Posted: Tue Mar 24, 09 10:26 pm Post subject: What breads are you making at the moment ?
Do you always make the same bread recipe, or do you make different kinds of loaves, and experiment with different flours / methods ?
What bread's been baking in your oven recently ?
I've just departed from my standard wholemeal tin loaf and done Andrew Whitley's 'overnight sponge' rolls.
Trying to make a sourdough starter at the moment too - rye flour and water, in the fermentation chamber for 3-4 days - it's not visibly fermenting yet !
gz
Joined: 23 Jan 2009 Posts: 8918 Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
Posted: Tue Mar 24, 09 10:36 pm Post subject:
I've changed from a mix of 2 Wholemeal:1 White to using Granary instead of the Wholemeal. Far more interesting!!
I tried Wholemeal Spelt instead of the ordinary Wholemeal bread flour.
Quite nice taste, interesting texture- finer and moister but not soggy.
It rose differently. I caught it before it went ploofy (A very descriptive Chezword!)
I am using a starter, fed every time, but I still use yeast-although half as much. It really improves the taste and texture of the bread, without being obviously sourdough (I like sourdough, the rest don't!!)
I'm a philistine, I like white I sometimes fancy something chewier and diversify, but my regular loaf is white, no oil or fat, just flour, salt, yeast and water.
I've been an occasional breadmaker, but am now trying to bake all my own, so still trying to find something that works consistently for me, both recipe and method.
The last experiment loaf I made was half rye, half wholemeal. Given past rye housebricks, I was amazed it rose at all. Bit dense and chewy : one slice is substantial.
boisdevie1
Joined: 11 Aug 2006 Posts: 3897 Location: Lancaster
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 09 6:53 am Post subject:
90 percent of the time it's bog ordinary white bread here. Sometimes when I feel more energetic I'll do a white/wholemeal mix or something unusual like cheese bread, onion bread, etc.
I've recently changed to doing one white and one granary and varying the way I do them more. Each week I change the way I do the white loaf and if that works that becomes the way I do the granary next time and so on. Eventually I'll get the hang of this bread stuff.
We don't buy bread anymore.
I bake two 100% sourdough rye breads at a time. They last us about two weeks. I add soaked whole wheat and barley as well as sunflower seeds for a bit of extra flavour and texture.
Once a week I bake a sourdough wheat bread with added oates, sunflower seeds and apple, - sometime raisins. This might last us 5 days if we are lucky. It tastes too good
I keep my sourdoughs in the fridge between baking and so far they have lasted for about 18 months.
Alternating our bog-standard malted wholegrain with a white loaf and the occasional fruit-spice bread at the moment.
judith
Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 22789 Location: Montgomeryshire
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 09 10:34 am Post subject:
My current favourite is a rich cheesy, eggy bread (largely to help deal with the current egg glut). I use a standard white bread recipe, add about 100 g of mature cheddar to the flour (saving a bit to sprinkle on top), and bung in 2 or 3 eggs per lb of flour, decreasing the water accordingly.
Almost a meal in itself and great with soup.
AnnaD
Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 2777 Location: Edinburgh
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 09 10:38 am Post subject:
I'm very unadventurous and stick with Delia's recipes for white or brown bread. I haven't made bread in ages but keep meaning to start again. When I do I'll try some more interesting recipes.
Always make our own which varies according to available flours - like to make at least one savoury loaf with the dough - garlic and rosemary, fenugreek and cardamon, cheese and onion, any any other combo that takes my fancy...
judith
Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 22789 Location: Montgomeryshire
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 09 11:23 am Post subject:
Ooh, another recent one was a foccacia-like flatbread sprinkled with zaa'tar (is that apostrophe in the right place?) for eating with a chicken tagine. That was really delish.
nats
Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 2374 Location: Swindon but not a Swindonian
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 09 12:48 pm Post subject:
gz wrote:
I've changed from a mix of 2 Wholemeal:1 White to using Granary instead of the Wholemeal. Far more interesting!!
I tried Wholemeal Spelt instead of the ordinary Wholemeal bread flour.
Quite nice taste, interesting texture- finer and moister but not soggy.
It rose differently. I caught it before it went ploofy (A very descriptive Chezword!)
I am using a starter, fed every time, but I still use yeast-although half as much. It really improves the taste and texture of the bread, without being obviously sourdough (I like sourdough, the rest don't!!)
How would you start that starter? I had a sourdough starter once and although I liked it the family didn't so I'd be interested in doing the half and half trick..... step by step method would be wonderful since I'm generally thick!
gz
Joined: 23 Jan 2009 Posts: 8918 Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 09 8:53 pm Post subject:
I think I just kept 200gm of dough back (lent the book out, will check when it returns)
Each time now I add half to the dough when mixed, before kneading, and add 200g flour and about 100g water to the other half- knead it together, flour it and back it goes in its icecream tub in the larder.
I warm it up before using it, either on a slightly warm radiator or sunny widowsill.
Initially I just kept back 200g of each mix when dividing for the tins, but as I'm varying the breads I make I do as above.
I sometimes fancy something chewier and diversify, but my 
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