Weezl and friends Phase 2 -giving it a whirl for Shirl! Testing meal plan for a month

Allegra

Hippeechiq wrote: »

I feel a bit of a pleb having to ask this if an 11year old can work it out but anyway, does anyone know exactly how much yeast I would need to make just one loaf? and do you need a damp tea towel or anything to cover bread when it's proving? I have the bread flour, I have the yeast, but I don't have the mental agility to understand the comment of: "always use at least 10g yeast even if you reduce all the other quantities".

If I'm quartering the recipe, will the bread not be overly yeasty, given that were I to make the full recipe it would work out at 3.75g of yeast each loaf?

Sorry to be dense - it's been a tough couple of weeks and I really would like to have a go at the bread.

Gas Mark 1 = 140C 275F

There has to be at least 10g yeast (that's 2tsp dried yeast) for the chemical reaction to take place. And not dense at all, you have to ask, how else will you know ? It won't be overly yeasty - in fact, if you did the 3.75g it wouldn't rise, as there would be insufficient yeast for the chemical reaction that creates bread to take place.

You don't need a damp teatowel - but if your kitchen is very draughty, or if there are flies about, a teatowel (dry) will probably help, placed over the bread while proving.

ETA: Sorry, Sian beat me to it

hornetgirl

I am happy to join in the on line chat thingy if I'm around and I can work out how to do it lol. Friday evening or Wednesday evening best for me (isn't the football during the day on Wednesday?). Like Allegra, don't plan around me, I'll join in if I can.

weezl74

ok being a bit more brainstormy,

first lets think of all the different shirleys and then we'll buil it to best fit the ones we can.

I'll start, and then others chip in as many different types of user we can think of:

1) I'm in a fix and want something cheap for my family for dinner tonight, I'm surfing the net at lunchtime to see what I have to buy on my way home.

2) My family like pizza and I'm too broke to buy dominoes so I chuck 'cheap family recipe homemade pizza' into google.

3) I bought a butternut squash cos it was whoopsied and now have no idea what to make with it.

4) I am an MSE user who's just had a LBM and now wants to completely reduce monthly shopping.

5) I am a non MSE user who's just had a LBM and now wants to completely reduce monthly shopping.

6) I am MSE/non MSE and due to completely unforeseen circs now have £3.54 to last me 18 days and I have some random weird things in my freezer but not much.

Hippeechiq

Sian_the_Green wrote: »

Not a stupid question at all. Because yeast is "alive" you need a certain amount of it to kick it off. I would say 2 tsp for one loaf would be fine. Depending on the type of yeast you either mix it with the water and let it foam up or stir it in with the flour. You wont taste it at that amount, HTH

Allegra wrote: »

There has to be at least 10g yeast (that's 2tsp dried yeast) for the chemical reaction to take place. And not dense at all, you have to ask, how else will you know ? It won't be overly yeasty - in fact, if you did the 3.75g it wouldn't rise, as there would be insufficient yeast for the chemical reaction that creates bread to take place.

You don't need a damp teatowel - but if your kitchen is very draughty, or if there are flies about, a teatowel (dry) will probably help, placed over the bread while proving.

ETA: Sorry, Sian beat me to it

Thanks to both of you for replying -it's much appreciated
Will definitely be giving it a go next week, on one of the days the ladies play at Wimbledon

weezl74

hippeeeechiq, what should I put instead of that unhelpful sentence about reducing the yeast?

Allegra

7) I already shop and cook frugally but am worried that my frugality is not getting all the right nutrients into my family

8) I desperately need to reduce my shopping bill but am scared that this will harm my family's health and fresh fruit and veg and oily fish are so desperately expensive, but we have to have them - or do we ?

9) I find that half the food I buy gets chucked in the bin before I manage to use it, because I just can't get the hang of this meal planning and shopping-by-the-list lark

Sian_the_Green

Allegra wrote: »

ETA: Sorry, Sian beat me to it

We are just too helpful on this thread

aless02

weezl, i thought i said i was against having all the recipes on the same page? Much like what allegra said. My post from a week or so ago explained my thoughts.

Like ur facebook ideas. I've been wanting some phots to spruce up the joint!

weezl74

weezl74 wrote: »

1) I'm in a fix and want something cheap for my family for dinner tonight, I'm surfing the net at lunchtime to see what I have to buy on my way home.

2) My family like pizza and I'm too broke to buy dominoes so I chuck 'cheap family recipe homemade pizza' into google.

3) I bought a butternut squash cos it was whoopsied and now have no idea what to make with it. (+recipes)

4) I am an MSE user who's just had a LBM and now wants to completely reduce monthly shopping.

5) I am a non MSE user who's just had a LBM and now wants to completely reduce monthly shopping.

6) I am MSE/non MSE and due to completely unforeseen circs now have £3.54 to last me 18 days and I have some random weird things in my freezer but not much. (very cheap recipes)

I'm just going to highlight what search terms these shirleys might use...

Allegra wrote: »

7) I already shop and cook frugally but am worried that my frugality is not getting all the right nutrients into my family (+healthy)

8) I desperately need to reduce my shopping bill but am scared that this will harm my family's health and fresh fruit and veg and oily fish are so desperately expensive, but we have to have them - or do we ?

9) I find that half the food I buy gets chucked in the bin before I manage to use it, because I just can't get the hang of this meal planning and shopping-by-the-list lark

weezl74

aless02 wrote: »

weezl, i thought i said i was against having all the recipes on the same page? Much like what allegra said. My post from a week or so ago explained my thoughts.

Like ur facebook ideas. I've been wanting some phots to spruce up the joint!

did you aless sorry. I really thought you and morag were wanting them all together!

So is allegras a summary of how most folk see it?

And if so then the menubar tabs are my technical issue, and I'd value your help on what first time user shirleys would need them to be called for it to all make sense