to make my own bread or not?

chatter-box-charlie

Could some one please advise me on how to make my own bread, what i would need and whether it is going to be less costly for me to do it and also what types of bread I could make in a bread maker??????

how much a bread maker would cost etc...

We currently go through around 7-8 loaves a week and on top of that we eat nan bread and barm cakes can I do all of this in a bread maker?????



I would be greatful on all info..

sophistica

You can do all of that in a bread maker as most have a dough only setting which enables you to finish off rolls etc in the oven. I have just bought a BM which I haven't used yet but it is on sale at Superdrug for £15 which means you would get your money back in a couple of weeks.

Pink.

If you have a look in our Complete Breadmaking Collection, there are lots of threads there that should help you.

Pink

Linda32

It sounds to me as if you would save money, but what you could do, is tot up how much you spend on all sorts of bread over the month. Then compare this to the cost of the ingredients.

Queenie

Linda32 wrote:

It sounds to me as if you would save money, but what you could do, is tot up how much you spend on all sorts of bread over the month. Then compare this to the cost of the ingredients.

Plus there are the *hidden* charges which are incurred when you buy bread

I've never priced up how much each trip to the shop for bread has cost in terms of petrol, time and the oh-I'll-grab-that-while-I'm-here-too purchases.

The only thing I do know from my personal experience:

~ I impulse buy far less (less trips to store)
~ I *know* what is going into my HM bread (less fat, salt, sugar: healthier)
~ I don't have to get showered/dressed/kids into car to get that early morning fresh baked bread aroma (pumped through store vents!)
~ HM bread is more filling and tasty than store bought 'pap'


You don't have to have a bread machine (BM) to make hm bread - but it is more convenient insomuch that you fill it, turn it on, leave it.

I bought my BM in a sale last year, I only bought it because it was cheap and I didn't want to invest much money incase I didn't use it/like it/benefit from it's full potential. Well, it's still working like a dream and it didn't take me long to start tweaking recipes to suit my needs/tastes. Wouldn't be without it now.

kasper

It depends, of course, on what kind of bread you want. If you're happy eating Tesco Value cotton-wool-type ready sliced bread, then that's probably going to be cheaper than anything you make at home (unless maybe you make it with Tesco Value flour). But if you want any kind of half-decent bread, it's going to be a lot tastier and a lot cheaper to make yourself, with or without a bread machine. Especially if you pop in the oven at the same time as you're cooking something else anyway.

Quick tip: many people think bread made with fresh yeast is a lot nicer than bread made dry yeast. If you, like me, are one of those people, you might not know that you can usually get fresh yeast in any decent local bakery if you ask for it, and it's very cheap (7p an ounce in the one near me). You can also get it if you ask at the in-store bakeries in large supermarkets - here they will even sometimes give you a small quantity for free.

culpepper

You dont really need any special equipment if you buy a breadmaker.
It should come with recipes and measuring cup/spoons.
I make mine with fresh yeast ;(free at the asda bakery) or allinsons dried yeast(in the little orange tin,sommerfields or sainsbury's stock it 99p for about 30 days worth),bread flour (51p Asda,49p lidl),pinch of salt and water.I make 6 loaves a week ,each gives between 16 and 20 slices depending on how thickly you slice it.

WeirdoMagnet

We make our own bread and it's great. We did have a breadmaker, but are just not organised enough to remember to put it on, and then it died anyway. We now make our own bread by hand, which fits in with us better. I get four loaves out of a bag of flour, and try to do about one batch a week (usually at the weekend) unless we're going to be busy in which case I do more. The loaves are smaller in height, and you think you're getting less, but it fills you up the same.

As others have said, at least you know whats going into your HM bread, and it does save keep going to the supermarket (and picking up other bits and pieces!).

Last weekend I had time to adapt my recipe (with ideas from Jamie Oliver) and made a foccacia - dead easy and looks impressive!

I use free yeast from Asda, and tend to buy the flour when it's on special offer. If you do go the BM route, and use dried yeast, use the larger pot/freeze dried bag of yeast rather than the sachets - they are really expensive.

thriftlady_2

Georgina is right you don't need a breadmaker to make bread.To make it by hand you don't even need a bowl-you can mix it directly on a work top a la Jamie Oliver.You don't need tins either although I use them.

All you really need is bread flour, yeast,and an oven.

The big advantage of hand baking is that you can make several loaves at once.I generally make 4 smallish loaves(they're easier to cut for sandwiches than large loaves).I do this at least twice a week and I use the same basic recipe to make focaccia, roll and sweet breads.

For one 2lb loaf(I always triple up and make 3 large or 4 smaller loaves)

1 1/2 lb white bread flour(or 1 lb white and 1/2 lb wholemeal or all granary flour)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp easy-blend yeast(the kind recommended for bms0
3/4 pint(15 fl oz)
hand-hot water

Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir in the water,bring it all together and turn out on a floured board.
Knead for about 3-4 mins.You may need extra flour if it is too sticky.It will start to feel smooth and 'alive'.To knead,push the bread dough away from you,then fold it back on top of itself,turning it on the board(sorry-much easier to demonstrate than describe).

Put the dough back in the bowl,cover with a damp cloth and leave for about 2 hours.You don't have to put it anywhere warm unless you want it to rise quickly.

After 2 hours it will have doubled in size.Punch it down to knock all the air out of it.Give it a few kneads,form it into a rough loaf shape and put it in a greased 2 lb loaf tin.If you haven't got a tin, shape into a round or oval loaf and place on a greased baking tray.

Leave to prove for about 30 mins or until the bread rises above the tin,then bake at 230c for about 40 mins.When the loaf is cooked the bottom should sound hollow when tapped with your knuckles.

You can roll the dough out for pizza(no need for second rise),or scatter cheese,ham,or chocolate over and roll up like a swiss roll and bake.You can pull off small chunks of dough,roll very thin and bake on the oven bars for a few mins and you've got flatbreads.

chatter-box-charlie

Thanks everyone for your replies, MY mouth has been watering at the thought of the fresh bakes bread!!! (I just love fresh bread anyway).
I think I will have a toot around to see if there are any BMachines on offer round the shops and get started!!!!

For those who say they get free yeast from asda bakery... where do you go to ask for it??

WeirdoMagnet

chatter-box-charlie wrote:

For those who say they get free yeast from asda bakery... where do you go to ask for it??

Just ask at the bakery. My Tesco have stopped doing it, although they always begrudged it anyway.

Not sure if you can use it in a BM though? Maybe a BM use will post.