We've recently returned from a very enjoyable walking holiday in the Somerset Levels/Quantocks/Exmoor (South West England) - the weather was lovely the scenery was superb and the accommodation (B&B) was the best we've ever stayed in. The owner of the B&B was an ex-chef and the food was absolutely fantastic with such attention to detail. All the food was locally produced and it showed - except for the bread which was bought from where most people buy bread - a supermarket. Being used to sourdough, this 'commercially produced' bread was awful!! It was just like eating cardboard and tasted more or less the same. What a shame.
We returned home, took a loaf of my sourdough out of the freezer and both of us commented how nice it was. I am surprised more people don't bake their own bread as it is soooo much better.
Today I have produced a batch of my 'ordinary' white bread - actually it is 90% white and 10% rye at 70% hydration with just 1% salt and 3% olive oil. I made a 20% sponge the night before - left it overnight, mixed at 06.00 this morning, bulk fermented 3 hours, proved until about 85% done and baked seam-side up (for natural fissures i.e. no slashing) for 35 minutes. All achieved whilst I was doing other things so no real hardship whatsoever - and the result.......
...well see for yourselves
It's a bit of a balance for a B&B to do everything right... I've spoken to a few B&Bs that I know with regard to supplying bread, etc. but all declined - they either want sliced bread for their toasters (which they get from the supermarkets) or buy frozen rolls, etc. Very few want to make their own fresh each day.
Glad you did get some nice west country produce though!
-Gordon (in Devon)
to some degree anyway. While bread made in-house or purchased from a source like you would be better and thus would improve the overall guest experience, there's another key question from the business perspective. Would the improvement generate enough additional revenue to justify the additional effort of baking in-house or the additional cost of buying better bread? It's not really hard to see B&B owners thinking it would not.
that more people don't bake bread. I know more than a few people who cook fewer meals than they eat from restaurants, takeouts and the prepared foods sections in grocers. Some have even baked their own perfectly fine loaves but have decided that the difference isn't "worth it" within their respective priorities, at least no more than occasionally.
Majority of the comments I get when I mention I bake my own bread each day are along the lines of how they don't have the time/or how it must be so difficult (after the inevitable "oh you have a breadmaker do you...")
I think there is this preconception that making fresh bread is an arduous long procedure and even when I tell them it only takes a few minutes to weigh the ingredients etc and most of the time is waiting for it to rise etc they don't believe me!
I have had shop bread twice recently - once a roll from Morrisons fresh counter, eaten them before and always thought they were good but this was dry as anything.
Today we had burger rolls and again they were really dry.
Won't do that again in a hurry!
Karen x
Majority of the comments I get when I mention I bake my own bread each day are along the lines of how they don't have the time/or how it must be so difficult (after the inevitable "oh you have a breadmaker do you...")
I think there is this preconception that making fresh bread is an arduous long procedure and even when I tell them it only takes a few minutes to weigh the ingredients etc and most of the time is waiting for it to rise etc they don't believe me!
I have had shop bread twice recently - once a roll from Morrisons fresh counter, eaten them before and always thought they were good but this was dry as anything.
Today we had burger rolls and again they were really dry.
Won't do that again in a hurry!
Karen x
who buy bread at the grocery store. We know how easy it is, if a bit time consuming when twiddling our fingers,standing by and waiting for greatness to happen, to make a decent loaf of bread. Nothing ordinary with those loaves...They have to be tasty and satisfying. Well done and
Happy baking Aroma
yesterday I couldn't bear to 'discard' half my starter, which is on day 6 and beginning to smell good..... so I added it to a Wholegrain wheat flour bread mix, proofed it for 3 hours....etc.the result is what I wanted, it has a close texture, slightly chewy and FULL of flavour.