Get a grip woman!

badmemory

I no longer ever use cold water in my bread, well cold anything as if it needs butter or milk I now warm it.  As for yeast it seems to go off as soon as look at it.  If a sachet has been opened more than 3 weeks the chances are it doesn't do so well.

themadvix

Keep the yeast in the fridge - this is a tip from brewing. It makes it last much longer. 

Really irritating when your bread doesn’t rise though, I feel your frustration Suffolk Lass!

Suffolk_lass

Thank you both. Although the rise is poor, there is some, and the texture is bread - it's as though it was sealed in a skin and unable to burst out as the crust is lovely. A much more concentrated flavour, I know DH will eat it (and so will the dog    ). Also, I was using dried yeast, in 7g sachets that went OOD in April. You are right @badmemory, I think that cold water is the issue.

Well, 'tis done. 8 jars of bottled apples, with all 6 screw-tops popped, then the band carefully removed and cleaned, along with the rim and then equally carefully replaced. I'm a great believer in following Nonna Gina's advice (albeit hers is in relation to tomatoes), to turn the hot jars upside down to make sure they pop. Once sealed the band can be removed, cleaned and replaced, doing away with any nastiness when they are used up. The other two are spring top jars. I will just have to watch these.

Oh yes, just switched electric suppliers from Sc Pwr to Octopus. I had to call as the switching tool immediately recognised that I had an inactive but still present account. It will switch on Friday. I must remember to read meters and log on both accounts. 

themadvix

I reckon the OOD yeast may have been partly to blame though - I do find it doesn't last beyond its date, if even that.

Well done on the bottling - it's very satisfying to have it all stacked away and ready to enjoy!

foxgloves

I'm also thinking it was a combo of the out of date yeast & cold water. Annoying though. I had a batch of rolls which didn't rise as well as usual the other week & that was just a different flour which could have done with 100g of white for a boost. I take any less than satisfactory bakes personally as have been baking for so long!
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rtandon27

SL - I'm not sure if it's done here in the UK, but I remember my Gran (in Canada) "blooming" her yeast before adding it to the bread dough.  She did this both with fresh yeast as was common back in the day and that 'new-fangled' dry stuff which she just didn't trust!

ETA - we keep bees on our roof at work - well we all play at being bee-keepers & hire a professional to advise us & keep our queen happy! - this Friday is honey extraction! - a messy fun job that gets folks out of work for 1/2 hour

beanielou

SL~~I have sent you a PM

Suffolk_lass

foxgloves said:

I'm also thinking it was a combo of the out of date yeast & cold water. Annoying though. I had a batch of rolls which didn't rise as well as usual the other week & that was just a different flour which could have done with 100g of white for a boost. I take any less than satisfactory bakes personally as have been baking for so long!
F

@foxgloves That is it,@foxgloves

beanielou said:

SL~~I have sent you a PM

👍

rtandon27 said:

SL - I'm not sure if it's done here in the UK, but I remember my Gran (in Canada) "blooming" her yeast before adding it to the bread dough.  She did this both with fresh yeast as was common back in the day and that 'new-fangled' dry stuff which she just didn't trust!

ETA - we keep bees on our roof at work - well we all play at being bee-keepers & hire a professional to advise us & keep our queen happy! - this Friday is honey extraction! - a messy fun job that gets folks out of work for 1/2 hour

@rtandon27 The bloom is, I think, what I refer to as my starter. I put half a teaspoon of sugar in a jug with the contents of a 7g dried yeast sachet and add 200m of tepid water and mix it so there are no lumps. Then I leave it until it foams, at least 1 cm before adding it to the flour and salt (stirred through to disperse the salt). Then I add 10ml of water, the 300g of sourdough starter, an egg and about an ounce (25g) of butter and set it to mix in the mixer with the dough hook. I add two or three more tablespoons of flour so that it makes a ball rather than a pile of sludge in the bowl. 10 minutes later I turn it on to the floured surface and I can tell if it needs more kneading (feels tight) or is right to prove. I make it into a round bal and pop it in an oiled mixing bowl, covered with a disposable shower cap until it threatens to burst out of the bowl, in contact with the film of the SC. 

Blimey! Half an hour to extract! I presumed you meant to actually remove the super(s) of honey from the hive. The messy reference makes me think you are visiting the beekeeper's set up which is a scaled up version of ours. It takes a fair old while to extract the honey here... but in a small kitchen with limited space. We use an uncapping fork but there are all sorts of bits of kit from hot knives to hairdryers to professional uncapping set ups like this one - you have to have a LOT of hives to pay for this sort of scale, and as for extracting itself...

@themadvix As for the bottling, I tried a different approach after a friend recommended using her pressure cooker. It was a bit of a faff because I could only get 3 jars in at a time but they all worked, but it was less@themadvix

DH has just taken the dog out (although my ankle is much better) and we plan to turn out some unwanted stuff from the Cartlodge as both motorbikes are away at the moment, when he gets back. Although the forecast is hot, there is shade, and the shower can be used as many times as we like.

Oh yes, winter oil delivered on Tuesday. Via the oil syndicate (bulk buy in the village) 69.07ppl plus 5% VAT - I can't pay yet as I don't have bank details for them but I know it is £362.62 I need to find. Plus the £250 initial payment to Octopeds that I suggested (then £150 a month while we see how it goes). After the transfer I should get over £400 back from SCPwr. And the Arran cottage money will go out at the weekend too! Thank goodness for instant access savings (and Tilly tidying!).

Bees - First meeting of the year I avoided buying anything in the auction, and got rid of my spare varroa treatment (opened package) for a mere £2 - they cost £2.10 each and there were 6 but at least they have gone. The other treatment did not go. I will need to put it online I think. I was gifted some wildflower seeds and I intend making up my seed plugs today - next job in fact. Time to get going!

EssexHebridean

SL - I hope you used a referral code for your Octopus switch! I suspect you will be pleased with them anyway - we certainly have been, and all the more so now having used their home move service and had such a quick and easy transition without having to have any dealings whatsoever with the former owner's supplier of choice for the house! 

Glad your ankle is much improved too - good news!

I'm looking forward to hearing all about Arran when you have been - it's an island that has appealed to me for a long while but we've not made it to yet! 

foxgloves

We are happy with the Cephalopods too. One thing I particularly liked, & have probably mentioned before, is that when we did have a problem, the same customer services advisor dealt with it throughout. It did feel much more customer-focused to have a named individual sorting out our problem, rather than having to explain it multiple times to different people.
I find their billing system straightforward & transparent too.
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