Help me make my Bread better!

Le73Uq86Uv

Crush a couple of vitamin "C" tablets (plain ones) and put them in the mix.

Salt kills the yeast, try using 50% less and see what happens.

andygb

As Badrick said in post#3, I make a starter with my yeast, water and sugar in a bowl for 20 minutes.
I then mix the flour and salt in another bowl.
When the yeast has a nice, frothy head, then I combine the lot.
I also prefer leaving it for about 20 hours in a cool place for the first proving, then gently form it into loaf/baguette shapes (do not knock out the air), leaving it to rise and then baking it.

Justamum

Le73Uq86Uv wrote: »

Crush a couple of vitamin "C" tablets (plain ones) and put them in the mix.

Salt kills the yeast, try using 50% less and see what happens.

You can buy vitamin c powder. I've been using it recently, and to be perfectly honest it's made no difference. What does make a difference is when I stop being a lazy so and so and knead it properly! :rotfl:

andygb

Le73Uq86Uv wrote: »

Crush a couple of vitamin "C" tablets (plain ones) and put them in the mix.

Salt kills the yeast, try using 50% less and see what happens.

Salt will only kill the yeast if it is not dispersed in the flour. If you keep the salt/flour seperate from the water/sugar/yeast and then combine them once the yeast has activated then there will not be a problem.:)

andygb

marmitepotato wrote: »

Wow thanks for all your replies, I think my last mix was too wet and I didn't let it rise for long enough. Leaving it overnight is a good idea. Also dissolving the salt in water .....so many ideas to try. Thank you all.

I just toasted some of my bread and it was horrible! Really tough with a very close texture....yuck!

You should be dissolving the sugar (if you use it) in water with the yeast (in order to start the yeast activating) - not the salt.:)

andygb

I have never heard of using any type of tablet (vitamin C or otherwise) in breadmaking - genuine bakers would be shocked at this.
In France - where IMO they bake the best bread, they would probably be arrested for using additives.

pineapple

andygb wrote: »

As Badrick said in post#3, I make a starter with my yeast, water and sugar in a bowl for 20 minutes.
I then mix the flour and salt in another bowl.
When the yeast has a nice, frothy head, then I combine the lot.
I also prefer leaving it for about 20 hours in a cool place for the first proving, then gently form it into loaf/baguette shapes (do not knock out the air), leaving it to rise and then baking it.

This is how I make mine.
But I make 'milk bread' - I only use a small amount of water in the yeast mixture and top it up with milk when mixing with the flour. I also add a 'slurp' of olive oil! I don't measure the liquid - you get to know when the dough feels right. The trick is to just add it in tiny amounts when it's almost there - ie mix sticking together and coming away from the sides of the bowl.
I only prove mine once and it rises fine.. Once kneaded I cut it up and shape into bread rolls and leave to prove in situ on the baking tray.
It's always really yummy. The only time I had a failure was when I cut down the kneading time and it was horrible and heavy.
Apparently you have kneaded it enough if the dough springs back up when you prod it with your finger!
Re the vitamin C, it's quite a common recommendation - more so for wholemeal bread.

I'm experimenting now with different combos of wholemeal, white and spelt. Going to try some Einkorn flour too.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I use fresh yeast or the slow granules stuff you have to activate. It's not hard - mix it with the warm water and sugar first, keeping the salt in with the flour - and makes it possible to fit in yet another cuppa break whilst waiting for it to froth up

Sambucus_Nigra

500g flour
350 g water
7g dried yeast/10g fresh
7g salt.

Makes a lovey wet dough which rises beautifully.

I use the slap and fold method not the knead method - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osmVnrhMhfE

You need a flat scraper to scrape the wet bits up for the first few minutes - slap and fold for 15 mins, then leave to prove. Then shape without knocking all the air out [really, why?] and leave another hour to rise. Then bake in hot oven with tray of hot water in the bottom. Don't forget to score the top so that it can expand.

Justamum

andygb wrote: »

You should be dissolving the sugar (if you use it) in water with the yeast (in order to start the yeast activating) - not the salt.:)

I don't put any sugar in my bread unless I'm making sweet bread, and I always dissolve the salt in the water.