Making bread

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Debz

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Making bread
« on: November 07, 2008, 13:21 »
I would quite like to try making bread.  I don't have a breadmaking machine but wondered if anyone could offer advice on how to make bread in a regular oven.  Any recipes would be a great help also.

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Oscar Too

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Making bread
« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2008, 13:45 »
Oooh, yummy.

Well, if you've never done it before, the "just add water" bread mixes are a great place to start.  Just follow the instructions for hand-baking on the back.  This will give you a feel for mixing and kneading the dough, and for how long to bake it, and a point of reference for further experiments.

Fast-action dried yeast from the supermarket is not quite as nice as using live yeast from a baker, but it is a LOT less hassle - just open the packet and add to the flour.  No need to prove, let rise, knock back, let rise again.  Again, for good working recipes, follow the recipe on the yeast packet.

The one tip I would give is to knead the bread for as long as you can.  The more you knead it, the more gluten is released, and it is the gluten that helps it to rise.  I always feel it is ready for baking when it's as springy as my wife's bum, but that is not a very precise or reproducible unit of measurement.

Enjoy!  You'll have a few failures, but it will be worth it in the end.

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Aidy

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Making bread
« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2008, 14:29 »
Great tips from Oscar, but will the wife mind if I bring the dough round to check it  :wink:
We used to make loads at the old house, kids loved doing it, it really is quite easy to achieve good results so long as you follow the basics. I am now converted to the bread machine, its not as enjoyable as kneading etc but I can do it in my sleep.
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Moosey

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Making bread
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2008, 14:44 »
I made my first bread a few weeks ago from a basic white bread recipe I got from a google search, dont have it to hand at the moment though sorry.  It came out really really well, made by hand in the oven.  I did kneed it for ages and gave it plenty of time to rise.  The only thing I did change from the recipe was to use fresh yeast, I got mine from Morrisons for about 40p but I believe some other supermarkets will give it you for free.  I also got the tins from the £1 shop and they fared well.  

Need to make time to make some again as it really was yummy and oh loved it, only problem was I bought some real butter to go with it so not so good for my health when silced on like cheese!!

Enjoy :D
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BigPaddy

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Making bread
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2008, 15:38 »
I love home made bread.

Ciabatta being very simple.

1lb ish of bread flour
2 x dry yeast
enough warm water to get the right doughy consistency
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Chuck the flour on the worktop and mix in the yeast
Form a hole in the midlle and add some water, mix with your hands
add more water until you can knead it properly, stop adding water
add the olive oil to the dough, knead some more (5 mins ish)
Set the dough aside for 45mins I have really found that putting a damp teatowel over the bowl holding the dough helps it rise.
Now decide whever it is breadcakes or a loaf you are making.
If its cakes the divide into the size you want. I often add ham, olives, onion, garlic and chilli to the cakes.
Put the dough on a flat tin sprinkled with flour
Oven needs to be around 200 degrees until pale brown 10-15 for cakes and around 20 for a loaf


This stuff also makes excellent pizza dough either thin or thick crust and I even did stuffed crust once!

Well I know what I'm doing tonight now, cant wait.
Patrick
Hull, East yorkshire

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Val H

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Making bread
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2008, 16:35 »
Hi - there's loads of information on this site on bread making, including recipes.  Just go to Bread Making Information and you'll see
Val
Recipes Galore!

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compostqueen

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Making bread
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2008, 16:39 »
My bread machine is not very good and so I think I want to get back to making some by hand or in the food processor

Going to cadge some fresh yeast from Tesco  8)  and make some mixed grain rolls. I got some flour from a local chap and it's got 8 sorts of grains in it

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Trillium

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Making bread
« Reply #7 on: November 11, 2008, 15:20 »
For kneading time, I'd recommend you set a timer for close to 10 minutes which will give a very consistent texture to the bread. And don't keep adding flour to make it less sticky while kneading. The added flour will only dry up the loaf too much and not be well incorporated into the dough. The resulting dough should be only slightly tacky to the touch. And no, pounding it isn't the same as kneading which is to stretch out the dough with palm heels then fold it back up as you give it a quarter turn. Takes a bit of practise but not much.



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