handmade bread

basmic

Gigervamp wrote: »

Try using less water. I usually find that for 500g of flour, I need 300mls water, but occasionally need a tad more.

That's what I've been using.

I find myself almost constantly sprinkling flour into the mix when kneading. I'm wondering if it's my scales.

Gigervamp

Hmm, could be your scales. Stick an unopened bag of flour on them and see if they say the correct weight.

Do you mix the dough by hand or with a mixer? I use a mixer and pour the water in bit by bit. Sometimes even with 300 mls, it seems very dry, but I've found that if I'm patient and let the mixer get on with it for 5 minutes, there seems to be a point where it all comes together and is how it should be. I've made the mistake of not waiting, adding more water and finding that it's far too moist.

mouseymousey99

Basmic - have you tried scoring a line down the middle of your loaf, when you shape it? The clingfilm, are you putting some oil on it, I use some just a drop but it helps pull it off. If its going out at the sides I wonder if the clingfilm is too tight - try making a little pleat in the centre?
I find breakmaking is very variable, some days I add more water some days less and a warm/cold day does make a difference. If your crust part is coming adrift from the rest of the loaf the bread is rising too quickly - maybe needs somewhere a tad cooler.
grimerking I use drums of dried yeast (alinsons or Dove) purely personal (about 99p) - I like having it to hand - I tend to add a teaspoon full and a little for luck. I wizz the flour around in the magimix and it goes in with the salt and a little sugar. Re salt - I do use about 2tsp of salt, I find the bread needs it. (I think a lot boils down to personal taste) I'm using Hovis bread flour at the mo (I like to experiment with them a little).Grinding up the yeast - nah I wouldn't (but again personal choice, but you may kill it)...??? Mine goes in a warm place, it just my rythmn and I make it every other day.

basmic

mouseymousey99 wrote: »

Basmic - have you tried scoring a line down the middle of your loaf, when you shape it? The clingfilm, are you putting some oil on it, I use some just a drop but it helps pull it off. If its going out at the sides I wonder if the clingfilm is too tight - try making a little pleat in the centre?
I find breakmaking is very variable, some days I add more water some days less and a warm/cold day does make a difference. If your crust part is coming adrift from the rest of the loaf the bread is rising too quickly - maybe needs somewhere a tad cooler.

I hadn't tried scoring my bread down the middle - does it need to be a deep score?

Regarding the clingfilm, I never oiled it. I think I will next time.

The last loaf I made, I left it exposed to the air overnight rather than having it stick to the clingfilm. The dough did have a few cracks in it, but I put it in the oven all the same.

If it wasn't for the wide and flattish top, it would have been a more enjoyable loaf.

Gigervamp

When I've shaped the dough, I cover it with a clean tea towel or a couple of sheets of kitchen paper rather than cling film. I only use the cling film when it's doing it's first proving in the bowl.

ZCC72

basmic wrote: »

Anybody know why my dough remains quite sticky? The last two loaves I've made by hand were sticky, and the first one stuck to clingfilm.

Also the bread tin I am using doesn't seem to tall enough. The dough rises, but flops along the edges - it doesn't actually go down the sides, but I'd like a taller loaf in the future.

Every bag of flour has a different rate of water absorbtion - it is something you will "get a feel for" with practice. Whilst recipes call for certain amounts of water, it is best to put in too little to start with, then add as you are kneeding - you may need more or less than the recipe calls for. The end result dough should be slightly "springy" - if you press it down lightly with a finger, it should spring back up slowly - without being sticky. Just keep practicing - you'll get there!!:D

Hope this helps.

grimerking

Admittedly, I've only made a couple of loaves so far, but I found that the dough was much wetter/stickier after the first rise. I needed quite a bit of flour on my hands and the worktop to kneed the bread. You can tell when you've added/worked the dough enough, because it stops sticking to your hands/worksurface, but if you leave it on the surface for 30 seconds, it will start to stick again. At that point, transfer it to your loaf tin for the final rise before baking.

tiddly_widdly

have to say i cheat. I cover my bowl with a damp tea towel and put it in the oven thats been preheated on a very low heat . then I turn it off and leave the bread to rise. It works great. Strange, from reading all these posts I never would have thought to put it in a COLD fridge overnight!! Who worked that one out when it always says put it in a warm place.

grimerking

tiddly_widdly wrote: »

have to say i cheat. I cover my bowl with a damp tea towel and put it in the oven thats been preheated on a very low heat . then I turn it off and leave the bread to rise. It works great. Strange, from reading all these posts I never would have thought to put it in a COLD fridge overnight!! Who worked that one out when it always says put it in a warm place.

That's what I did. Even when its warm outside, my flat is quite cool. I put the gas oven on low while I made the bread, turned off the oven and then put the covered bowl in the oven. I only have a plastic mixing bowl, so I placed a wooden bread board on the oven shelf to prevent any 'melting incidents'.

lv1109

Gonna make my first steps into the world of handmade bread this weekend! Have had a good read through this thread but am wussing out and using the Hovis breadmixes for my first attempt, just to find my feet. Will for sure be going the whole hog once I have had my first go, its just that the mixes are 2 for £1 in Asda at the minute so it seemed rude not to give them a go!

Thanks for the tips and recipes everybody and I shall post back here after the long weekend to let you all know how I get on!

LV