Topic: breadmakers AGAIN

[waggi]

ive just been looking at what people have been saying about bread makers and i just thought id tell you all what i make in mine

bread - and all sorts of bread related stuff
cakes
jam
stewing fruit for pies and stuff
dog biscuits
dog food

they are a very usefull tool

i get my flour from an organic flour mill somewhere in penrith - my husband does the pest control there and gets loads when he goes

[Doris_Pinks]

Waggi, I have a brand new breadmaker, have had it for a week and we are already a dress size larger!!  (just kidding!)  I love it, best purchase I have made in years, so haven't got around to trying anything exotic in it, still working my way through the basics! ;D  (Hot coss buns going in today ;D  ;D)

[aquilegia]

Last weekend I made my first baguettes in mine (well the dough!) They were absolutely yummy. We ate them warm out of the oven with so much filling bits kept dropping out (cheese, salad, advocado, pesto).

[derbex]

Want one.

 :'(

[Doris_Pinks]

Derbex, check out e-bay, they are often on there, mines the panasonic somthingorother with the nut  n seed dispenser, (researched it and it got top scores) got it on amazon after ringing around local shops who quoted me £99.00  :o saved meself £20.00!  8)    http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008WFDI/qid=1111673629/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_0/026-9190567-1369243

Aqui, could you be so kind as to share the baguette recipe, cos the one I tried just tasted like regular white bread, and I was looking for something more "french" tasting!
DP

[aquilegia]

Will do Doris. It was the one out of the recipe book that came with the machine. Mine's a panasonic too. Is it the same recipe you used? (I let mine rise for longer than it said in the recipe, as I forgot about the time whilst out gardening!)

[NattyEm]

I have a morphy richards one and I love it :)  Its the only gadget i've got that the novelty has never worn off.

[rosebud]

Wardy , i use organic flour and follow to the letter and it always seems very nice .  Possible there could be a fault with your breadmaker ask them to change it while it is still early days or they will find allsorts of excuses not to.  We love our one had it 2years Murphy Richards.

[derbex]

Got one  ;D





It's a Panasonic too, but no seed & nut dispenser  -£69 from Dyas & £5 off your next purchase.

Works well -nice crusty loaf not chewy at all. I've been using the Dove's Farm organic flour (whit & wholemeal) quantities from the breadmaker book but ingredients from the back of the packet, so no milk powder, less suger, olive oil &c.


Just one question -how do you cut fresh bread ???

Jeremy

[moonbells]

Hmm. Mine's not usually chewy unless my hubby's been experimenting again and has produced one of his mutie loaves!

Well ok, crusts are chewy but they're crusts whereas the middles are fluffy and airy and quite unlike the compressed bath sponge you get so often in supermarket bread these days.

I find the defining attribute to breadmaker bread is toast. It's just... different. Crispy on the outside rather than just hard.  I think it's the toast that is responsible for me being overweight again!

Oh - just thought. Make sure you have yeast which is specially formulated for bread machines and (importantly!) has added vitamin C (ascorbic acid).  If you put in normal yeast, which irritatingly is much cheaper and comes in large pots as against tiny sachets, it really doesn't rise properly.

We even had a duff batch of supermarket own-brand breadmaker yeast which after two loaves we decided was either old or inactive as loaves were 2/3 the size they ought to have been.  Went out and got more McDougalls breadmaker yeast and the loaves went back to being fluffy and we went back to becoming fatter.

moonbells

[derbex]

I got a  125g (4oz?) packet of Allinsons Easy Bake yeast for £1 or £2 from Budgens -they have it in Tescos too- at a teaspoon a time it's going to do at least 20 loaves maybe lots more. I think I've some sachets of the same stuff too.

It's just yeast & Vit. C. (+ rehydrating agent?)

Jeremy

[Rosyred]

I always use Sainsbury bread flour as I find the others not so good and Allinsons Easy Bake yeast which you can buy in Tesco 125g which is alot cheaper than little packets you just store it in the fridge but I bake a loaf everyday.

[moonbells]

(sorry a bit long)

Wardy - here's the Panasonic basic recipe for a medium loaf:

1/2 tsp yeast
400g flour
15g butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon milk powder
1 tsp salt
280ml water

The Panasonic book also handily says what effect these ingredients have:
sugar:   adds sweetness and flavour
             adds softness and fineness to texture
             Helps keeping qualities
             food for yeast     
fats:      tenderize the bread
             add flavour and richness
             help keeping qualities
             any can be used but they recommend butter
milk:      enhances flavour
             increases nutritional value
             don't use liquid milk on timer program else it may go off.
salt:      strengthens gluten structure and makes it stretchier
             inhibits yeast growth
             enhances flavour
             too much - yeast doesn't work well but too little and gluten structure is
             weak so both result in a loaf which is small and dense! Don't use coarse
             ground salt.

Maybe this will help you diagnose any problems.  I find my digital scales immensely useful, and since they've got a zero and add more function, we just park the whole tin on top and weigh stuff into it...  Even more usefully, 1ml of water weighs 1g so we would just weigh 280g of water for the above recipe with no peering at measuring jugs at nose height...

moonbells

ps my favourite is multiseeded white bread.  Gives me an excuse to grow loads of poppies and sunflowers on the plot !

[MikeB]

ive just been looking at what people have been saying about bread makers and i just thought id tell you all what i make in mine

bread - and all sorts of bread related stuff
cakes
jam
stewing fruit for pies and stuff
dog biscuits
dog food

they are a very usefull tool

i get my flour from an organic flour mill somewhere in penrith - my husband does the pest control there and gets loads when he goes

How do you make jam in a breadmaker? Also please the dog biscuit recipe. 

[moonbells]

Never mind jam!  Mine won't even make a decent loaf so Lord knows what the jam would be like  ;D  Made a white loaf last night and it'll need a chain saw to cut it.  Can't take it back to shop or husband will sulk  ;D

If it's not fit for purpose (ie it's not making edible bread!) then you are perfectly entitled to a refund under UK law.  Not sure if this holds for sulking husbands though. Doesn't work for mine!  ;D

Honestly, I'd take it back - after all, your hubby probably doesn't want you to have an expensive kitchen decoration that you can't use!

I'd take it back, together with one of your loaves to demonstrate.  Preferably to exchange for another (different?) one rather than let them repair it!

moonbells

[Bagpuss74]

Hi Wardy,

Can't recommend the panasonic SD253 enough.  £25 cheaper from Amazon than elsewhere.  We bought one on a recommendation from a friend, now my parents, in laws, brother in law and 2 more friends have bought one.  We get the plain white flour from lidl and any posh or fancy stuff from Caudwells mill, Rowsley.  Trouble is, you might need to take up digging to burn off the extra  ;)

[grawrc]

I have an LG which I got for NEctar points in Sainsburys about 6 years ago. It works like a charm, however if I get the quantities even slightly wrong or the yeast is slightly too old forget it. It's very unforgiving.

[mat]

We get the plain white flour from lidl

Hi Bagpuss
Are you saying the LIDL's plain flour is as good as bread flour, or do you modify the recipe?  I'd love to know, as I get a few bits from LIDL's and it would save me a bit of money...

mat

[mat]

My favourite recipe for my machine is a recipe book hotxbun recipe scaled up to be a medium sized loaf size.  I then modify the recipe - extra sultanas and mixed spice are added; amounts are not measured - just until it looks right to me - I like lots!  About 20 minutes before baking is complete, I quickly open the lid and brush apricot jam over the top.  Yummy... but doesn't last long, best eaten same day.

I need to buy a new one sometime, my kenwood had a bit of a design fault which I lived with, but...
mat

[Sparky]

Haven't been on site for a while before this week so sorry this is a bit of an old topic but thought I'd let you know about Doves Farm yeast.  Only about £1 from lakeland and lasts for weeks/months in fridge if bag is rolled down.  Has always worked really well for me and you can make loads of loaves form one packet (at least a couple of months supply making 2-3 loaves per week!)

Sparky