Topic: Bread makers

[chriscross1966]

My brother used to deliver flour for Clarkes..... Actually I'm interested in getting into  baking bread but living on my own I'd need a small method..... I'd only want a small wholemeal loaf every other day, plus something slightly poncier for the weekends

[Mrs Gumboot]

Going to give hand doing a try this week since I'm without machine and I'm a bit intrigued to see whether it does work out better after the last loaf. Have tried it before years ago and it was a disaster, but I think I'm a better cook now! However, I may yet be proved wrong  ::)

Will probably end up getting machine anyway as it's handy to do overnight / during the day when we're out and about but will also try using it for dough & doing the final rise & baking by hand as it were.

I do tend to just get the bog standard supermarket flour for ease of shopping. Where do you get yours from picman?

[Mr Smith]

Baking bread for the first time this week so I'm using one of the ready mixed flours, but rather than make a loaf I will be making barm cakes (baps) for my bacon butties this weekend, :)

[pumkinlover]

Barm cakes -not heard that since I went out with a lad from lancashire! any ideas how they got the name? :) Anne

[picman]

Mrs G , we do a big 30Kg mail order to the Wantage mill every 6 Months or so (cheaper that way), I guess that would be a little excessive for you, we bake a large loaf every two or three days, Home made bread does not keep much longer, lord knows what the 'factory' made loaves have in them to keep 'fresh' for a week. Some specialist food shops (in uk ) do keep stocks of wessex mill flour give them a call ( 01235 768991) they will perhaps give you a local supplier, expect to pay £2 ish a 1.5Kg , enjoy ! I can smell it from here !  

[OllieC]

Anyone dipping their toe in the water could do a lot worse than Sainsburys run of the mill  ::) strong white flour. About 70p for 1.5kg & great results every time. I know, not organic, not wholemeal, but very hard to mess up & infinitely better than any ready made bread you buy in the supermarket.

[Mrs Gumboot]

Cheers Picman, will add that to my already bulging list of people to ring  ;D

It's only once you start making stuff yourself that you realise how many preservatives must be stuffed into the ready made stuff you buy in the supermarket. At the moment we're getting through a loaf every couple of days, but then it's still a bit of a novelty to have nice fresh bread again. Once we get used to it production may slow a little  ;D

[galina]

In our breadmaker we have used Alinson's strong bread flour and the much cheaper Lidl's own bread flour.  All other ingredients being the same, the Lidl flour made a better, higher loaf, the Alinson's was denser.  Probably has less gluten in it and would have needed more yeast?

Now that the kitchen is cold in the mornings when the breadmachine is being started, it is better to use warm water.  There is supposedly a warming cycle before the mixing starts, but it isn't long enough to cope with the colder ingredients.  With slightly warm water our bread rises better in winter.

[Mr Smith]

Barm cakes -not heard that since I went out with a lad from lancashire! any ideas how they got the name? :) Anne

                  No idea how they got there name but you can't beat a bacon or chip barm cake, :)

[pumkinlover]

Definiably not!!!! :)

[Uncle Joshua]

I haven't made bread or done much else for that matter in well over a year but reading this thread has given me the urge to try to get the strong white out!

[pumkinlover]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barm_cake

[grannyjanny]

Oven bottoms ;D ;D ;D. A market stall in Knutsford used to sell them.

[pumkinlover]

Not heard that for a long time :D

anyone remember milk loaves?

[admjh1]

 ;DSainsburys still sell oven bottoms and milk roll yummy!!

[Jeannine]

Yes, milk rolls, I haven't done that for years and I know I still have the opening tins..off to play XX Jeannine

[qahtan]

 milk loaves............. qahtan

[Poppy Mole]

Lovely - I can smell them!

[saddad]

Barm cakes -not heard that since I went out with a lad from lancashire! any ideas how they got the name? :) Anne

I'm from Lancashire and have no idea where the name came from...  :-\

[rugbypost]

What a great forum I will cook the bacon nice thick slices I can smell the bread stomach is calling