Topic: home made bread

[h4ppy-chris]

Do any of you good people make your own bread? I have started back in to making it again so any tips?
If you can make good bread and willing to show me how i would love to come and watch you.

[natterjak]

Hi Chris

Probably not what you're looking for, but here's the best recipe I've ever used for bread made in an bread maker:

400g strong flour
300g water
25g butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried yeast

Use French bread setting (6 hour programme including initial rest period). Simple but delicious.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Do any of you good people make your own bread? I have started back in to making it again so any tips?
If you can make good bread and willing to show me how i would love to come and watch you.

BY far the best bread I have ever made is Francine Pain de Campagne.  I make the dough in the breadmaker, leave it to rise until it reaches the lid of the 'maker, carefully extract it onto a non-stick baking tray (removing the paddles in the process), form it into shape, place it in the upper oven (off) while the lower one comes up to temperature (a large can of water in the bottom oven), carefully transfer it from top to bottom, allow it to cook (maybe 25 minutes), then remove, free from baking tray, place on cooling rack and allow to cool.  Far far lighter than if I use the breadmaker alone, lasts for days and is absolutely wonderful.

** Phil.

[DalPuri]

A couple of links here Chris, and some good info on different flours.

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=6410.msg63719#msg63719

[Peripatetic Phil]

A couple of links here Chris, and some good info on different flours.

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=6410.msg63719#msg63719

Hmm, I  do take exception to his introductory remark :

On bags of flour in UK supermarkets the words

[Micky Tikka]

I was impressed with Paul Hollywood when making bread on the bakeoff masterclass I like the olive oil tip
if you google him  he shows you how to do a crusty hob
I quite liked his Bloomer

[artistpaul]

This is my best bread recipe for Cob.

Ingredients for the Starter :-

1.25 tsp dried yeast
60ml water
125ml tepid milk
1 tsp malt extract
200g strong bread flour ( Tesco carry this or fill up a bag at your local bread bakery )

Ingredients For the Dough :-

1,25 tsp yeast

200ml water
300g strong bread flour
2 tsp salt

To make the Starter
sprinkle yeast into water and milk in a bowl add malt stir. Add flour, mix to thick paste, cover with tea towel and leave to ferment for minimum of 12 hours.

To make Dough:-
Sprinkle yeast into 100ml of the water, leave for 5 mins to dissolve. Add flour and salt in a large bowl and mix. Make a well in centre and add your Starter ( which is now 12 hours old ) and add the yeasted water.

Pour half of remaining water, mix in the flour, stir in the reserved water as needed to form a soft dough.
turn the dough out onto a floured surface an knead for 10mins, then rest it for 5 mins followed by a further 5 min knead.

put the dough in a clean bowl, cover with tea towel and let it rise somewhere warmish until trebled in size. Knock the air out of it and let rise a second time until Doubled in size ( approx 1.5 hours )

Carefully Take it out of the bowl, shape into a football shape but obviously flat bottomed, slash the  top with 3 parallel lines .5 cm deep, then another 3 slashes at right angles to the first slashes. At all times handle gently, the object is to keep much of the air inside

Gently put it into your oven and cook in a PREHEATED oven at 220 degrees ( usually the hottest setting your oven will run at )

Cook for approx 50 mins or until it sounds hollow if tapped underneath with your knuckles.
Leave on a wire rack to cool

Enjoy 

Kindest Regards

Paul

artistpaul

[h4ppy-chris]

Thanks guys for the replies.
Over the past few weeks i have been doing a lot of reading and making bread.
i have made Ciabatta and really happy with it thanks to this vid.

How to Make No-Knead Ciabatta Bread - Amazing Italian Bread

Yesterday i made my best basic white bread. This site really helped http://www.abreaducation.com/lesson_1.php

[JerryM]

h4ppy-chris,

i'm sort of into bread but as pizza. it's a bit like BIR - vast subject with no clear best ways of doing things.

when i make actual bread i add 2 tbsp of oregano per 1.5 to 2 lb loaf (675g to 900g) - works a treat. i form it into french stick rolls and use it for breakfast.

my lastest pizza attempts are based on "no knead" ie high hydration much along the lines of the ciabatta. for pizza the dough goes into the fridge for what's called a cold ferment. it's quite tricky to handle such dough but once you have the hang of it the bread outcome is much more open structure rather than dense.

i make my naan bread with high hydration (UB's recipe got me onto the importance of high hydration).

i have used milk powder in bread which works to an extent - the real McCoy being whey powder but never been able to get local. makes the bread softer.

will certainly keep in mind the ciabatta at it looks real good.