A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

mardatha

Maybe we should change our avatars for the new year? And I decided last year to stop dyeing, let my root grow in to 2" then got the dark all cut off. I feel amazing and every single person says "oh you suit your hair like that", and I love it. I saw Jamie Lee Curtis with grey hair and thought wow I want that!!
although the RV says I look more like the mum in Lost Boys than JLC
It's light grey at front, looks ash blond, and I want pink or purple highlights but he wont let me get them
.....but I have found stuff called Hair Mascara on Amazon....

katieowl_2

Don't worry VJSMUM, I've just bought three things in the Cath Kidson Sale...it was someone on here's fault though 'cos they said yesterday that they'd done their present shopping for this year already, so I bought something for both the DDs one Xmas pressie and one birthday. (I may have slipped something for my kitchen in too ) Saved £27.00 though?

Kate

LavenderBees

Sorry, Kate, that was me...I've pretty much finished my pressie buying and wrapping (pauses here for applause/condemnation - delete as see fit :rotfl:). Frightening or what! I did think of writing out the Xmas cards for next year, but considered that was just maybe a step too far

Have just caught up with the thread for my last time of the hols. Back to work tomorrow:o. It's going to be very hard to get myself moving at the speed I need to in the real world again. Before the hols, I was really anxious about how I'd fill my time. In reality, I've had a lovely time off. Ah well, all good things come to an end. Roll on Easter...

Sorry to those who've had a bad start to the year. Never ceases to amaze me, how awful human beings can be to each other.

Byatt - I don't know if this helps, but one of my friends had the laser eye surgery, and no pain, no problems at all. Raves about it. Wishes she'd done it earlier. Hopefully, if your DD does go ahead, she'll have the same positive experience.

I have a query. Not sure if I should post it elsewhere - feel free to point me in the right direction...but feel sure one of you will be able to help me.

My friend gave me her old BM in November, and I've made about 4-5 loaves since, but I really can't get away with the taste. It's really too sweet for me. A typical recipe is -

3.5 cups white plain flour
3 tablespoons of white sugar
1.5 tablespoons milk powder
1.5 teaspoons salt
1.5 tablespoons butter
1.5 cups cold tap water
2.5 teaspoons yeast

The bread rises/comes out absolutely fine but the taste is quite doughy, and as I say, too sweet for me. Is this normal? Is there anyway you can see I could adapt the recipes to reduce the sugar? Is there too much yeast in it (tastes doughy even when cold)?

Any help, MUCH appreciated. I really want to use the BM, but the only way I can eat the bread is with jam on it to disguise the sweetness a bit.

Mind...BIG DIET started this morning, so I will be trying not to eat as much bread :eek:

I feel weaker already.....:rotfl:

katieowl_2

LavenderBees wrote: »

My friend gave me her old BM in November, and I've made about 4-5 loaves since, but I really can't get away with the taste. It's really too sweet for me. A typical recipe is -

3.5 cups white plain flour
3 tablespoons of white sugar
1.5 tablespoons milk powder
1.5 teaspoons salt
1.5 tablespoons butter
1.5 cups cold tap water
2.5 teaspoons yeast

The bread rises/comes out absolutely fine but the taste is quite doughy, and as I say, too sweet for me. Is this normal? Is there anyway you can see I could adapt the recipes to reduce the sugar? Is there too much yeast in it (tastes doughy even when cold)?

Any help, MUCH appreciated. I really want to use the BM, but the only way I can eat the bread is with jam on it to disguise the sweetness a bit.

Three TEASPOONS of sugar it should be!!!! :eek:

Think that'll solve it!!!


Kate

mardatha

My recipe is
400gm bread flour (white or WM or half & half)
1teasp yeast
1teasp salt
1 tablesp sugar
4 tablespoons oil
225 gr (or wotever it is mls?) water
and add chopped nuts and seeds

Mrs_Chip

That is an awful lot of sugar - we don't put any in our BM recipes, but I think the max in the book was a teaspoon or so - could the recipe have been mis-transcribed?

OH is keeper of the BM, an we have a panasonic which is very reliable but requires you to stick to the ratios, but I will get the recipe he uses off of him once he has finished doing the washing up :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:.

katieowl_2

Our plain bread recipe is

600g bread flour
350 ml water
three tablespoons of sunflower oil (I glug I don't measure)
two teaspoons salt
two teaspoons sugar
two teaspoons yeast

It does need some sugar to feed the yeast and the salt is a vital part of the process, but OH often puts less in.

I use switch flour about, using granary, white and wholemeal too as long as the total is 600g

Kate

lizzyb1812

Lavenderbees - yes cut the sugar to 1 tablespoon/3 teaspoons and if it turns out OK try cutting it a bit more. Milk powder is actually an expensive ingredient - I don't use it any more, but again cut back a bit and see how you go. My BM uses 1 teaspoon salt only and 1 tablespoon butter - you could use oil - some people leave that out too. Change one thing at a time mind you or you won't know what change is having what effect :rotfl:Good luck

Mrs_Chip

We have two versions of the Panny and between the old and the new the recipes 'lost' the milk powder so we don't use it either now. We find the salt is vital to giving the bread flavour - too little salt and the bread tastes horrid.

If you use 'quick' yeast you should not need sugar al all, so do experiment to see if you prefer it without. OH puts 20g butter in the Panny to @14oz flour, so only a little fat needed to improve the keeping qualities.

OH turns out loaf after loaf of lovely bread - either half and half or all white, it's a curse really as the bread is too nice ifswim.

bupster

I don't use sugar at all - basic bread recipe is:

1kg bread flour (whatever's hanging around)
1 sachet yeast
1.5 tsp salt
a blob of melted butter
600 ml of warm water
several handfuls of seeds (sunflower, linseed)

I usually halve this as I live alone, unless I know I'll be eating a lot of toast or sandwiches. I used to use a BM, but find it less faff :eek: to do ten minutes kneading on the countertop listening to the radio and deffo more enjoyable. Plus you get to peek at the bowl and watch the dough rising

Can you tell I'm very easily pleased?