Calling all breadmaker pro's!

apprentice_tycoon

I'm coming at this from the opposite angle, I don't have a bread maker I just use my Kenwood Chef to mix and knead then I shape and bake in the oven.

I can see how the machine will mix the ingredients, knead it and give gentle heat to rise it but what I really don't understand is - if you were baking in the traditional way the risen bread would go straight into a really hot oven (around 230 degrees) this kills the yeast rapidly and stops the rising where as the bread machines have to heat up with the dough still in them so the dough is gradually heated up to a baking temperature, logically this seems wrong to me and I don't get it. (Luddite? - I know I am )

ellas9602

Thanks Paul

Mine is the yeast in the tub. I might try packets.

I just want homemade tasting bread it would be a bonus if it doesn’t taste shop bought. My mum used to make bread and I want it to taste like that!

Can I ask another question too? Does anybody freeze their home made bread or is it not worth doing?

Thanks to Jellyhead for starting this thread…I feel like I’ve taken over

1sttimer_2

ellas9602 wrote:

Thanks Paul

Mine is the yeast in the tub. I might try packets.

I just want homemade tasting bread it would be a bonus if it doesn’t taste shop bought. My mum used to make bread and I want it to taste like that!

Can I ask another question too? Does anybody freeze their home made bread or is it not worth doing?

Thanks to Jellyhead for starting this thread…I feel like I’ve taken over

When my mum made bread it wasn't round long enough to freeze LOL. With the breadmaker you can only make one loaf at a time so again you've no need to.

paul_h

1sttimer wrote:

I use the supermarket's own breadmaker yeast sachets. I didn't know you could use fresh or any other variety, Tesco used to give out fresh yeast at the bakery if you asked for it. Don't know if they still do that tho. May try this - do you mix as normal? My machine says that the salt should not go anywhere near the yeast as they would react and the bread wouldn't rise. So should the salt go in after the flour?

I don't think it matters if you're making the bread straight away, but you need to keep the yeast away from the salt and the liquids if you want to start it later, i.e. on the timer.

As for the fresh yeast, I've never used it but I understand that the best way to use it is to start it going first by putting some in a cup with 1/2 inch of warm water with the sugar in it for 15 minutes (or until it's visibly working) before adding it to the bread maker. Not sure about the quantities exactly - you'll have to experiment, and you don't then add any sugar to the main mix.

squeaky

1sttimer wrote:

Edit - I was a bit slow in typing this - I use the supermarket's own breadmaker yeast sachets. I didn't know you could use fresh or any other variety, Tesco used to give out fresh yeast at the bakery if you asked for it. Don't know if they still do that tho. May try this - do you mix as normal? My machine says that the salt should not go anywhere near the yeast as they would react and the bread wouldn't rise. So should the salt go in after the flour?

That instruction about keeping the salt and the yeast separate is primarily for when you are making bread on a timed delay start. Usually the advice is to put the yeast at one end of the pan and the salt at the other.

If you're making the bread straight away there's no point in separating the two as you put the ingredients in because if you think about it they'll be right next to each other as soon as the machine starts mixing.

HTH

squeaky

apprentice_tycoon wrote:

I'm coming at this from the opposite angle, I don't have a bread maker I just use my Kenwood Chef to mix and knead then I shape and bake in the oven.

I can see how the machine will mix the ingredients, knead it and give gentle heat to rise it but what I really don't understand is - if you were baking in the traditional way the risen bread would go straight into a really hot oven (around 230 degrees) this kills the yeast rapidly and stops the rising where as the bread machines have to heat up with the dough still in them so the dough is gradually heated up to a baking temperature, logically this seems wrong to me and I don't get it. (Luddite? - I know I am )

My breadmaker heats up pretty quickly and the most I've ever seen the dough rise before it's hot enough to kill off the yeast is about quarter of an inch (7mm) or so.

paul_h

ellas9602 wrote:

Does anybody freeze their home made bread or is it not worth doing?

I think freezing makes the bread a bit drier when it's defrosted, and it certainly doesn't then keep as long as fresh.

We never bother, like 1sttimer says you can put one in whenever you need to...

paul_h

apprentice_tycoon wrote:

I'm coming at this from the opposite angle, I don't have a bread maker I just use my Kenwood Chef to mix and knead then I shape and bake in the oven.

I can see how the machine will mix the ingredients, knead it and give gentle heat to rise it but what I really don't understand is - if you were baking in the traditional way the risen bread would go straight into a really hot oven (around 230 degrees) this kills the yeast rapidly and stops the rising where as the bread machines have to heat up with the dough still in them so the dough is gradually heated up to a baking temperature, logically this seems wrong to me and I don't get it. (Luddite? - I know I am )

I think because there is so little space in the breadmakers, they heat up very quickly, within a minute or so. Seems to work OK anyway

Even if you put a loaf in a hot oven, the centre of the loaf will only heat up gradually, so I wouldn't think it would make that much difference

paul_h

ellas9602 wrote:

Mine is the yeast in the tub. I might try packets.

The packet yeast works out a bit dearer, but I think it keeps better - depends how much bread you're making.

Allexie

paul_h wrote:

Here's another tip, although we like the Hovis flour and try to buy it when it's on offer in Morrison's, we also use the bread flour from Lidl and found it works great - and if I remember right (don't quote me) it's only 59p

Another vote for the Lidl bread flour :T