Wholemeal/granary breadmaking help!

lucielle

Hi thriftlady
Thanks for replying so quickly. Yes it was the first recipe he used. Just checked the flour and it is strong wholemeal flour and the yeast is amazingly in date. I like the look of the other recipe so I will give that a whirl. Maybe cook it my self before I let son have a go. Do you really cook the bread on such a high heat? I have a fan oven and wonder if i should reduce it by 10 degrees. Any ideas?

moanymoany

These are the quantities from the Doves Farm flour and yeast packs. I've used it for white bread, but usually I make wholemeal. It works perfectly every time.

To every 1 lb of flour use
1 teaspoon of salt (I use less than this)
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of quick yeast
half a pint of hand hot water
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Mix the flour, salt, sugar and quick yeast
Mix the water and yeast - mix well
Knead for 10 m ins by hand or 5 mins in a mixer
Put into bread tins let it rise until about half as much again
bake at about 180 for about half an hour.

sashacat

I use that Delia recipe all of the time with no problem but I usually add sunflower seeds from my allotment, and it's great and I don't use a bread maker....I am trying to be self sufficient as much as I can. Iwill have a go at moany's recipe now though as I could batch back and freeze.

kethry

I'd agree with what thriftlady said about using a mix of wholemeal flour and white flour. This is what i do, and i chuck in extra bran (which you can buy large packs of from places like holland and barretts quite cheaply) to up the fibre quotient, and a mix of pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, linseed and poppy seeds. This is the recipe i use, one that's been developed from my granddad's recipe, all made by hand. OH refuses to eat shop bought bread now unless he's absolutely desperate (i.e. i'm ill or something).

HTH

keth
xx

moanymoany

I have to agree about home made versus bought bread. I have always loved that dense textured wholemeal bread that is so expensive in the speciality health food shops. By making it myself I get three loaves for the price of one.

For the lighter loaf the mix of wholemeal and white flour is perfect. I made some white rolls for Christmas to eat with smoked salmon and they were very disappointing and I wished I'd made half and half.

I have sometimes had loaves not cooked through, I toasted them and they were fine. My oven is hotter than the dial - if you see what I mean - and I adjusted the cooking time. Since then if I have any doubts I take the bread out of the tins and put it back for 10 minutes as the oven is cooling.

One thing I've noticed is that my bread doesn't go mouldy, it goes stale and hard, but not mouldy. I was always throwing out mouldy bread when I bought it.

thriftlady_2

lucielle wrote: »

Hi thriftlady
Thanks for replying so quickly. Yes it was the first recipe he used. Just checked the flour and it is strong wholemeal flour and the yeast is amazingly in date. I like the look of the other recipe so I will give that a whirl. Maybe cook it my self before I let son have a go. Do you really cook the bread on such a high heat? I have a fan oven and wonder if i should reduce it by 10 degrees. Any ideas?

I have a fan oven too and always bake bread at 200;) It does need a high heat and 200 is the equivalent of 220 in a normal oven.

Penelope_Penguin

I also agree with thriftlady. I let my bread rise for lots longer than Delia suggests - this week I had a first rising of about 4 hours, then 1 hour for the second.

HTH, Penny. x

[Deleted User]

try this one

1 lb wholemeal (I use shipton mill organic)
1 lb organic strong white
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp quick dried yeast
2 tsp salt (I use low sod salt)
butter (a few knobs)
2 tsbs milk powder
about 1 pint warm water

Lets just say that I have been hand making bread for 37 years and have stupendous results with this loaf, which I also make the ourdough way if I remember to revive my starter

all dry stuff in together and rub in butter. Add water but leave a bit in the jug. Mix roughly with a knife. Add more water until the dough is wet and sticky but just holds together. Do a quick mix with floured finger tips. Cover and prove an hour or so

put flour on a board (I use a large plastic tray and use it for all the stretchings) drop the dough on the board and paddle with finger tips so that the dough is stretched to a rectangle. Fold in 3 and put sides in. Dump in floured bowl and leave an hour or so, covered. I do this at least 3 times and it takes no effort ie NO KNEADING and you can leave it for a rise in a cold room overnight

Last prove for me is on a bit of baking parchment and I do a few slashes with a sharp knife before covering

In the meantime I heat a deep lidded casserole dish (mine is metal) and I have it standing on a breadstone which is permanently in my oven. I need to get the temp up as high as the oven will go ie 250+

Pop the parchment and bread in the pot, put the lid on. Bake on max for 25 min. Lid off and bake on 220 for 20-25 min

You will get a guaranteed fabulous impressive loaf which lasts for days and which will be tall and blowsy because the whoosh of steam in the pot drives the dough up :T :T :T

ps: if it goes too high on the last proving then it can DROOP so don`t overprove. Put it in a cooler place if you need longer

joseph21_2

I have tried the small pack of flour for making loaves in a bread maker. Not all were ok but then one worked out fine and we still have the machine. I brought a large 1.kg of hovis flour and use fresh yeast but it was a flop. i am about to try with dry yeast, but i want to have a wholemeal loaf without braking my pocket. If this still fails I will need to go to somerfields for their cheap loaves.

Can anyone help with cutting cost and a easy recipe to follow.

Many thanks

A_fiend_for_life

I think someone mentioned you need to add vitamin C if your making wholemeal as the fibre tends to inhibit yeast activity.

PS Bump

Can't have someone eating summerfields loaves.:)