handmade bread

Justamum

I also make bread by hand. I make 4 loaves at a time and freeze them. It takes a few minutes to mix it and get it in the loaf tins - I don't bother with the first rise and knock-back any more as one time I didn't have the time to wait. It's just as good with one rising. I did have a breadmakers years ago and found it a big hassle - as well as having loaves which were an odd shape (I think anyway!) with a big hole in the middle.

xacesx

Hi All,

As the title suggests I need an easy bread recipe for my newly turned oldstyle hubby we usually use a breadmaker but he's decided to give it a go by hand we have all the usual ingredients and a loaf tin so any recipes would be appreciated!

Pink.

Hi xacesx,

There's an existing thread on handmade bread with some recipes that should help so I've added your thread to it to keep the recipes together.

Pink

HeidiBoo_2

**deleted**

v8monkeyboy

I think you might be baking your bread on too high a temperature. Do you have a fan oven? The reason I say this is that my fan oven bakes 40 degrees hotter than any other oven I've found, so if a recipe for a non-fan oven states 180, it would be 160 for a fan, and 140 for mine.

Since I've worked this out (only had the cooker 9 years :rolleyes:), my bread and cakes have improved no end (and I used to be a baker ).

Hope this helps,

Tracy x

Gingernutmeg

I'd agree that it sound slike your oven is too high. Although you do need a fairly hot oven for bread if it's too high you'll get a really hard outside and a gooey/uncooked middle.

Also wrapping bread in a clean tea towel when it comes out of the oven can help to soften the crust.

SecretIdentity

You can pop a loaf tin of water in the oven to create moister heat too...

baby_fuzz

it sounds like your oven is on too high...

Beki

my bread used to be like yours, then i watched a programme (the hairy bakers) about baking bread, and one of their tips was use as much water in the bread mix as you can without it turning to gloop!

so if the mix calls for 450ml water i'll keep adding it well past 450ml until it's really 'soft' and sticks to my hands. plenty of kneading + 2 rises later, and i have the most perfect bread!

mouseymousey99

Hello Heideboo, Lots of good ideas above. Have a few suggestions if you are still having problems:-

Are you using bread flour - its a stronger grade of flour, if you are using plain flour or SR flour that would explain why the fruited breads worked.

What are you baking your bread in? If you are using loaf tins and not bread tins you will get a 'cakeish bread'. I've found bread tins are thinner and higher so the heat is distributed in a different way.

Bread seems to react with the weather - at the moment I'm using a lot more water. Its rising in no time at all, in the winter it takes ages.

When your bread comes out of the oven are you putting it straight onto a wire tray? It needs to come out as if you leave it it continues 'cooking'.

Cutting it before it is cold (this is very difficult) alters the bread and makes it more doughy too.

Don't give up - the first ones I made we should have saved to build an extension with!
Best wishes