[Slowgrind]

I bought a breadmaker yesterday. Gave it a good wipe out with a damp cloth and loaded it with a Wrights mixed grain packet mix. It's gone through a series of kneading operations and there's an hour and a half left on the timer! I can only compare the waiting for the results to waiting for Christmas!! The smell of fresh bread is wafting through the house, creating anticipation and great expectations!!!
I'll keep you posted on the results.
Can't wait to try the different bread recipies that I've collected!!!

[DD.]

Bread machines have popped up a few times of late.

Many of us get on better using them just for making dough and then baking conventionally in the oven.

For a 500g flour mix, which would make one loaf in the machine, I can get 2 loaves in the oven of nearly the same size and much nicer texture.

The more frequent use though is for making mini loaves, (decent roll size) and can get 12 out of one lot of mix. No way would you squeeze those in the machine. Made 60 of them yesterday in 5 batches.

[Slowgrind]

Thanks DD. I have it all to learn!
I tried oven baked bread and my resuls turned out like little bread bricks! All seems well with my first bake, and I can't wait to try as many other options as I can.

[DD.]

Here's some of mine:

The 12 rolls mentioned (these are wholemeal with basil & sundried tomato)



This is a loaf baked in the oven, placed back in the bread machine for comprison:

[mumofstig]

That last picture says it all really, doesn't it 

[Slowgrind]

Cor!!!
Mixed Grain fresh bread is delicious!
We had a lite breakfast of fresh fried eggs, fresh baked bread with a little butter!!!
Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and eat!!!
Thanks for the tips DD. I can see that your oven baked bread is a lot larger than the machine baked one and I'll try your method in the future. I do like the simplicity of the machine though, it's only a quick slosh with a drop of soapy water and you're ready for action!
My ultimate aim is to get a sour dough batter on the go!!!

[DD.]

Doesn't take much more effort.

Slosh everything in, leave it on the dough cycle. take it out, throw it in the airing cupboard, then in the oven when risen.

Much, much lighter bread.

[hamstergbert]

hey DD, where d'ye get your 'penny loaf' tins from?   Mrs HGB reclkons that if I try those instead of the bigger loaves for a change it might avoid the problem of me being unable to stop at anything much less than finishing the entire loaf in a few hours "... so it won't go stale now I've cut into it...". 

Besides she says the look of them reminds her of the baker's Hovis penny loaves when we were nippers.

[DD.]

Sadly I have to confess I got them from Tesc*.

Even more sadly I have to say I last saw them a year or so ago marked as half-price, "end of line".

[hamstergbert]

oh mub (anag)

[mumofstig]

There are lots of them for sale on line and on e-bay though

[DD.]

These are very close, (1cm shorter than mine). Mine were a squid each.

Loaf tins

Don't know what those silcone ones are like.

[madcat]

Doesn't take much more effort.
Slosh everything in, leave it on the dough cycle. take it out, throw it in the airing cupboard, then in the oven when risen.
Much, much lighter bread.

Hmmm...  DD.  Couple of problems ...  having a warm airing cupboard and being there (awake!).  I love my bread machine because I haven't got anywhere warm to raise the dough and it does it without me having to be around.  Experimentation has given me lovely light bread for the perennial sandwich making or flavoured breads for other uses.   I even use it on the cheap electricity overnight, timing it to finish as I stagger into the kitchen to make the first coffee of the morning.   

Horses for courses and each to his own, eh, SlowGrind?

[DD.]

Have you got lighter bread by reducing the quantities, Madcat?  That's the only way it could be physically done.

[madcat]

325g of white flour, 125g of 'interesting' flour (wholemeal, multigrain, cotswold mix), 9 fl oz of water, 25g marg or a tablespoon olive oil, 2 tbspns dried milk, 2tspns of brown sugar and a touch of salt. 3/4tspn dried yeast.  It rises to just short of the domed lid on the breadmaker and makes a nice light crust around an open crumb. 

The main use is for lunchtime sandwiches, so a loaf that comes out of the machine in the morning has firmed up nicely for sandwich making in the evening ready for the following day  .... too fresh is too soft to slice cleanly - leaving if i'm lucky a slice for my toast in the morning.  And repeat ad infinitum  ...