Bread!

[LeftmostAardvark]

The Panasonic bread maker arrived today (replaced a very worn out budget one) and I ran a pre-made bread mix through it just to see how it goes. Definitely a much better bake, crust in particular is fantastic. Not much left for photos though, got devoured by the horde within seconds of it hitting the plate.

Think I’ll try a spiced fruit loaf tomorrow then I’ve been meaning to try some Russian black bread.

What are your recommendations? I’m lucky to have a flour retailer just up the road, run by some friends so I’ve got some great flours to try out too.

[dickymint]

I use our bread machine very often but always have half a dozen of these on standby...................


https://www.ocado.com/products/m-s-white-bread-mix...

[MrJuice]

we are a few month into using our new panasonic bread maker. couldn't tell you the model - was a gift from MIL

it's all been going very well. Just one slightly dense loaf out of about 25-30 made so far. Not sure that caused that.

Last night I tried fresh yeast that MIL gave. Wow. What a transformation. Bread much lighter and rose much more than usual. Different taste too and toasted differently. The toast was properly crunchy

Of all the things households buy from supermarket weekly, bread is probably the only one you can very easily stop buying if you are making at home with ease. It is much harder to stop buying fruit/milk/eggs/veg if you have home production because there's that much more effort required. But bread is such a doddle to make in a bread maker.

[MrJuice]

[davek_964]

I've been intending to buy another bread maker for a while - my Panasonic (which is about 25 years old) no longer works properly. It will make bread - but very heavy, not really risen bread.

Problems is, I'm lazy enough that 99% of the time I'll use the bread mixes that I pour straight in with water - but still want the top of the range Panasonic with separate yeast dispenser and a zillion programs I'll never use...... hence I struggle to justify the cost to myself. Probably will soon though!

[sherman]

I plan on making more bread this year.
I have a kitchenaid mixer, a south facing window and an oven.
We were getting good rises last year but didnt make that many loaves due to us not being in to eat the bread due to work.

[Error_404_Username_not_found]

sherman said:

I plan on making more bread this year.
I have a kitchenaid mixer, a south facing window and an oven.
We were getting good rises last year but didnt make that many loaves due to us not being in to eat the bread due to work.

I've made pretty much all our bread by hand (okay - mixer) for years.

Dead easy and less hassle than a machine.
(Smilie above chosen purposely. Bread is essentially beer in solid form. Maybe that's why guys make it )

[ARHarh]

Error_404_Username_not_found said:

sherman said:

I plan on making more bread this year.
I have a kitchenaid mixer, a south facing window and an oven.
We were getting good rises last year but didnt make that many loaves due to us not being in to eat the bread due to work.

I've made pretty much all our bread by hand (okay - mixer) for years.

Dead easy and less hassle than a machine.
(Smilie above chosen purposely. Bread is essentially beer in solid form. Maybe that's why guys make it )

The wife makes bread by hand every week, has done for years. No mixer, just a bowl and her hands. Far less hassle than the bread maker we had about 20 years ago. Good exercise for your bingo wings as well.

I sometimes make it as well.

[dickymint]

ARHarh said:

Error_404_Username_not_found said:

sherman said:

I plan on making more bread this year.
I have a kitchenaid mixer, a south facing window and an oven.
We were getting good rises last year but didnt make that many loaves due to us not being in to eat the bread due to work.

I've made pretty much all our bread by hand (okay - mixer) for years.

Dead easy and less hassle than a machine.
(Smilie above chosen purposely. Bread is essentially beer in solid form. Maybe that's why guys make it )

The wife makes bread by hand every week, has done for years. No mixer, just a bowl and her hands. Far less hassle than the bread maker we had about 20 years ago. Good exercise for your bingo wings as well.

I sometimes make it as well.

Bread machines and "hassle" Lob in the ingredients press a button and out comes a loaf of bread!! If I want to do something a bit more artisan like a Tiger loaf or shaped in a basket etc. then it's mixed and kneaded by hand (or more often than not) in the machine then into one of our Nef ovens that also have bread programmes (one also has full steam option) to proof then bake.

[MrJuice]

yep, for day to day, bread machine is just amazing

maybe if I had more time, I'd bake my own in my oven. right now, relying on making my own would result in no bread for weeks and months. whereas, 2 mins to load the breadmaker is easy peasy

[LeftmostAardvark]

Russian black bread (recipe here: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7034/russian-bla... )

Although why Americans use cups and just vary what a cup is by some ridiculous algorithm, I’ll never know…

Once you translate it to ‘normal’, it’s a great recipe. Recommended.

Edited by LeftmostAardvark on Thursday 2nd January 17:45

[ChevronB19]

LeftmostAardvark said:

Russian black bread (recipe here: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7034/russian-bla... )

Although why Americans use cups and just vary what a cup is by some ridiculous algorithm, I’ll never know…

Once you translate it to ‘normal’, it’s a great recipe. Recommended.

Edited by LeftmostAardvark on Thursday 2nd January 17:45

Possibly the only reason I would buy a bread maker. I’m crap at making bread, others (commercial) do it better than me, but I’ve found it nigh on impossible in the UK to buy decent black bread at a reasonable price.

[Dr Murdoch]

Can anyone recommend some nice granary bread flour?

[dickymint]

Dr Murdoch said:

Can anyone recommend some nice granary bread flour?

These do a very good selection - I've only used their Cotswold Crunch but thoroughly enjoyed it.........


https://cotswoldflour.com/products/matthews-cotswo...





This is their recipe which I used..........

Edited by dickymint on Friday 3rd January 12:21

[dunkind]

LeftmostAardvark said:

Russian black bread (recipe here: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7034/russian-bla... )

Although why Americans use cups and just vary what a cup is by some ridiculous algorithm, I’ll never know…

Once you translate it to ‘normal’, it’s a great recipe. Recommended.

Edited by LeftmostAardvark on Thursday 2nd January 17:45

I imagine that bread would go very nicely with various thinly sliced smoked fish

[lufbramatt]

Dr Murdoch said:

Can anyone recommend some nice granary bread flour?

Really like the Wessex mill mixed grain flour, works way better than allinsons in my Panasonic bread maker.

[Morry10]

What Panasonic bread maker are you using?

[lufbramatt]

Bog standard one that’s about 13 years old!

Apparently it’s an SD-256.

[Jonny_]

Panasonic bread maker plus a bag of this M&S flour makes an absolutely belting loaf. Better than Hovis granary flour.

Water quantity specified in the Panasonic manual for wholegrain bread is far too high, after a bit of trial and error I found a 3:5 ratio (e.g. 300ml water to 500g flour) worked nicely.

https://www.marksandspencer.com/food/seeded-and-ma...

Edited by Jonny_ on Saturday 4th January 22:13

[PhilAsia]

Jonny_ said:

Panasonic bread maker plus a bag of this M&S flour makes an absolutely belting loaf. Better than Hovis granary flour.

Water quantity specified in the Panasonic manual for wholegrain bread is far too high, after a bit of trial and error I found a 3:5 ratio (e.g. 300ml water to 500g flour) worked nicely.

https://www.marksandspencer.com/food/seeded-and-ma...

Edited by Jonny_ on Saturday 4th January 22:13

3:5 = 60% hydration

I know nothing about breadmaking machines, as I do everything manually. Doesn't 60% with a 14% protein flour affect the outcome? I would have thought a higher hydration level would have a better result.

I am no expert, but living in a tropical country has given the simplistic me a large learning curve. Here, there are very high humidity and temperature levels that have a massive effect on the dough. As a result yeast levels are lower, proving times are more rapid, using chilled equipment, flour and water is beneficial to working the dough..., and, having hot hands, working quickly, and, or, using chilled dough scrapers, etc.

This time of year is cooler, so proving times are longer and more yeast can be used, etc, but come April yeast will be back to halfish that specified in a recipe and AC is on in the bedroom (we only have fans elsewhere in our new house atm), or a chiller is used to slow things down.

I do not understand breadmaking machines as I have never come across one. Do they recommend one setting and that's it? 'Cos that sounds all wrong to me. Surely, in the UK, the difference between Winter and Summer would necessitate a setting change, or am I missing something?