Breadmaking - recipes, hints, tips, questions

Meadows

Hi, you can make the dough cover the bowl with cling film and leave to raise in the fridge (works a treat) ready to shape for the next day (don't make too early in the evening or it may be raised before you go to bed) but if you left it over night shaped and ready to bake it would collapse. Bread will only raise so much and then falls back, this is why you should not leave it too long to raise each time.
You can get away with just one raise (make, shape add to tin and raise before cooking) but this makes a more open crumb on the bread.
You can part bake bread, freeze and then bake from frozen but I prefer to make extra cook all the way through and then freeze. defrost when needed it taste better in my opinion.

Meadows

If sticky try cutting back on the water, it should be an elastic dough. When I knock it back to shape for the second time I don't really knead I just remove from the bowl, bring back to a ball and then shape.
Trial and error at first you will get better each time, play with flavours, seeds herbs etc.

Don't raise in too hot a place as you can kill the yeast, leave at room temperature, slightly away from a radiator if you need a little heat or as I said above the first raise work great in the fridge.

zippychick

I've mergeda couple of threads with breadmaking quick questions

hotcookie101

I tried again this evening-used 100g white flour and 350g wholemeal/granary, and only used 250ish ml water as opposed to 300=so far so good-had risen to an inch or 2 above tin, and is currently cooking-fingers crossed! (100% white flour loaf cooked to a rachel allen recipe, was AMAZING! yum yum!)

betterlife

calling all breadmakers, whether you make your bread by hand or in a machine, do you have any secret tips you`d like to share? i really enjoy making bread, love the smell and enjoy eating it even more , i started years ago with a bread maker but never got along with it, ive recently started making again but completely by hand, using hugh`s basic bread recipe. its great but i have also had a few problems, ive tried using half white and half granary flour but didnt rise aswell, producing a fairly flat loaf:o is there any tips for this? also i tend to cover my dough with a shower cap for the 1st rise (whilst in bowl) and cling film for the second (find it sticks to damp teatowel) but sometimes it sticks to this aswell :mad: i would love and tips on anything to do with breadmaking, how to get the perfect crust be it soft or crisp, shapes, toppings etc etc, thought it might be a great place to just have tips we could all share and improve our own recipes

GetRealBabe

Hi

Made my first batch of wholemeal/white bagels today by hand. Next time I'm going to use more salt and a lower temperature-200 was a bit high (My oven has a intensive bake meant for bread and Pizza). Really pleased with the results.

I used dried yeast-mix with water and sugar and leave to froth. That's what I used years ago but I've also got some easy yeast, so I might try that method next time. What do others use?

Am interested to read other bread makers tips.

betterlife

i love bagels ive never tried making them though, are they quite easy? do you cook them in water first? or am i thinking of something else.

wssla00

Yep, you poach them in boiling water first before you bake bagels.

My things I always try and do:

-Half dried yeast to fresh
-a wet tea towel draped over the hot loaf helps make the crust soft
-as does a tablespoon of milk powder
-A pizza stone makes brilliant flat breads
-A saucer of water in the bottom of the oven helps keep the bread from being too dry if you have a fan assisted oven
-Cinnamon, a little sugar and some dried fruit in your loaf makes a great toasted tea loaf
-Soda bread is easier and requires no kneading
-If you can't get buttermilk, then use yoghurt or milk with a squeeze of lemon in it

betterlife

great tips wssla00, interesting about the half fresh half dry, does it rise better ? the tea loaf idea sounds yummy i will have to try that, as for fresh yeast, i bought 100g from asda bakery the other week it cost £1.19, it had been a while since id used fresh and it seemed rather expensive, so the day after i tried sainsburys and they charge 99p for 800g wow what a difference!!!! so i chopped into right sizes and chucked in the freezer will buy it there in future.

GetRealBabe

betterlife wrote: »

i love bagels ive never tried making them though, are they quite easy? do you cook them in water first? or am i thinking of something else.

Hi

They are fairly easy. Yes, they are boiled for 2 minutes each side. I used this recipe:

http://vegbox-recipes.co.uk/recipes/bread-recipe-3.php