handmade bread

thriftlady_2

Found it -copied from an old post -here you go. It is basically Delia's white bread (on her site).

For one 2lb loaf (I always triple up)

1 1/2 lb white bread flour (or 1 lb white and 1/2 lb wholemeal or all granary flour)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp easy-blend yeast(the kind recommended for bms)
3/4 pint(15 fl oz)
hand-hot water

Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir in the water,bring it all together and turn out on a floured board.
Knead for about 3-4 mins. You may need extra flour if it is too sticky. It will start to feel smooth and 'alive'.To knead, push the bread dough away from you, then fold it back on top of itself, turning it on the board (sorry-much easier to demonstrate than describe).

Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave for about 2 hours. You don't have to put it anywhere warm unless you want it to rise quickly.

After 2 hours it will have doubled in size. Punch it down to knock all the air out of it.Give it a few kneads,form it into a rough loaf shape and put it in a greased 2 lb loaf tin. If you haven't got a tin, shape into a round or oval loaf and place on a greased baking tray.

Leave to prove for about 30 mins or until the bread rises above the tin, then bake at 230c for about 40 mins. When the loaf is cooked the bottom should sound hollow when tapped with your knuckles.

You can roll the dough out for pizza (no need for second rise), or scatter cheese,ham,or chocolate over and roll up like a swiss roll and bake.You can pull off small chunks of dough, roll very thin and bake on the oven bars for a few mins and you've got flatbreads.

It's really versatile and easy, I could never go back to bought bread now, nor would my family let me. HTH

edit; I now divide this mixture into 4 loaves in 2lb tins. I find the slightly smaller loaves are easier to cut for sandwiches, and it lasts longer as people still eat one slice IYSWIM. Cost of whole batch at 10/1/07 is 99.4p

[Deleted User]

crush a 60 mg vitamin c tablet and use in mr t flour or as a general bread improver

as a hm bread maker for 38 years, I found that the very best rises and texture came when I baked in a covered metal casserole dish in a very very hot oven. The dish was like a mini bread oven. Fan ovens don`t do anything for good bread. I used to have a real, anthracite aga (35 years ago) and that was constantly on and the bread was always fantastic. Then I moved and quality took a step back when fan ovens were on the scene. I have a real breadstone permanently in my oven and a dish at the bottom, which I fill with water, for steam. I also have a real hm sourdough starter in the fridge, which I wake up now and then. Hm sourdough takes 3 days starting with a sleeping starter but I don`t do any kneading, just stretching and folding and about 6 rises and I slash and lower it into the pot on a sheet of bakewell. The pot stands on the stone. The original use for the stone was for stoneground bread but the dratted fan spoils what should be a very good loaf so I always use the pot now. I am saving the stone in case I ever get to replace my fan oven with a no-fan oven

I have to confess to getting a panasonic for everyday bread now because of energy costs

Gingham_Ribbon

Thank you very much!

I'll report back when I've done it. I may wait until my 2 2lb tins come from Lakeland.

[Deleted User]

It is useful to know a bit about the whys and wherefores of bread making.

slash the top to avoid a floating hard crust that can inhibit a good raise in the oven and get steam in the oven and spray the top of the dough just before baking

Start in a massively hot oven, I bake for 25 mins at 250 degrees + when I use a pot and I pre-heat the pot to that temperature and then I take the lid off and lower the temp to about 220. It is the initial `whoosh` as steam is formed that gets the bread to rise in the oven

overproving is not good as the rise can collapse

if you are out all day then just pop the dough in the fridge

you don`t need to rush bread, in fact the best flavour comes from taking your time and starting with a wet dough. Use fingertips on a floured tray and just stretch and fold in 3 x3, sprinkle flour on top and cover lightly with cling film. I have also used a plastic box upside down for proving with the dough on a tray/or bakewell on the lid

[Deleted User]

I never knew there were so many bread additives (also called improvers) :eek:
http://www.puratos.co.uk/products_solutions/bakery/bread_improvers/default.aspx

nozzy6

Could someone tell me if there is a difference between dry yeast that comes in sachets and easy blend yeast please? I'm fairly new to bread making and my 3 attempts so far have looked good but been really stodgy in the middle, good for toast but not sandwiches, I've copied down Thriftlady's rolls recipe to try this week!

Thanks

count_rostov

If they're stodgy in the middle you just need to cook them for longer. When you take the loaf out of the oven, take it out of the tin immediately and tap it with your knuckle all along the bottom and sides. It should sound really hollow. If not, pop it back in. Also, let the loaf cool down out on a wire rack because cooling it in the tin can also make it go soggy.
The dry yeast in sachets is easy-blend yeast.
Happy breadmaking!

Gingham_Ribbon

Made the rolls today. Delicious. Thanks thriflady. Left some at my friend's house as she liked them so much too.

jorichste

i'm sure it must be on here somewhere, looked in the indexed threads but couldn't find what i wanted. I don't have a breadmaker, and would like to have a go and making bread, pittas, wraps, pizza bases etc. I'm not in UK and haven't found any 'special' flour in the supermarkets here, so would have to use the regular stuff. Any ideas would be appreciated
btw not exactly masterchef so simple recipes would be better!!

Magentasue

The artisan bread in 5mins a day is just what you're looking for:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1001965

I'm going to try it this weekend.