Help me make my Bread better!

sarah222

I sit my bread to rise ontop of the boiler - I have a lovely airing cupboard but have found my bedding seems to smell of yeast if I leave it in there lol so use the boiler top and bingo lovely risen dough

marmitepotato

Just want to thank every one for the excellent suggestions on bread making. I have tried a few suggestions that you have given me and have mixed results.

I have come to this conclusion. My dough was too wet, I wasn't kneading it for long enough, and I wasn't giving it enough time to rise. This afternoon I turned out a loaf of bread I could at last be proud of! I now know this is what I must do every time.

Addiscomber

Well it sounds as though you are making progress.

I wasn't clear from your first post which of the two types of dried yeast you are using? I have tried both, and I am not really a fan of the kind that you mix in with flour before adding the recipe liquid. I know it takes longer but I prefer the taste and texture when I use the sort that comes in a small tin and has to be activated as posters have described above, and that takes two risings.

Yut_Man

I fill my sink with 3 inches hot water and place the loaf tins in the sink and then cover the whole sink with a glass chopping board. This way the bread is kept warm but more importantly damp. Works a treat. Another way if you use a silicon baking tin is to cover the whole lot and place in the microwave at 10% power and set for 10 minutes. Slowly warms the whole lot up and aids proving to no end. As you can see its all about trial and error. You can always go for a slow prove bread, (Sour dough type) where there is a very long proving time. overnight sometimes.

marmitepotato

Tried the overnight prove and didn't like the taste of the bread, it was too yeasty and reminded me of beer too much.

I have found that if I put a bowl of hot water in my cold oven, then put my dough into rise, it works a treat.