1/2 price Cookworks breadmaker back down to £23.94 in Argos

Sui_Generis

OK managed to get one but haven't had time to open it yet - is there much difference between flours and yeasts? I will only have time to turn up and grab whatever's available at Sainsbury today (with luck).

Confuzzled

one little tip for anyone new to breadmachines... don't immediately wash out the dough pan. let it sit, maybe overnight til the remaining dough gets hard. it will then wipe right out and you can give the pan a quick wipe around with a soapy sponge!

sooo much easier than trying to wash out wet gloopy dough, the nonstick element of the breadpan makes this method possible and preferable

Confuzzled

Sui_Generis wrote: »

OK managed to get one but haven't had time to open it yet - is there much difference between flours and yeasts? I will only have time to turn up and grab whatever's available at Sainsbury today (with luck).

i think if you're a bread connisseur then using specific types of flour will be important to you, however, even though i've often heard you shouldn't use self rising flour in the bread machine that's all i normally have in

i made some absolutely gorgeous seeded rolls with cheese on top (used the dough setting and baked them in the oven at 200 for about 25 minutes) using self rising flour, i did make a point to use a little less yeast though.

this has been my normal strategy when using SR flour in a breadmachine and so far i've had success about 95% of the time.another 'no-no' i do is to just chuck my extras like seeds, fruit etc right into the water (if adding sultanas i add in a touch more water because they suck some of it up) in the past i've found this chops them up a bit for me which i'm actually happy with. i didn't find it did as much chopping of them with this cookworks machine but didn't matter to me as they tasted wonderful! also, i didn't have any milk powder, i find it quite expensive to buy and i would only use it for bread making so i just skipped that. i figured it was probably in there to make it a little richer tasting, so i added a touch more butter instead... maybe i didn't even need that who knows, all i know is that it worked fine without it.

i guess the point i'm making here is experiment and don't worry that if you don't follow some specific recipe to the letter that you'll have an absolute failure. they may want you to think that because it will get you to buy expensive bread mixes or expensive ingredients. if you want to do that fine but you really don't have to. my next experiment is to add in cut up bits of these little fruit and nut pyramids i got from approved foods. todays will be the pistachio and almond (it's like firmly compressed dried fruit and nut pate of sorts). i think this should make some amazing fruit bread, can't wait!

one important thing to note IF you are replacing white flour with brown flour (as in, you are altering a recipe that asks only for white flour) then you will need to add more water as brown flour soaks up more liquid. what i've done in the past is to add in just a smidge more, then watch it carefully as it's kneading, you'll be able to tell if it needs more and you can drizzle some in a bit at a time. just make a note of how much extra you used in total and then you will know for the next batch so you don't have to babysit the machine

Sui_Generis

I'm a granary eater, or the current favourite is organic malted from Sainsburys. So as I'm a complete newbie I don't mind white as a learning experience. Though looks like tomorrow before I can shop now.

Victoria_Meldrew

When I went to buy yeast Asda had 3 kinds but only one said it was for a breadmaker and that was the most expensive. What do you all use and where can I buy it from? Any suggestions gratefully received.

Tried for the first time today and used LotusFlower's recipe - seems to be Ok except it's sunk in at the top (end). Not tasted it yet though. Any idea what I might have done wrong?

Sui_Generis

Confuzzled wrote: »

i guess the point i'm making here is experiment and don't worry that if you don't follow some specific recipe to the letter that you'll have an absolute failure.

Didn't have time before now but just about to make the first - wish me luck!

Anyone who has these and wants to post hints please do.

Confuzzled

Victoria_Meldrew wrote: »

When I went to buy yeast Asda had 3 kinds but only one said it was for a breadmaker and that was the most expensive. What do you all use and where can I buy it from? Any suggestions gratefully received.

i use the bags you can get for a quid from lakeland, since i don't make tons of bread they last me ages i just keep mine stored in a jar with a lid in the back of the fridge (it will keep like this for 5 years, in the freezer it will keep for 10 years or so i've read :eek:)

to be quite honest i think the special breadmachine yeast is a load of hooey! they're just out to make more money from you. the only thing i can think that might possibly be different with it is maybe it doesn't require as much sugar to feed it or perhaps it grows better without having to worry about water temp but to be honest i've rarely had any issues at all with a breadmaker and yeast so i'd say go for the cheapest option!

if you can get to a lakeland or if you're making an order anyway then i'd highly recommend grabbing a few bags of their yeast. i'm going into edinburgh for their christmas village/faire in december so i'll make it a point to pop in to buy at least 2 more bags (mine is half gone), like i said, properly stored they keep for so long it's definitely worth buying well in advance for the considerable price savings

(just got my bag out of the fridge) it's called 'doves farm quick yeast' for bread machines and baking net weight of 125g mine says it's best before (not use by, just best performance) is 04/06/2010 i've had it for more than a year now and it's working great ...oh just checked the lakeland site and it's gone up, to
£1.19 a packet, still that's pretty good!

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/doves-farm-quick-yeast/F/keyword/yeast/product/7338

Bean13

Had a couple of loaves from mine now and im just about to bung another in, Great stuff !

I need a really nice seeded batch recipe for it now :T

LotusFlower_3

Victoria_Meldrew wrote: »

When I went to buy yeast Asda had 3 kinds but only one said it was for a breadmaker and that was the most expensive. What do you all use and where can I buy it from? Any suggestions gratefully received.

Tried for the first time today and used LotusFlower's recipe - seems to be Ok except it's sunk in at the top (end). Not tasted it yet though. Any idea what I might have done wrong?

I think maybe you used too much water, you do have to be very accurate with the water I've found.

Sui_Generis

Progress report: I went with the standard white prog so about 3 hours, after the first hour I was sceptical anything would rise but a further hour in and the loaf is rising nicely. Could only get the rapid yeast at Sainsburys yesterday so I hope I haven't added too much or too little... should know in an hour. Will make a cake after that with luck.

Apparently at Asda you can ask for yeast for free at the instore bakery, may be worth trying.