Breadmaking - recipes, hints, tips, questions

LocalAngel

iammumtoone wrote: »

Hi

I hope I am positing this is the right place. I recently got a bread maker (charity shop find ) I want to make some wholemeal bread, and the recipe states to help it rise use a vit C tablet.

I have looked at the Vit C tablets and all the ones I found had artificial sweeteners in them. One of the main reasons I want to make my own is because it is healthier, it kinds of defeats the object if I start putting sweeteners into it (I try to avoid these in anything).

Anyone have any other suggestions to help it rise or know where I can buy vit C tablets without added sweeteners. I would rather go back to buying shop brought wholemeal otherwise

many thanks

Hi,

I make wholemeal bread by hand using a recipe which included half a vitamin C tablet. I have never used Vitamin C and the bread always turns out absolutely fine. On the website where I found the recipe, someone posted that you can buy vitamin C powder (not sure if it contains sweeteners or not) in some chemists and health food shops but you have to ask for it - they don't put it on the shelves because drug addicts use it to mix with their heroin or something. I would suggest trying the recipe without the vitamin C first and then if you think it hasn't risen enough, try your local chemist or Holland and Barrett

Popperwell

Disappointed with first sourdough loaf attempt...crust is hard and the inside is almost right but slightly soggy, its eatible though. At a food festival I managed to get a firm light coloured sd loaf and a soft sd loaf and either of those are what I was aiming for.

Any ideas where I went wrong? Thanks.

I put a tray of water in for steam as suggested but where they say higher temp for 30mins then 10-15 mins at a lower temp it was all but cooked in 30 mins...the inside might have benefitted by being on a little longer but not the crust.

7_week_wonder

Popperwell wrote: »

Back to attempting HM bread and learning again as I am down the sourdough route...

Question please...well a couple really...thanks for any help...

I have some self raising and plain flour in the house to use up, can it be used for bread making? I now buy strong white/wholemeal flour...

And I started my starter using the flour, water and grapes method as shown on Paul Hollywood's series...

When you feed the starter do you have to keep adding grapes or is that just in the initial stage? Do you remove the original grapes eventually? As I assume they'll have no goodness left in them and they'll just rot?

Its new to me. In the past my bread has been reasonable but a bit heavy...

Hi Pops,

For the ordinary flour: I have had success where I've used ordinary (plain) flour and then used "enriched" water. What I mean by that is: water saved from cooking something starchy, so rice, pasta or potatoes. I've also had really great loaves when I've used plain flour plus water with added whey (from when I've strained some HM yoghurt). But I have to confess I've never tried just using the plain flour.

For the sourdough: I didn't add grapes to my starter but I've managed to keep it alive for almost two years now. I definitely wouldn't add any more grapes, and I might be tempted to remove the old ones as if they rot they might introduce additional microbes which might outcompete the wild yeast?

Sorry not to be more definitive - but that's my experience so far.

The_Dragon

Popperwell wrote: »

Back to attempting HM bread and learning again as I am down the sourdough route...

Question please...well a couple really...thanks for any help...

I have some self raising and plain flour in the house to use up, can it be used for bread making? I now buy strong white/wholemeal flour...

And I started my starter using the flour, water and grapes method as shown on Paul Hollywood's series...

When you feed the starter do you have to keep adding grapes or is that just in the initial stage? Do you remove the original grapes eventually? As I assume they'll have no goodness left in them and they'll just rot?

Its new to me. In the past my bread has been reasonable but a bit heavy...

You can't use normal flour for bread making (sorry!) and I have no idea on the grapes! Dr Dragon started his sour dough off a different way

Popperwell

My loaf spread out a bit too...I'll try again(haven't given up yet)

Thanks Dragon. I am using strong flour and found the same one that is sold in Tesco's in Aldi's for around 30p cheaper per bag. That's 99p for 1.5kg

The_Dragon

Popperwell wrote: »

My loaf spread out a bit too...I'll try again(haven't given up yet)

Thanks Dragon. I am using strong flour and found the same one that is sold in Tesco's in Aldi's for around 30p cheaper per bag. That's 99p for 1.5kg

Dr Dragon is experimenting with putting dry semolina under the loaf - apparently it should stop the spread :huh:

Popperwell

Suppose I could use a round cake tin or oven proof glass dish. Even a loaf tin...be interested to see how the semolina experiment goes...

bunbun2

Popperwell I have just started making sourdough too. I have also used the Paul Hollywood starter and recipe. I have ignored the grapes so far but think I will remove them. My loaf has a hard crust too but the middle is OK. I have never had sourdough so I am not sure what it should be like!

Popperwell

BB2, The SD loaf from one stall at a food festival that I purchased was soft in texture and like a bloomer loaf, the other looked like the one's on the following link...both of them were lovely...and lasted ages without going stale...soft or firm but not hard.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simply-Sourdough-An-Easy-Guide-to-Fresh-Bread/

Pineapple, Soda bread is another idea...

Popperwell

I've found some great links to sites that try to cure bread problems so if you want me to post some I will...