I just made the best loaf of bread that I've ever made in my whole life!
For so long now, I've wanted to be able to make bread, and feel happy with what came out of the oven, and in the past I was easily dissuaded.
This loaf is about the 4th one I've made - and only about the 7th one I've ever made in my life, and it - is - gorgeous!
I made a bit of a mistake - I was busy - and it got a bit overdone - but I took (I think Daisy_A's) advice and brushed it with "butter" (margerine) and covered it whilst it was cooling - I was expecting it to be like a rock, but no, it's got a beautiful dark crust that crisps and melts, and the inside is so beautifully soft, I can't believe it.
Am I getting too carried away by bread? haha I don't care, I love it!
It was a very simple recipe (if I can remember it - I just make it up, I don't weigh anything);
strong flour
milk
1 egg
small amount of olive oil
demerera sugar
salt
dried yeast
small amount of honey
I just mixed some warm milk and oil and honey in a pan, and poured it in to a bowl with the yeast, salt and sugar - I left it to bubble - took a while though.
I then mixed more flour in it, and left it alone again 'cos it didn't seem to be working, but apparently I was being impatient.
It rose nicely, I then mixed in more flour, until it was possible to knead it.
Kneaded it for about 10 minutes or less - left it alone until it had risen again - the rise didn't seem very big - again apparently I was being impatient.
The oven was on for a long time, and was very hot.
I went away - came back a bit later and thought I'd ruined it - let it cool down with the melted margerine on the top, I sprinkled some flour on the top for good luck, and covered it with the tea towel - came back just now 05:30 - I can't sleep -
and - it - was - gorgeous!
I put some margerine on and some of the honey - and bloody hell it was nice.
I am so very excited to try again soon - next time I wont keep it in for so long - I also want to try a half and half mix, where I bake one half upon the first rise - and then bake the second one after I've "punched" the air out of it then let it rise again, just to see if letting it rise a 2nd time is worth it - Jamie Oliver said it wasn't, but to be fair the recipe I tried from his book tasted s***e.
I've wanted to be good at making bread for so long, I can't believe that I'm getting good at it now, I'm over the moon :D
I can't tell you how happy I am about it!
:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Oh god, I have just imagined eating this bread with my home made chicken soup - which is - a chicken (haha) ginger, garlic, some veg like carrots, potatoes, cabbage, onions, and chilli peppers, salt and pepper............
I need to lye down :)
You know what it is? You all probably make far superior bread to mine, but I can't say how happy I am that I've reached this point - it's encouraging me to keep baking, the more I do it the more I love it.
I wish I could share it with you.
In the near future I'm going to make a video for the beginners so they can be encouraged too.
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I hope you took some pictures and don't forget a crumb shot, just for yourself. Of course we won't mind if you show us a piccy or two. :)
Go ahead and DANCE too!
I'm so happy about it :)
I nearly woke my partner up at 05:30 haha but she wouldn't have been too happy about it :)
She gave the load 10/10 but I gave it 7.5 of 8/10 because I have in my mind, a type of loaf that I want to achieve, and this one is close but not there yet - but honestly if this was the best loaf of bread that I could ever make in my life, and I'd never improve, I'd be happy with that, it's lovely.
Smile from here---------------------------------------------------------------------------to here!
:)
Good job, Craig !!
Well, my partner and I had some this afternoon and it wasn't a dream I'd had - the bread was fantastic!
I just tried toasting it and oh my god - it's the best toast I've ever had.
It just kind of evapourates in your mouth but the crust is crumbly and chewey (what's that? there's fighters on the wing?)
I photographed it before we scranned it; lookie!
Yes, this is my best yet :) WOW :)
x
AWSOME !! :)
Thanks Anna :)
It's my best ever :)
Chewey crust :)
hahaha
I missed this when you first posted it - it's gorgeous! Well done!
As someone who weighs everything to the last half a gram, I have a sneaking admiration for those who just toss their ingredients together :).
I don't have any scales :)
I don't have the money to buy any either.
I'm really happy with the bread.
Thanks J
Congrats on your success. It is truly a great feeling to produce a delectable bread.
The odds of replicating it (and even improving on it) would be enhanced by measuring ingredients and time periods and writing them down.
But if part of the pleasure for you is randomly achieving good results, forget formulas.
Glenn
I find that to be a bit offensive actually.
Try not to patronise me please.
Thank you.
I think you are looking for offense where none was intended nor was it offered. Careful measurement and noting what you do is basic to repeatable bakes. Unless you have scads of experience to back up your "feel", you are only hoping for some magical congruence to provide that wonderful loaf.
My earliest memories of my grandmother baking go back nearly 60 years. I was about 10, and she would have been in her early 80s. She grew up on a west Texas ranch, doing all those things a girl did back then (1880s), including baking bread, pies, and cakes for the family and ranch hands. Seventy years experience, and she still carefully measured each ingredient before mixing. (Flour was [i]always[/i] sifted, and scooped into measuring cups for consistency. The flour came from the 100# capacity bin under the kitchen counter.) Even though she had easily baked more than a thousand of each item, she still referred to her recipe before starting. Even the water for bread dough was pre-measured for what I'd call a sanity check; if you need a lot more or less than called for, you likely have a problem elsewhere.
You don't have to take notes or measure carefully, and there is a degree of happiness you can derive from serendipity. There is also the unhappiness that comes from screwing one up and you don't know why because you have nothing to refer back to.
If you take offense at being given good advice, even though you are a self-acknowledged baking neophyte, that's your fault, not the adviser's. If you feel you are being patronized, that, too, is on you.
Please lighten up; you are free to ignore all advice, including mine (though I wonder why you're here, if not to learn).
cheers,
gary
Gary
I enjoyed reading your memories of your grandmother, I would bet she made some amazing things - what knowledge that person must have had.
I also enjoyed your command of the English language - something dear to my heart - you managed to include 2 of my favourite words in the same message; "incongruous" and "serendipity".
The Exorcist
"Father Karas noticed how incongruous the braces now seemed on the possessed girl's teeth"
Taxi Driver
"There was a certain serendipity, where myself, Martin and Bob all came together and felt the same thing at the same time, and needed to express it" - Paul Schrader.
And you taught me a new word, "neophyte", except I don't think baking bread has much to do with Christianity - I like baking bread.
hehehe
In the near future I'll be taking notes - of course I will.
I just don't like people stating the obvious as it suggests to me that they think I'm too stupid to think of it myself.
I make a lot of social mistakes, I try to correct them as I go along.
All the best.
Craig
[quote]And you taught me a new word, "neophyte", except I don't think baking bread has much to do with Christianity - I like baking bread.[/quote]Neither does the word have anything to do with christianity other than being a self contained metaphor, i.e. new plant, usurped by the church.
# a plant that is found in an area where it had not been recorded previously
# newcomer: any new participant in some activity, and finally,
# catechumen: a new convert being taught the principles of Christianity by a catechist
cheers,
gary
A neophyte is a beginner.
In the context of Christianity, the term often refers to:
Neophyte may also refer to:
- Neophyte (botany), a plant species recently introduced to an area (in contrast to an archaeophyte, a long-established introduced species)
--------Those were my thoughts, too.
cheers,
gary
Intended only as friendly advice.
Glenn
One day I think I might get more technical about baking, one day I may bake so many varieties that I might need to start writing them down: this will help me to pass on anything I've learned to someone who would like to follow, of course.
For some reason, I think it's beginner's enthusiasm and enjoying the creative side of baking, the idea of reading a recipe and weighing it all out, leaves me feeling cold and like it's a chore - as it is, I can hoy some sugar and yeast in a bowl and enjoy making lovely bread and feel like it's spontaneous, more than mathematical (as much as I admire maths) - which further gives me confidence that it's me that's working it out, and that feels empowering. (at least encouraging).
None of this might make any sense to some people - I always tend to do everything "arse forwards" as well.
I just don't like people telling me something obvious that only a moron wouldn't already know - I'm not a moron.
------- but you wrote to me to be kind and to offer advice, so I thank you for that, if you'd been around I'd have loved to have given you some to try, and I'd have listened to how you would have improved it.
I gave it 7.5 out of 10 ish - it was extremely nice - but I have an idea of what I want, and I'm still getting there.
I probably will take notes in the near future, but have you personally not found that even when you're very precise with it, things can still go wrong or not work as well as you'd hoped?
I like to hit the ground running and see where I end up.
Craig--
Successful improvisation is a rush, whether in baking, music or whatever. I'm just not a good enough musician to improvise successfully very often.
I'm not much of a recipe follower in cooking. And I think I stayed away from baking until recently because I didn't like the exacting measurement part of it. But after baking for a while, now I believe that the science and the art go hand-in-hand. I like to be able to track my progress (and my errors) and understand what's behind it.
But you're right, you can follow a recipe to the letter and still fail if you don't have "the feel".
If my comment seemed unkind, I apologize. I would love to have tried your bread. I hope you are as happy (or even happier) with the next one.
Glenn
You tried to help me and I criticized you, I'm sorry.
It's an interesting comparison you make between improvisation in baking and in music, I AM a good enough musician to be able to improvise to anything - maybe it's part of my "character" that I want all things in my life to be like that - I probably want the illusion of control -
I do know why I'm so combative, don't take it personally - I'm working hard on trying to stop it and use diplomacy but I've still got a long way to go - I'm sorry I couldn't communicate with you in a positive manner this time, next time I will try harder.
I could start a fight in an empty house - but I'm trying really hard to change.
"You can take the man out of Newcastle..........................."
Measuring things is of course a great way to see where to go, I'm just enjoying the thrill of baking at the moment, I don't enjoy it as a science, I see it as magic :)
(this enjoyment gives me the motivation to keep trying, now that I'm getting good, I'll be taking it more seriously, and like you say, tweak things to see where things improve or get worse)
Yes - sharing bread - or anything I cook (I love cooking- especially with the herbs I grow) is something I love to do, I put some of my heart in to whatever I make, and I feel glad when someone else likes what I've done, it makes me feel a little bit less worthless than I did before.
I just enjoy giving people things, it makes me feel happy - and yes if you were about I'd have loved to have given you some - I love to see the whole baking process but a lot of the fun for me is to give what I've made to people.
I wish I'd tried it a bit earlier on, when it was still warm, it had cooled down a lot, but I had margerine and honey on it - and oh man, I'm not joking or exaggerating it was so nice I was delighted - and I'd been feeling so down that day, it really picked me up.
I think I might have "Bi Polar" disorder - I know for a fact I do have "OCD" and "Depression" - sometimes I'm not the full shilling - just throw some eggs at me or something.
:)
Thanks again for helping me, and also for talking to me after I was an arse.
Craig
We all have our days. A few days ago I was a meanie to GSnyde for not sharing a recipe sorry! =-)
CreigFromNewcastle, your loaf looks amazing, love, love the crust color. Thanks for sharing!
Hello Amori
I've got more important things to worry about.
I love how I make bread, I enjoy it and I'm getting better every time - I will probably start making records and keep notes in the near future - but I do want to keep the spontaneity, I don't care about all of the scientific methods that I see in here, not really, I ADMIRE THEM for being able to do it, but all I want to do is walk in the kitchen, throw some things in a bowl and end up with a gorgeous loaf of bread - and I've achieved it after only making 4 loaves.
The 5th will be the same or even better.
If I never improve again, I'll die happy with this loaf.
The crust was a complete accident - I suppose it's "indecent" to say why I left it cooking for so long, but I'm sure you can think of something.
:)
I went and looked in the oven and thought, "Oh no!!! I've ruined it!!!" because it only usually goes dark when I paint some milk on it, this had nothing on it at all.
When I got the loaf out, I put some margerine on it, to try to soften it, and covered it - and honestly it was bloody lovely - it was so hot that the crust started cracking with the margerine, and it was sizzling.
I thought I'd ruined it for sure - but no it was amazing.
And toasted!? Oh man - the nicest I've ever had, honestly - I'm VERY strict on myself and I mark myself down a lot, so I improve - but this was good!!
Like I say, I wish I could share it with you, that's some of the fun for me, to give it to people who enjoy it.
I know some people in here will not like my "gushing" unrestrained blog - it's passionate, it's over the top - it's embarrassing for them - but they can blog off - it's my blog and if they don't like it - remember my username and ignore me.
Innit?
For people like you who like to see what I do - you're so welcome, I love to show you.
:)