The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Introduction

Joe KomaGawa's picture
Joe KomaGawa

Introduction

Hi, I am learning to bake bread from a bread machine Panasonic SD-RD230. I made a few loaves from the included recipe book, ok, kind of bland..I live alone in Japan, teaching English. I would like to know where to study the next step in my baking training. I want to use curry spices and make a dry bread, not the kind that pockets of goo in it. 

I am not really a baker or a cook. I cook because I have to. I bake because I want to give something to others, but most of the others are rice eaters and not homemade bread eaters. This discouraged me from baking for a time, but now I am interested in baking for myself.

I used to have other hobbies, interests. and that seems long ago. So what do I do with my free time? I study Japanese kanji, this is my 3rd and best effort.

 

DanAyo's picture
DanAyo

Welcome Joe. I am not familiar with bread making machines, but the forum has a dedicated section for them.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/forums/general-discussion-and-recipe-exchange/bread-machine-recipes

If you remain persistent in your bread baking, you are sure to succeed. You will find the help you need on this forum. It helps to post your bakes with images. This will help others to make suggestions.

Merry CHRISTmas and a super great New Year!

Danny

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

I've seen other posts on this web site by folks in Japan.  So if you want to get ideas from them, about what local Japanese ingredients they use, put "Japan" in the search box up above and see what comes up.

They might also be able to help you with tips on the small ovens that are typical for small Japanese apartments.

You can bake bread even in counter-top "toaster oven" style ovens, which I have often done.

Flat breads such as focaccia, chapati, bannock, and pita are easily done in toaster ovens. Small pizzas are easy in a toaster oven too.  I have even made bannock, chapati and pita in a covered fry pan (dry, or only a very little oil) on the stove-top (range-top).  

So even if you only have an electric "hot plate" or one of those small portable single-burner butane cannister stoves, you can still make flat bread. (I have one similar to this:  https://www.amazon.com/GS-1000-Portable-Automatic-Ignition-Carrying/dp/B01MYGMO6M?tag=froglallabout-20  in case power goes out, but I have not used it for bread yet.)

Sometimes I mix just flour/salt/water, and a ltitle sourdough starter, and make a flatbread, cook it in a dry fry pan, when underside  is partially browned, flip, and cook until other side is partially brown. I don't know what to call it, but it's still bread.

Flour, water, salt, some kind of leaven, either baking powder, commercial yeast, or sourdough, maybe a little oil, and you have all sorts of possibilities.  Just cook (pan fry covered or uncovered, or bake)  it until the center is at least 200 degrees F, (205 to 210 F is okay too) and you're safe.  Spending US $12 on an instant-read pen type thermometer is a good investment. 

You can even cook dough by deep frying it, and I have done that too, both leavened and unleavened dough.  Look for recipes for "fry bread" or "fried bread" or "fried scones". But it has to be flat bread style.  Don't try to deep fry  a whole loaf.  :-)    

Many fry bread recipes don't even use a leavening agent, or only a very small amount, because the water in the dough boils when it hits the hot oil and creates steam pockets.  A thermometer is kind of important for deep frying, unless you have a dedicated "fryer" or frying machine with a built-in thermostat.

I kind of like fried bread on a cold winter day.

Bon appétit.