Cooking for the Freezer..

squeaky

Lillibet wrote:

CRIKEY!! Curry Queen & Squeaky are getting a bit French........think we best leave them to carry this thread on alone. Unless, of course, you want to watch!!

After :coffee: aabsolutely the best way to start the day is with a good laugh! Thanks.

Curry_Queen

Lillibet wrote:

CRIKEY!! Curry Queen & Squeaky are getting a bit French........think we best leave them to carry this thread on alone. Unless, of course, you want to watch!!

:eek: What are you suggesting Lillibet :eek:


I'll have you know I'm an

squeaky

Curry_Queen wrote:

:eek: What are you suggesting Lillibet :eek:


I'll have you know I'm an

AND almost nearly virtually engaged - according to your sig!!

megasaver

squeaky wrote:

Then you need to cut the teenager's hands off

Anyway, that still doesn't stop you from using a breadmaker - and maybe even getting a little ahead of the game and making 'some' extra for the freezer ready for such 'emergencies'.

Like Squeaky I love my breadmaker. I use it every day, if not twice a day and am constantly looking for new recipes (next ones will be an onion foccacia and a malted loaf - try buying a decent one of those for under a £1!)

What makes me laugh is everyone was conviced that my breadmaker would be resigned to the garage after a few weeks. Well three years down the line I am on my second one!

Any back to Freezing here are some of my tips

1) I make several loaves in a day, wait for them to cool down, slice them and freeze them, in 4 or 6 slices per bag.

2) I make a general all purpose basic white dough and freeze it in portions so that so I can defrost and use it for individual pizza bases or loaves of bread or rolls.
The dough not only takes up less room in my tiny freezer, but it means that I don't have to decide there and then what toppings to put on my pizza. (I often use pizza to finish up the odds and ends in my fridge and cupboard)

3) If I don't have room in my freezer, I still make loads of dough in my breadmaker and use some of it on the day and the rest I keep in the fridge for the next day. I just make sure that if I have refrigerated /frozen the dough to take it out in time, shape it, leave it rise, add toppings to it and then cook it.

4) last tip! I hate weighing the flour for my dough/bread so I simply have several bags each with the right amount of flour already in them (eg 500g) so when I make my bread/dough all I have to worry about is getting the teaspoons of salt/sugar/yeast right and the correct amount of liquid. I even have my most popular recipe printed and stapled to the front of my bread recipe book in case of amnesia. This last tip saves me so much time as I am always in a hurry.

HTH

Mega

squeaky

megasaver wrote:

Like Squeaky I love my breadmaker. I use it every day, if not twice a day and am constantly looking for new recipes

I don't know if your recipe book has this but...

..add three teaspoons of cinnamon to a standard bread mix ingredients.

..then if your breadmaker beeps you to add fruit - add three ounces (75g) sultanas. If your bread machine doesn't do this you'll have to pay attention and add them partway through the second knock-up. If you add them too early they just get mashed up.

Lovely for a breakfast slice of toast in the morning - fills the house with the smell of cinnamon again... and I have no idea why but it's great to make chicken sandwiches in.

Lillibet_2

squeaky wrote:

I don't know if your recipe book has this but...

..add three teaspoons of cinnamon to a standard bread mix ingredients.

..then if your breadmaker beeps you to add fruit - add three ounces (75g) sultanas. If your bread machine doesn't do this you'll have to pay attention and add them partway through the second knock-up. If you add them too early they just get mashed up.

Lovely for a breakfast slice of toast in the morning - fills the house with the smell of cinnamon again... and I have no idea why but it's great to make chicken sandwiches in.

Ooh! I like the sound of that:D

Curry_Queen

Lillibet wrote:

Ooh! I like the sound of that:D

Me too!!!!


Although I seem to have a problem with my bread machine at the moment as I noticed this morning it didn't switch off after the bread was cooked :eek:

I'd lifted out the pan and left the lid open, but when I went back to put it away a while later the heating element was still pumping out heat and didn't stop till I turned it off at the plug

Plus ... not sure if it's at all connected ... but my bread didn't rise properly and came out as a stodgy lump

It was a granary loaf, first time I've ever made one, using the Hovis granary flour and following the recipe on the packet, so have no idea what went wrong

squeaky

Lillibet wrote:

Ooh! I like the sound of that:D

It is seriously yummy!

squeaky

Curry_Queen wrote:

Me too!!!!


Although I seem to have a problem with my bread machine at the moment as I noticed this morning it didn't switch off after the bread was cooked :eek:

I'd lifted out the pan and left the lid open, but when I went back to put it away a while later the heating element was still pumping out heat and didn't stop till I turned it off at the plug

Plus ... not sure if it's at all connected ... but my bread didn't rise properly and came out as a stodgy lump

It was a granary loaf, first time I've ever made one, using the Hovis granary flour and following the recipe on the packet, so have no idea what went wrong

Mine doesn't turn off either. It's deliberately designed to keep the bread warm. Perhaps your is too. When all else fails - read the instruction book

As for your loaf... I've forgetten to put the yeast in before now, more than once, and that might be it. Otherwise, wholemeal and granary flours take longer to rise and so should be put on your longest program if your machine has one. If it doesn't - wait until the machine has finished the whacking it about cycles and then start it off again from scratch.

Curry_Queen

It's not something I've ever noticed before though and I've had it 6mths or more. Maybe I need to pay more attention

I put the yeast in and also set it the wheat cycle so no idea what went wrong, although by the looks of it when the loaf came out it had risen then sunk again because there was a lip of crust above the bread.

I did notice though that in this recipe it didn't have sugar listed, which every other loaf I've made asks for, and is presumably needed to aid the yeast in rising

I've still got half a bag of the flour left but reluctant to try again till I can find out what went wrong. I love granary bread and it's so expensive to buy usually that I'd love to make my own. Every other type of bread I make comes out fine


Edit: sorry gone again