What have you baked today?

craigywv

those mini houses look great, if I get time might try them. today is hm crusty and yet more mince pies as oh is taking handfuls a day from freezer and sneaking into his work lunchbox. also will do potato and soda bread and a load of pancakes nothing too taxing xxx

StrawberryJam132

Hi All,

I'm sorry to barge in on this thread. I've just been reading your posts and I'm now dying to try baking!! :drool: Do you all use a bread maker? Is it really money saving to purchase one? I read that each loaf costs about 50p to make in a bread maker. That's not including electric used... Bread can be 80p at the shop. Do you just bake for the love of it? Or is there a MSE reason too?

Hope you guys can shed some light on this for me Sorry for the rookie question. I'm new-ish

Thank you in advance!

hatful-of-hollow

Yesterday I baked some garlic and rosemary focaccia. Today I made a dozen mini veg quiches and some jam tarts with the leftover pastry .

Kantankrus_Mare

I love baking and can make a decent sponge or fruit cake but my down fall is pastry.

Would love to be able to make this well as I love homemade quiche and there are hundreds of other things I can make if I can get to grips with it.

Don't particularly like the bought stuff so that isnt a compromise I am willing to take so would all you pastry makers give me some tips please?

I think its the adding water bit I get wrong, too much or too little....was even considering a food processor.

I know different people use different fats as well so would love any help.

thanks
x

Happygreen

StrawberryJam132 wrote: »

Hi All,

I'm sorry to barge in on this thread. I've just been reading your posts and I'm now dying to try baking!! :drool: Do you all use a bread maker? Is it really money saving to purchase one? I read that each loaf costs about 50p to make in a bread maker. That's not including electric used... Bread can be 80p at the shop. Do you just bake for the love of it? Or is there a MSE reason too?

Hope you guys can shed some light on this for me Sorry for the rookie question. I'm new-ish

Thank you in advance!

Welcome, StrawberryJam, to your question about bread - I started because I was tired of plastic bread and good quality loaves cost a fortune at the village bakery. First I made mine by hand, then when the kids came along I needed a time-saver, so the bread maker came into our lives. Now I have found a compromise or a "best of both". I make the dough in the machine, then bake it in the oven :rotfl:. The texture and taste is nicer done that way than finished in the machine. Regarding costs, making may own is definitively cheaper. I buy 1.5 kg flour for now 79 p (L'dl) I think and that bag makes more than 3 loaves. So if I calculate even the cheapest rubbish bread for 49 p, making it is still cheaper. What else do you need? 2 Tbsp milk powder, 2 tbsp sugar, water, 2 tsp salt, 1 tpbs oil, 2 tsp dry yeast per loaf. What I really love about it is that I can play with the dry ingredients, add some wholemeal, some of a huge variety of seeds, oatmeal, even nuts or sweet stuff for special days.

sparrer

2 trays of dog biscuits and a seeded wholemeal loaf.

Happygreen

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

I love baking and can make a decent sponge or fruit cake but my down fall is pastry.

Would love to be able to make this well as I love homemade quiche and there are hundreds of other things I can make if I can get to grips with it.

Don't particularly like the bought stuff so that isnt a compromise I am willing to take so would all you pastry makers give me some tips please?

I think its the adding water bit I get wrong, too much or too little....was even considering a food processor.

I know different people use different fats as well so would love any help.

thanks
x

Good morning, KMare, can you send the reciepe you normally use? What does your pastry look like, is it too crumbly or does it break when you roll it?
For the first stage you can use about half the weight of your flour in fat. Mine is usually all butter, for savoury pies occasionally a third lard or veg suet. A little icing sugar or caster for sweet as it's finer than granulated. If I use an egg or just a yolk to help bind the pastry then a bit less fat at the start, then most times I don't need any water at all. The water just goes in to help make the dough smooth. Then chill it for an hour. If it's crumbly before you chill it try adding a teaspoon more water - I splash it straight from the very cold tap with my hand, it really doesn't take much! If it's sticky after step one you may have worked the fat in too long, then just cool it and dust with a little flour before you roll it out.
Hope this helps!

puppey

some flatbread with some garlic and rosemary, very nice and quite quick to do

Poddly

DS13 has made sausage rolls with flaky pastry, now stashed in the freezer. I have made stollen, also to be frozen.

grandmasam

Lemon drizzle cake, Frugal Queen's boiled fruit cake,banana and walnut muffins and bread dough for an overnight slow rise.Hot rolls for breakfast then!
Caz