Do any of you wonderful chaps bake your own bread? I've started making my own instead of buying shop bought but I can't get it light enough or to rise much. Any tips?
Buy it. Your bread is shit. The maker will end up disused and take up space next to the brevil and foot massager
Tom, are you using a bread maker? We make our own but without a bread maker, its all in the proving, allowing it plenty of time to rise.
A couple of things I have found/read Too much salt will inhibit the yeast working Don't use water that is too hot or too cold, neither of these makes the yeast happy
I am not using a bread maker. Just flour, yeast, butter, water, an oven and my hands. And a bowl. Baldy boy do you do a second rise? I gave it 3 hours in the airing cupboard today and it just wasn't rising much. Obviously it did expand some what but not like it should. I've also heard that adding gluten helps.
Spoke to my wife who is the baker . You need Luke warm water with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar (helps activate the yeast) and always do a 2nd rise
I've been using a Panasonic bread maker for nearly 20 years now - probably the most useful and reliable kitchen gadget I've ever bought. I do tend at least half the time to use it just to make dough, and then bake it in the oven after heating it up for something else. If the dough is ready before the oven is used, I always find that the extra rising time (either left in the machine after it has finished its dough making or in the airing cupboard), helps the flavour and texture. The machine lly just reduces work and washing up for dough making though, and you could do much the same with a Kitchenaid or similar heavy-duty mixer with dough hook. Your loaf at least looks nice - and you could just try kneading the dough for a bit longer. My other tips for what they are worth: - Use strong flour for better texture (that's the way you get more gluten) but you can get away with regular plain flour (not self raising) up to perhaps 50%. Strong white flour at Aldi the other day was just 75p for 1.5 KG (3 medium loaves) - over £1 at Sainsbury's etc. - I prefer a bit of olive oil to butter, but use whatever you like - lard will do I think. Not much needed. - A spoonfull of sugar, as recommended by Panasonic, helps the yeast. - If using dried yeast, the sachets work better - I tried economising by buying a tin of it, but I think it dies off.
We do ours with a kitchen aid and dough hook, 50/50 mix strong white and whole meal. Cover the dough when letting it rise, in a warmish but not hot norm just above room temp
athletes foot powder then...... when it comes to bread, fresh as possible yeast, gives you the best chance.
best spelling we've ever seen from you, and nearly some punctuation......baking seems to work for you!!
When you put the oven on let it get warm and while its doing this put some water in there in a tray and let it boil, Take the water out when you put the loaf in, The steam prevents a crust forming too early and lets the bread expand and then the crust forms
