Breadmaking - recipes, hints, tips, questions

simonne15_2

We love interesting wholemeal breads with additions like sun-dried tomato, sunflower seeds, olives etc etc. but I find it very difficult to get the texture right; it always tastes good but.....the texture's often too moist or too heavy. Also I've given up baking the bread in the machine and only use it to make the dough and finish in the oven because the hole made by the rotating arm ruins the middle of the loaves.Anyone got any solutions to those probs please?

housemouse100

I do a really nice one from the book Rustic Eueopean Bread by Linda West-Eckhardt ISBN 0385477775.You have to start it the night before but it's great. It is in American cups so would need adapting if you didnt have any.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS


For Poolish:

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon water

1/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast

1/2 cup bread flour

1/4 cup organic whole-wheat flour


For Dough:

1-1/8 cups water

1/2 teaspoon bread machine yeast

1-3/4 cups bread flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup medium rye flour or meal

1 teaspoon salt

RECIPE METHOD


FOR POOLISH: In the bread machine on the dough setting by combining the water with the yeast and flours. Let the poolish sit in the machine from 2 to 10 hours before completing the bread.

When you're ready to make the bread, add the water, yeast, flours, and salt to the bread machine pan with the poolish and process on the dough setting again. The recipe says take it out and and bake but I always cook on wholemeal setting and I have used any brand of flour its been great. I have added seeds and grains and wheat germ and flaxseed and it has a great texture not to cakey and not to heavy. I leave the poolish overnight and switch on the next morning and come home from work to a nice fresh loaf.

jordylass

lister wrote:

If it collapsed before heating it sounds to me like either the fermentation stopped, the yeast was poor, or perhaps the dough was overrisen. SNIP

Thank you for this useful information. My bread collapses every time during the last few minutes of cooking. I have searched and found many different answers to this problem.

Too much yeast/salt
not enough yeast/salt
too much water
yeast gone bad

I have tried every different combination I can think of, I used to get a perfect loaf every time and wonder if it might be the flour, I am now using Allinsons white wholemeal. I'm going to try a loaf today with Lidls bread flour, but any other suggestions for correcting this greatfully recieved.

Kazonline

I've run out of Strong white flour so decided to 'have a bash' at making a wholemeal loaf - but forgot that I needed Vitamin C until the last minute. :rolleyes: A rummage in the cupboard found some vitamin tabs that are vitamin A,C,E and selenium.:T I crushed enough to give me just over the 1/4 tsp required as I figured some of it was taken up by other vitamins
It's now set to cook overnight, but I was wondering if someone could tell me what's the best and cheapest option for vit c for use in a BM please?
Also I've loads of yeast left even though I've had it for nearly a month. The packet said I should keep in fridge and use within a month - it is in the fridge, but do I need to get a new lot now? Seems a shame to throw so much...
Thanks,
Kaz x

Swan_2

Kazonline wrote:

but I was wondering if someone could tell me what's the best and cheapest option for vit c for use in a BM please?Kaz x

I got some Vit C powder from Holland & Barret when it was on special, & that was a good deal, can't remember how much though. have a look there, or in your local Health shop

chemists used to stock it, but seem to only have the tablets these days, which work out more expensive. might be worth asking around all the same

I keep the jar in the fridge & it seems to last forever, unlike the yeast

HTH

saving-grace

Kazonline wrote:

I was wondering if someone could tell me what's the best and cheapest option for vit c for use in a BM please?
Also I've loads of yeast left even though I've had it for nearly a month. The packet said I should keep in fridge and use within a month - it is in the fridge, but do I need to get a new lot now? Seems a shame to throw so much...
Thanks,
Kaz x

On the advice of the assistant in my local chemist shop I bought a tub of 100 Vit C tablets for 99p and just crush part of a tablet.

As for the yeast I'd just carry on using it until it appears not to be working as well.

Dormouse

Help!

I'm using up everything in my cupboards as we're moving next week, so here's a question: can I make bread with Ready Brek?

(Have already made cookies with it and still have loads to use up! )

Kazonline

I've put oats in with my usual ingredients when making bread as I was supposed to be making a muesli and banana loaf but had run out of muesli - result was lovely. Isn't ready brek just oats and maybe sugar/milk powder? I'd imagine it would be fine.
Good luck with your move!
Kaz

Dormouse

Thanks Kaz, that's what I thought. Just checked the pack and it's just rolled oats and oat flour, so I'm going to experiment and bung some in.

I was just getting confused that my Panasonic manual didn't have a recipe for an oaty bread, but as you said, it does have the muesli one.

zombiecazz

simonne15 wrote:

We love interesting wholemeal breads with additions like sun-dried tomato, sunflower seeds, olives etc etc. but I find it very difficult to get the texture right; it always tastes good but.....the texture's often too moist or too heavy. Also I've given up baking the bread in the machine and only use it to make the dough and finish in the oven because the hole made by the rotating arm ruins the middle of the loaves.Anyone got any solutions to those probs please?

After your machine has done the last knead take out the dough remove the paddles and put the dough back in. You still end up with holes, bit they are much smaller.:D