handmade bread

rockie4

My OH makes all our bread by hand

He covers the bowl with a tea towel and stands it in the microwave so that it's out of any draughts.

I agree with the others, the longer and slower the better (ooh er missus !!)

He has proved it overnight in the fridge and it's been fine.

mouseymousey99

Today it went on top of the telly! Himself has been watching the idiot box since 6am (F1 or whatever) so by 3pm (boat race I'm told) the telly was nice and warm, also the sun was shining on it - jolly nice loaf - so the box has its uses....

milliemonster

Yes I agree with all of the above, I make all my bread by hand now (ditched the BM) and have read a lot about proving bread dough and everything I have read says you should ignore the recipes that say leave in a warm place to rise and leave it to rise in a cool place for as long as you can (overnight is best and in a fridge is fine), they also say you should use half the amount of yeast the recipe recommends so that the dough rises slower and lets the natural flavours develop

clutterydrawer

rockie4 wrote: »

I agree with the others, the longer and slower the better (ooh er missus !!)

PMSL :rotfl:

Thankyou for your advice everyone, there's lots of useful tips here that I didn't know before...they don't mention these in the recipe books!

My handmade bread is never that great so I will try it with this new info and see how it goes

phizzimum

It was all the proving the dough, and messing about with airing cupboards etc that put me off making bread for years. But I find it rises fine if I leave it overnight...which reminds me, I should go and make some bread (but hanging out here is much more fun...)

lucy*locket

phizzimum wrote: »

It was all the proving the dough, and messing about with airing cupboards etc that put me off making bread for years. But I find it rises fine if I leave it overnight...which reminds me, I should go and make some bread (but hanging out here is much more fun...)

Same here, I don't have an airing cupboard or anywhere warm, wish I'd know all this before, I might not have bothered with the BM which takes up valuable space in my kitchen. It might have to make space one day for a Kitchen Aid or a Kenwood, one day, when I can afford it, at least now I know I can make bread without the BM. Thanks for the good advice everyone:A

mouseymousey99

Don't bother with a breadmaker (ok its just my opinon) - I start mine off in the Magimix with the dough hook (my hands are not good) then whop it out and knead it a bit then shape it. I have tiny kitchen too, so only room for one 'appliance' the Magimix does everything. I never weigh anything out either, I do it all by eye. Oh and instead of butter I use olive oil (it seems to make a lighter bread) again its all personal choice! Most important thing - enjoy.

philb120

I make it by hand and would agree with the longer the better I also use olive oil instead as I think it's healthier. Will experiment with halving the yeast - already use half the salt recommended.

I'm also wondering about keeping a ready supply of yeast available as I make rolls every 2- 3 days. At the moment I use the dried yeast but if I put some in water and just kept adding water to it would it then be available to harvest ? If so how much would I use ? Has anyone had any experience of this ?

AussieLass

I've been making my bread by hand for nearly a year now. My BM broke down so didn't bother to replace. My bread practically rises in a blink in summer. I thought I'd give some hot cross buns a try this year. Would anyone have a tried & true recipe?

Gigervamp

I use the dough hook on my kitchen aid mixer to mix and knead the dough, then cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave it on the side to prove.
I also use olive oil, about a tablespoon for 500g of flour.