handmade bread

simpywimpy

brilliant looking loaves there Trixie - well done. I am definately going to have a go this weekend with one

blueberrypie

I made up some dough today using the recipe from Economy Gastronomy, but it didn't rise at all. Not one bit. I suspect my fresh yeast is no longer active. I ended up putting the bowl of dough off to one side and making up a new batch of dough from a quickie dinner roll recipe - using my dried yeast.

Anyway, rather than waste the non-rising dough, I thought I might (either or both):
a. use a lump of it as a sourdough starter - had been thinking of doing the wild-yeast method, but I suppose I could use this instead. I wouldn't need all of it though (there's about 2 lb of flour in there)
b. mix up a small batch of bread-dough tomorrow, but use far more yeast than usual, then mix it with the non-rising dough from today. Can anyone think of a reason why that wouldn't work?

Or maybe someone has another suggestion?

Kiwisaver_2

I'm having another go today, it's pishing with rain so I thought I'd have a baking day. I realise now my dodgy 'inactive' yeast just needed a bit more waking up. It didn't froth much so I stood the jug in a sink of hot water for a few minutes and it soon kicked into action. :T

So will leave the dough most of the day and decide what to do with it later - thinking some fruit buns, pizza and a small loaf.

simpywimpy

Im also doing the econ gastr recipe....will see how this goes

meanmarie

Saw a really nice looking bread being made on Market Kitchen during the week, the details are on BBC food.co.uk I think....no kneading and produced a lovely crusty bread, will try it soon and report back

Marie

marmalize

well......attempted to make a loaf today:o.....however just as i was putting it in the oven i remembered that i had forgot to put in any salt:eek:...mmmm... so...knocked back and incorporated some salt:D....but ...it was then too late to put in oven as i was off to work...now 5 hours later i have just put some strange alien life force in the oven and heaven knows what the outcome will be..:eek:
i shall let you know in 40 mins................fingers crossed...

Woofles

marmalize wrote: »

well......attempted to make a loaf today:o.....however just as i was putting it in the oven i remembered that i had forgot to put in any salt:eek:...mmmm... so...knocked back and incorporated some salt:D....but ...it was then too late to put in oven as i was off to work...now 5 hours later i have just put some strange alien life force in the oven and heaven knows what the outcome will be..:eek:
i shall let you know in 40 mins................fingers crossed...

That made me laugh, I remember many years ago when I made my first loaf, what a disaster.

It would be fresh yeast then and probably a combination of not mixing the yeast right and placing the bowl in what I thought was a cool enough oven to prove.

When I checked an hour later there was this alien entity sat in the oven wearing one of my tea cloths, the dough had risen up over the bowl and completely devoured it and was slowly dripping down between the the cooker shelves. I can laugh about it now, but what a mess to clean up.

I did manage to rescue some of the dough and eventually produce a somewhat smaller loaf than originally planned.

marmalize

well....alien cooked...it has a strange crust and the texture of a bath sponge:eek:...but a lovely flavour:D....and answers my question of 'can you over prove a dough?'....yep...you have gone too far when it creeps over the edge of the tin and starts a whole new colony down the front of the kitchen work surface:eek:

simpywimpy

Made the econ gastron bread today but still it came out too heavy and dense. I dont know what Im doing wrong

I split it into three as directed but the loaves were very small

Kiwisaver_2

My bread making day went totally to pot yesterday, after an old friend phoned and asked me to meet for a 'coffee'. Thinking I would only be gone for an hour or so, I left the dough doing its thing, only to return some four hours later starving hungry. So pizza was duly made and the rest of the dough bunged in the fridge for later creations.

Being as fickle as I am I couldn't be bothered with buns or rolls today, so have tried to turn it into a fruit loaf. It wasn't as easy as i imigined! Trying to knead in some curants, spice and sugar! Hey ho, it's now sat in a tin, with a kiss and a prayer hoping it will rise again; kind of speckled with spicy bits and currants that wouldn't quite gel with the dough i.e. falling off.

I don't have very high hopes for it, it seems a bit tough. We'll see.