October 4, 2012 - 12:57pm
Gather the angry mob
http://www.simplyhomemadebread.com/
Saw the ad a couple of days ago and said "give me a break". Watched the commercials last night that added insult to injury after seeing Alton Brown on Good Eats use tunafish cans and muffin batter to make "english muffins". Then to get me pissed even more in the scene that followed they used Thomas english muffins for the scene NOT the ones he cooked in his tins. As I complained to my wife this fleischmann's commercial came on and I boiled over.
If anyone can find the tv commercials please post. This is like dunkin-donuts and their artisan bagels.
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A lot of words come to mind but ridiculous is what keeps coming out!
.... getting baked an hour after mixing & shaping.
Anyone have an ingredient list from any of the products? I'm really curious how much more than flour, yeast & salt is in there - and what kind of chemistry degree you need to understand what the last few ingredients on such lists are.
Not to mention you can buy an awful lot of flour, yeast and salt for the $7-9/loaf this stuff seems to cost (on Amazon.com, anyway).
The ONLY saving grace for such products MIGHT be that it may turn more folks on to REALLY baking REAL bread - maaaaaaybe. And such folks would be better off even starting with five-minute-a-day to avoid all the chemicals and know what goes into the bread.
Ingredients (source link):
Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, vegetable oils (canola and soybean oils), contains 2% or less of sodium caseinate (a milk derivative), salt, active dry yeast, sorbitan monostearate, ascorbic acid, vital wheat gluten, wheat starch, azodicarbonamide, datem, mono- and diglycerides, enzymes. Contains statement: milk and wheat.
You might as well make your own bread mix.
.... both the ingredient list AND your much easier to identify alternative.
Edited to add: and another of the usual suspect signs of marketing over reality - the first ingredient in the "Stoneground Wheat Bread" mix? ENRICHED FLOUR (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID)
any person could use this method to fulfil all the requirements to make real 'artisan' bread - made by hand, fired in a wood fired oven, no machines of any kind ..... except for the one final requirement that says the product has to be recognized by other artisan baker peers as the best of its kind, approching a work of art :-)
Still, only missing a couple of the 'artisan' requirements is pretty good for non bread company marketing their country bread in a box for less than $10 a loaf - and moving yeast that my apprentice won't buy. maybe home SD and YW bakers are crimping their sales? Just think how good it would be if kneaded it by hand for 1 minute. You could still finish in an hour.
I'm guessing they are using their new 'Pizza Crust Yeast' that you mix in and poof, 30 minutes later from start to finish, if your oven is preheated, you can be eating a slice of pizza made fresh at home. On the package of that yeast it says not to use it for bread for some reason- they don't explain why though.
Wonder what would happen if you put this in a bread machine?
But made as they show it is a lot less; complicated, time consuming and expensive (considering the cost of a ZO) I would think for similar bread that isn't, pale on top, a square or funny rectangle with holes in the bottom of it. This might put bread machines out of business :-)
Getting angry at a company selling a mix for making homemade (not artisan) bread that is intended for people who might never otherwise even try to make bread is like making fun of the ads for Hamburger Helper. I happen to think Hamburger Helper is pretty poor food, but for working mothers it's better than picking up a bag of fast food on the way home from work every day. It's not homemade soup, but it's a step in the right direction. Same with the bread mix. It's not for the likes of us and doesn't claim to be artisan, and therefore there can be no insult to us. *smile*
You are wise and nice - a good combo MC :-)
Im not mad at the company for making a product. I sell at farmers markets because there is a customer base who wants my bread. When I first saw the ad in a magazine it didnt phase me much. When I saw the commercial is when it really upset me. I wish I could find the commercial and post a link. It was a slap in the face for bakers all around.
Stepping out on a limb here, since I haven't seen the television commercial, is it the case that your are upset because your customer base is being told they can replace your services with a bag of mix? Either one of two things is true. Either they cannot, in which case they will be back after trying the mix, or they can. For your sake I hope it is the former case, but if it is the latter case I don't know what to say except to extend my sympathy and suggest you experiment to find out what would make your services come into demand again. In the worst case, that might actually involve trying the mixes. Knowing your competition is a part of succeeding. However, my guess is you won't lose many, if any, customers. People who are buying bread at farmer's markets are usually not into making it themselves, if my in-laws are any indication.
Saw this forum topic and I guess I don't see what all the fuss is about...of course, I do see how a serious hobbiest bread baker would find the product 'inferior' but can't see that it would be 'infuriating'!?!
In any case, I think I found the commercial you write about: http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7Yg4/fleischmanns-country-white-bread-not-possible
I actually the think the product could be one way to introduce a curious cook to yeast bread baking. I started out with Bob's Red Mill mixes which can't be much different and have progressed rather dramatically from that point. I never would have tried Bob's Red Mill products without their marketing promotions either.
Just my 2 cents! J.
Yep, that was the short version. The longer one was what really got to me. I agree with that its a good way to get people baking that wouldnt otherwise. Im over it now, life goes on. I'm actually considering buying one to try it. That way I could answer questions someone might have.
God smites those with purist attitudes, and it's kind of a joy to see - then you realize that he smites just about everybody else too. God's kind of an equal opportunity smiter.
Just want everyone to be careful about muttering stilted feelings about things that they should resolve to have more humble and understanding attitudes toward. Lest they be smited...,
Wathcing out over the unsmitten,
Wild-Yeast
...how about... instant bread
If it allows newbies to jump over their shadow, why not? Different strokes for different folks.
I just get frustrated thinking about how to get a longer "wet time" on the dough... (deep mad scientist laugh) I also feel the urge to wet knead it for just a minute or two. Maybe try ice cold water instead of hot. (another deep hardy laugh) I think the additional enzymes make it p-r-e-t-t-y sticky. It's like falling apart before your very eyes. Reminds me of a post Andy commented on... the one with the fast flour with speedy blended-in ingredients and no bulk rise. I think the loaf would look better in a form. Square glass?
The loaf looks like a stollen... esp. with flour on top. Must be my inner voice telling me it's stollen baking time again... :)
If people think that bread looks appetizing than let them buy it. I find it hard to believe it would taste very good with such a short rise and no kneading.
I would consider it a failure if my bread turned out like that and make bread crumbs out of it.
Just saying...