[hamstergbert]

It is addictive, but I had to stop baking, bread and cakes - because there's only me to eat it, and you could tell I was eating it all 

Now I only bake when I have friends or family coming round, and I make sure they take the leftovers away with them 

Sheesh, do I ever know what you mean!

Fortunate here in that for cakes Mrs HGB's carer teams willingly hoover them down so I can cheerfully continue my therapeutic midnight baking.  I can restrict myself to the odd small slice, luckily I just bake 'em, don't have to eat the ruddy things too.

Sadly bread is another story entirely.  The old lady can't bite the crust with her plastic teeth, and Mrs HGB can't eat it either for other reasons so I have to eat them all myself.   It's a hardship.   I have switched to doing half measure cobs etc most of the time, but still......  and it would be shameful to let them go stale.....   

I expect that within a couple of years they'll have to wheel me about in a barrow, take the front of the house off if I need to pop outside to the bin, backside with its own postcode etc.

[chrissie B]

I just half mine and freeze mind you they keep for ages compared with the bought stuff .
chrissie b

[allotmentann]

I used to go even further and slice then freeze. Then l just took out the right amount. It was always nice and fresh that way too.

[Scribbler]

Came across black bread in Italian supermarkets. Literally black instead of white. Made with charcoal, apparently.

What's that all about???

[mumofstig]

Italian Black Bread is usually very dark Rye bread - never heard of putting charcoal in it 

[chrissie B]

Hubby says chared stuff is bad for you but i think its his ploy to stop me burning the sausage , i like mine with a bit of black on them 😅
🐩🐩🐩🐩🐩🐩
chrissie b

[Blackpool rocket]

I'm still enjoying baking bread, I haven't tried sourdough yet & may give it a go sometime.

Has anyone ever used one of these, not only for sourdough, but for 'ordinary' bread making;

http://bakerybits.co.uk/bakery-equipment/baking-stones-and-domes/la-cloche-baking-dome.html



Br

[mumofstig]

I did look at the cloches but a bit too expensive for me to buy - just to try.

If you do get one, please let us know if you think they're worth it.

[Blackpool rocket]

I agree with you, they are expensive, that's why I wanted to see if anyone had used one before I posted my begging letter to Mrs Claus.

I'm racking my brain to think of an alternative. I've got a large chicken brick, that might work, the base tuned upside down over a small loaf tin.
I even thought about a clay flower pot......can I put a clay flower pot in a hot oven?

Br

[grendel]

I used to cook bread in an oven on a camping stove, it was basically a foot square tin box, with a door, there was a hole in the bottom, and about an inch up a plate across the bottom, the bread was on a wire rack about an inch further up, it used to make lovely loaves.
a simpler version of this:-

[grendel]

but a large metal saucepan would also work.

[chrissie B]

I love the ciabatta  rolls you vet from asda and wish i could make them ive got a holliwood recipe which makes 4 loafs unless anyone has a bun recipe.
chrissie b

[Blackpool rocket]

but a large metal saucepan would also work.

Mum has an old s/s Kenwood mixing bowl somewhere 

Br

[Scribbler]

Making a loaf with 125g of rye flour, 225g of strong white flour, and 100g of oat flour made from whizzed porridge oats.

I'll keep you posted.

[Scribbler]

Really yummy!!!