Hello from Birmingham, UK (The west Midlands) Also knows as the Muddylands!
Just to say hi.
I am a returning exile from the land of commercial bread from supermarket shelves.
I gave up eating bread a couple of years ago, but I am now caring for my wife who likes her bread; (She doesn't seem to get any weight increase from eating whatever she likes!) As I can't find a decent shop-loaf without preservatives, I decided to make my own bread once more.
I can't knead these days as I have severe arthritis in my hands. So I bought a bread-machine. I am hoping that doesn't mean I won't be welcome here!
My cogs really are wobbly by the way. I have two artificial knees that click and clack, and occasionally clonk. They are fine, but I had to have grease nipples fitted to the sides of my knees, so the joints are always well lubricated. I tried bitter beer, as a lubricant, but although it did wonders for my general mood, it just made my cogs more wobbly!
Looking forward to some banter on the site.
Yours in baking
Wobbly
Another UK bod here - Scottish, but living down in Devonshire.
No issues with the bread-maker here - at least you get to chose your ingredients which is impossible with the store bought fluffy rubbish.
And you can let the machine do the hard work of the mix/knead and initial rise, then take it out, shape it as you like - e.g. into rolls, batons, etc. then bake in in your normal oven for something a bit different.
Cheers,
-Gordon
making your own bread at home, any way you can is way better than the stuff in the grocery. Bread machines are the perfect options for those who would struggle making bread by hand . It you want to get into making really breads that a machine can't normally do you can let it do all the hard work and then take out the dough shape it up and bake it in the oven. Lots of Fresh Lofians do that. Opps... I see Gordon already mentioned that. Sorry for the repeat.
Welcome and happy baking
PS Don't give up on the beer for a mood enhancer - just make sure that you don't have anywhere to go right away:-)
Thanks folks.
I am slowly coming to grips with the machine. (Panasonic) . My biggest problem is sourcing all the ingredients in one place. I hate making separate journeys just for a sachet of yeast for instance! Or am I being too picky? It seems I will have to buy my ingredients from a reliable source on line. Not difficult these days I suppose.
I have just started to make a tall cupboard for all the paraphernalia associated with baking bread, so it's time to start thinking about filling it up! There isn't a lot of room in my kitchen, so this is going to live in the utility!
Thanks again,
Yours in baking
Wobbly :)
Yeast in packets should last 6 months or more, so you can buy a box of sachets which will last a while. Slightly cheaper to buy in bulk though (e.g. the doves farm stuff) but keep the packet closed and dry. White flour should last a year and wholemeal 6 months. So you can stock-up on the basics with relative safety.
If shopping online, then Shipton Mill is where I get all my flour from, but Doves Farm is also popular - obviously it's a bit cheaper from the supermarkets if you just want generic produce rather than directly from a nice mill.
-Gordon
Thank you Gordon;
I am assuming I have the 'anagram' correct :)
My wife is a 'granary' bread fan, and I need to look out for granary flour I suppose. The problem is there are loads of wholemeal, malt-house, and strong brown flours in Allinson's range, for instance. It's a bit confusing as Allinsons don't seem to have a 'granary' flour. Something else I have to come to terms with.Ho! Ho!
I suppose I'll make a plain white to start with. I won't be eating it, but if it's a success, then Number One Son will no doubt use it up for his daily sandwiches! On the other hand, that might become a weekly order, for the 'expected' gratis fee!
Thanks again Gordon.
Wobbly (John)
'Granary" is a trademark of Hovis, so no-one else will sell 'granary' flour. Shipton Mills 3-malts and sunflower seeds is an excellent substitute though.
-Gordon
Thanks again Gordon.
That's cleared that up nicely. As long as I don't end up with a dry, loaf, as one can with 'brown bread'.
I am sure I can end up with a nice product. I managed it with beer brewing, (hence the lubrication attempts!) so here's hoping.
Chjeers
Wobbly
How about mixing some rye or spelt with white flour as an alternative to granary or brown? My local Waitrose has an interesting selection of flours that I've just started to explore. Tesco serves me well enough for the basics...
Bests,
Witty. (a bread novice from deepest, darkest Cambridgeshire)
That's an idea Witty. Quite a few years ago, when SWMBO was baking the daily loaf, she mixed bran with the white bread flour, to persuade the nippers to eat something different to white bread. Then lo and behold, some bread firm introduced 'Mighty-White'... :) End of the bran addition.
Wobbly
SWMBO. Never seen or heard but always feared. Haven't seen the show for years. Need to see if I can stream it online.
Paul
Hi Paul,
Actually, not a fan. Sorry! I watched the occasional episode, but never a real fan. The series is available on DVD at Amazon BTW; Only vaguely do I recall Rumpole using the SWMBO acronym.
I picked up the habit on a woodwork forum. Woodworking entails buying lots of expensive equipment. Hence SWMBO is very much pertinent! Her radar for Hermes and other van deliveries is ever operational, :) If you follow my drift.
Cheers
Wobbly
(John)
SWMBO sounds a lot like my tortoiseshell assistant... sorry, supervisor...
I'd forgotten about Mighty White... The parentals rarely bought sliced bread when I was growing up - we used to have a Polish-Jewish bakery nearby (used to live in the Big Smoke) that did fabulous ryes, challas, bloomers, poppy seed knot rolls, bagels etc, but it's long gone now.
I like white bread - especially a good Bloomer, but if there's a choice I tend to go for brown or something that's half & half. Goes better with the things I like to eat... ;-)