!

Dear Barry, Joan, Island, Sharron, Inspector and Renes

Hello

Thank you very much for your replies.


You are all experts compared to me.

I can make a small white or wholemeal/white loaf by hand.

I have made challah bread with honey and butter for a treat
but the soda bread just collapsed. :-S


I try to use the Doves Farm flour but some of the varieties are hard to obtain.

Barry, the bread you describe sounds gorgeous the way it is made and
I will try Mr Inspector's receipe.

Chapitta bread not tried before but will have a go.



There is something special about making and sharing bread at the dinner table.


Take gentle care all <3
Best wishes
Elizabeth, EOS
xx

I use mine to make the dough

Knead and make into loaves etc ..and .bake in my own oven


Don't like the big hole in the bottom left by the paddle ....

I tend to use a dollop of butter rather than oil in the bread machine. Oil stinks a bit.

We use ours to make the dough, probably once a week, twice a week when our grandson is with us as over the holidays.

Dry
325 gm Strong white flour
175 gm Wholegrain flour
2tsp of sugar

Wet
300ml of slightly warm water and milk 200/100
Generous glug of olive oil
1.5tsp salt

Wet goes into the machine first, followed by the dry. Hollow the flour and add a sachet of dried yeast

Takes around an hour in the machine on dough menu to process, plus one more after the machine has finished, to first prove.

Out of the machine it is then kneaded, shaped into buns, baps, plaits or even piza bases - whatever takes your fancy - and left to second prove.

Baking is 15 minutes at 210C, turn after 10min, onto the cooling tray and ten minutes later absolute heaven.with butter or whatever else takes your fancy on top.

Seeing te thread about chapatis reminds me that they are very easy to make.

I bought a bag of chapatti flour in Lidl once, probably for less than two quid and takeaways charge at least a pound per chapatti.

It is one part water to two parts flour and a drop of oil if you feel so inclined.

Mix it up, let it rest, roll 'em out and do them in a heavy frying pan.

I recently bought a Panasonic breadmaker, and I love it! I'm still experimenting and getting used to it - I sometimes use ready made mixes, but most often make up a recipe from a variety of flours. The only disaster I've had was when I forgot to add water - the smell of burnt flour was enough to make me take care after that! :-D :-D

I used to make all our bread, usually in the machine, but now, buying the bread is one of Fred's jobs.

We have a tin from Lidl that makes six tiny loaves with one batch of dough so will sometimes make those for a packed lunch.

Use to buy a half hundredweight sack of wholemeal flour from the mill at the open air museum and use it for everything but now, only buy a smaller bag.

Tesco will give you a lump of live yeast.

Hi Elizabeth

I make bread - using a machine. Sometimes entirely with the machine using a range of ingredients, sometimes a prepared packet. I also use the machine to make dough as it is kinder to my hands than kneading manually.
I split the dough into batches or stretch it out, add a filling, roll it up and bake it in the oven.

As Barry says, homemade bread it is better eaten the same day - but it's so tasty it gets eaten up quickly in our house. :-D

Hi Elizabeth,

I used to make bread by hand,but my hands can't manage the tussle of kneading any more so I now use a bread making machine.
Just the basic white or brown loaf, just hubby & me to cater for so we are happy with that,we time it so thats it's ready to eat with a meal,love it when it's freshly made smothered in real butter, lol.

Joan.

Hi Elizabeth!

Yes, I am very well, thank you.

About 20 years ago bread machines became the craze and we bought one (Charlescraft – no longer produced) and we made all types of bread. Our favourite was the French Loaf. It was fun experimenting and eating the spoils - but doing so certainly extended the waist line!

Very recently I bought the small Wolfgang Puck Model. I experimented a great deal and occasionally make the small French Loaf as there is only me. As ever, when the last ‘Punchdown’ occurs I put clingfilm / Saranwrap on my hand and remove the paddle so the loaf (hopefully) exits the bowl easily after the bake has finished.

Like all homemade bread it is better eaten the same day. Anything kept over 24 hours for all homemade bread is rather hard to swallow, so to speak. Better then as toast.

I have recently bought 12 piece packs of Nan from Costco and heat each one for three minutes. Love to pull ‘em apart!

I so miss the Iranian bread (Hubbus Irani). About the size of large pizza it is thrown on the very hot white wall of a kiln / igloo shape oven for a few minutes. It bubbles and peels away easily. We used to buy 'aft' (eight pieces in Farsi) and we would sit in the car about 5 PM - the A/C on full whack and 110+ degrees F outside - and pull this bread apart and thoroughly enjoy it. Heaven! This included our three children.

Oh, Happy Days indeed - so very sadly long passed!

I bought and started reading the book 'Wheat Belly' which tends to put a person off wheat and bread.
However, I relented and thus bought WP's little gem!

Happy baking!

Dear All

Hello

Hope you are okay.


Do you make bread and if so, by hand or machine?

Ciabatta, sourdough, Panni, victorian milk bread, soda bread, challah
.......many varieties.


Or have you been put off because the receipe has not worked out
as you would liked?


Take gentle care
Best wishes
Elizabeth, EOS
xx