sean
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Err, the bakery was shut...So we've got a bread machine, because Curry's was open. 
Mandy's about to launch it on its maiden voyage.
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Samantha
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How exciting - used mine three times yesterday - rolls for soup, pizza dough and bread for today.
Samantha
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sally_in_wales
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sounds like an excuse to me  Whats wrong with putting the bread dough down on a well scrubbed floor and , er, frolicking on it I ask you
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sean
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Who do you know who's got a well-scrubbed floor?
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Treacodactyl
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Going to the butchers this afternoon then?
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sally_in_wales
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| sean wrote: | | Who do you know who's got a well-scrubbed floor? |
I know, I was casting nasturtiums
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sean
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I don't think I can afford an abattoir and a farm if they're shut.
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dougal
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| sally_in_wales wrote: | | Whats wrong with putting the bread dough down on a well scrubbed floor and , er, frolicking on it I ask you |
The hangover is scheduled for tomorrow, not today.
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Mary-Jane
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Well, has the first loaf been produced yet Sean? And did you frolick on the dough... 
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sean
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It's cooling on a wire rack. No frolicking was involved, I was felling a willow and starting on getting the stump out. I'd have preferred frolicking but I wasn't offered the option.
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Mary-Jane
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| sean wrote: | | ...and starting on getting the stump out. I'd have preferred frolicking but I wasn't offered the option. |
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jamanda
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| Mary-Jane wrote: | | sean wrote: | | ...and starting on getting the stump out. I'd have preferred frolicking but I wasn't offered the option. |
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Sean doesn't see why that's so funny!
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jamanda
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| Jamanda wrote: | | Mary-Jane wrote: | | sean wrote: | | ...and starting on getting the stump out. I'd have preferred frolicking but I wasn't offered the option. |
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Sean doesn't see why that's so funny! |
He says it says the stump not my stump and that none of the boys on here would have sniggered.
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jamanda
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| Mary-Jane wrote: | | Well, has the first loaf been produced yet Sean? And did you frolick on the dough... |
The bread was very,very good. Though the crust needs some work.
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Jonnyboy
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Did you have it on the light crust setting?
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jamanda
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| Jonnyboy wrote: | | Did you have it on the light crust setting? |
Medium. I'll try dark next time.
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Penny Outskirts
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With ours, we need to use the dark setting if we want it really crusty.
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Bovey Belle
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Call me old-fashioned, but bread's easy to make by hand as well. If you're in a foul mood it's extremely therapeutic  I've never had a breadmaker - run out of space to store things: too many books I dare say! Today I was teaching my teenage son to knead bread (I just plastered my hands in handcream and then saw how much the dough had risen ) If you want fresh-baked bread for breakfast, just knock up a batch at teatime, cover it and put it in a bowl in the fridge overnight. Get it out first thing, knock it back and let it rise again, and in the oven with it. You can even frolick whilst it's rising 
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jamanda
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| Bovey Belle wrote: | | Call me old-fashioned, but bread's easy to make by hand as well. If you're in a foul mood it's extremely therapeutic I've never had a breadmaker - run out of space to store things: too many books I dare say! Today I was teaching my teenage son to knead bread (I just plastered my hands in handcream and then saw how much the dough had risen ) If you want fresh-baked bread for breakfast, just knock up a batch at teatime, cover it and put it in a bowl in the fridge overnight. Get it out first thing, knock it back and let it rise again, and in the oven with it. You can even frolick whilst it's rising |
I'm lucky if I get my clothes on the right way out on a work morning, let alone managing to knock things back and waiting for them to rise again before popping them in the oven. It's coffee and out for me - I could selflessly organise the hand-made fresh bread for the later rising members of the family - or not! Actually I'm rubbish at making bread anyway. the stuff that the machine made was far better than my leaden attempts.
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Mary-Jane
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| Jamanda wrote: | | Actually I'm rubbish at making bread anyway. the stuff that the machine made was far better than my leaden attempts. |
Actually I do think making bread is an art form Jamanda. Gervase has it and I don't, so I'm with you on this one. Our machine allows me to turn out really nice bread without the stress and failure of 'normal' bread making, but with all the benefits.
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cab
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Can we sort out where this frolicking fits in? I'm struggling to get a good image on how that works with bread. Anyone want to volounteer an article?
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sally_in_wales
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| cab wrote: | | Can we sort out where this frolicking fits in? I'm struggling to get a good image on how that works with bread. Anyone want to volounteer an article? |
tsk, no imagination this lad 
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wellington womble
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Glad it was good. I'm in the breadmaker camp - I know bread's not hard, and I could make it, but it's just one more thing to sort out in the morning. And I prefer my bread ready in the evening for making sandwiches ready for the morning. I could make it in the morning and leave it in the fridge all day, but there isn't room in the fridge most days, and I bet I wouldn't be orgnaised enough! There's already oodles of things that I fail to get done before leaving in the morning as it is.
If I wasn't at work, maybe I would, but the breadmaker makes such super bread, so easily, that I'd probably do other things instead. Worktop space is at a premium in my kitchen, but the breadmakers worth its space. I'd rather have one that a microwave anyday.
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2steps
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| Mary-Jane wrote: | | Jamanda wrote: | | Actually I'm rubbish at making bread anyway. the stuff that the machine made was far better than my leaden attempts. |
Actually I do think making bread is an art form Jamanda. Gervase has it and I don't, so I'm with you on this one. Our machine allows me to turn out really nice bread without the stress and failure of 'normal' bread making, but with all the benefits. |
I sometimes make bread by hand without problem. My OH's nan says she hates me (jokingly) as its something she has never been able to do
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sally_in_wales
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Gareth is ace at bread, does it all by hand though (well, the floor is never clean enough for anything else). I reckon men are better at big batches of bread, the extra height and weight gives them much more wallop when kneading, he often does 5 or more bags of flour at a go when he's doing a big feast, I can't even start to knead that much dough with any success.
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Bovey Belle
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You have a point there Sally - I think No. 1 son has just been promoted to chief bread maker! He really enjoyed thumping the dough yesterday and the subsequent loaf was excellent. I'm lucky as I am a stay-at-home person (care for my mum, who's bedbound), so I have the time to make my own bread. I am also an early riser, so have often baked a loaf or got a batch of muffins done before folk come down for breakfast. If I worked full-time I dare say I would go down the breadmaker route too, but it just seemed a shame to me that "need to make bread = buy a breakmaker" rather than just buying bread flour and yeast. I think the secret of good breadmaking by hand is in the flour you use as much as in the technique and also, like anything, practice makes perfect.
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jamanda
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| Bovey Belle wrote: | | You have a point there Sally - I think No. 1 son has just been promoted to chief bread maker! He really enjoyed thumping the dough yesterday and the subsequent loaf was excellent. I'm lucky as I am a stay-at-home person (care for my mum, who's bedbound), so I have the time to make my own bread. I am also an early riser, so have often baked a loaf or got a batch of muffins done before folk come down for breakfast. If I worked full-time I dare say I would go down the breadmaker route too, but it just seemed a shame to me that "need to make bread = buy a breakmaker" rather than just buying bread flour and yeast. I think the secret of good breadmaking by hand is in the flour you use as much as in the technique and also, like anything, practice makes perfect. |
We already had flour and yeast as OH makes bread by hand sometimes. But we felt that it would get baked more regularly with the machine. I can wash clothes by hand, but generally choose to use the washing machine because it's more convenient.
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wellington womble
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| Bovey Belle wrote: | | I think the secret of good breadmaking by hand is in the flour you use as much as in the technique |
Same with the machine. I think a lot of people buy cheap bread machines, and supermarket flour, and then go off the bread machine. We bought an expensive machine, and order flour in bulk from clarks, and it makes a huge difference to the quality of the bread - really noticiable. You get what you pay for, I reckon!
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jamanda
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| wellington womble wrote: | | Bovey Belle wrote: | | I think the secret of good breadmaking by hand is in the flour you use as much as in the technique |
Same with the machine. I think a lot of people buy cheap bread machines, and supermarket flour, and then go off the bread machine. We bought an expensive machine, and order flour in bulk from clarks, and it makes a huge difference to the quality of the bread - really noticiable. You get what you pay for, I reckon! |
I'm sure that's right. The stuff I used is called Marriage's and it was recommended by our Deli. One of the greengrocers also sells Dove's so we'll try that next. Tomorrow's loaf is in production as I write.
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Bovey Belle
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I used to get Doves from our Health Food Shop, but have now found that our local (think 5 miles here!) co-operative store and PO will get in 16kg bags of flour for me, and this is Bacheldre Mill Organic stone ground flour. The "white" flour produces a pale brown crumb and is delicious. It makes absolutely wonderful bread and two slices of that toasted of a morning and you know you've eaten - not like this dreadful soapy stuff you get in supermarkets, which you have to eat half a loaf of before you get the same effect (not that I regularly eat half a loaf of supermarket bread you understand ) I get Shipley Mill 3 malts for my brown bread requirements and that is expensive but well worth it as it is so tasty. Need to find out where I can get big bags of that (at a price I can afford!)
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jamanda
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I just googled Bacheldere Mill and a couple of places round here stock it. I'll pick some up when we're in the vicinity. Thanks 
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judith
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Another vote here for Bacheldre Mill flour. Don't know what they do to it, but it is wonderful stuff. Not cheap, but worth it for the end result.
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