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Or not as often as I should. The damned stuff has half gone before you put the pans away!!

Looks delicious Tim !! Is this your own home  made bread !
:D

Organic wholemeal to boot!

Normally I do only one loaf, if we get short, but it's gone 30 mins later with nothing to show for it. So this time I thought I'd get ahead of myself.

Bless the AGA!

you and your AGA making us all jealous!

I try and make two, i do one in the machine as dough take it out for rolls then put another one in as a loaf.  Put the rolls in the freezer before anyone munches them, and use the loaf for that day/next day/next half hour!

Yup  - know the feeling!  Couple of weekends ago, thought I'd pull a fast one on the kids, and not set the bread maker going until 10.00pm.  I stayed up until 1.30am, to get the bread out - so it'd be nice and crisp for breakfast.

B....r me if two of them didn't get up at 2.00 am and pig out on it!  Anybody'd think they were starved!

"Aw Dad, the smell woke us up and made us hungry."

AND the little sods know which recipes they like best,which flour mixtures work for them ------ I've got my bread-making timetable worked out for weeks ahead :(

All best - Gavin


PS I am a grumpy old sod - I'd really worry if they were waking up at that time in the morning and doing midnight raids on chocolate and the like.

PPS When it's so simple, why can't they do it themselves?

Wow Tim that is clever !  I would not know where to start to make bread .. ??? :o

Gavin - thanks for your support!

Marianne - if you haven't done it, the feel of pulling dough is a must - & such wonderful exercise?

Nothing clever - just read the blurb! And be PATIENT!

Hi Tim,

The Blurb  ;D ;)  You mean the recipe  ??? ;D

Will have a look, Thanks.

Psssst - Marianne!  Don' t tell Tim (I'm jealous of his Aga :) ), whatever else you do, but there's an even easier way.  Get a bread maker, chuck the stuff in, push a button ----- and it's all done for you.

Hey, but it is so satisfying to get stuck in and do it the way it's meant to be - kneading dough by hand is a wonderfully therapeutic exercise.  And the smells!

And the taste - hoi, where's that loaf gone :o  -- go on have a go!  Try a few times, until you get a feel for it - I remember my first loaves were like firebricks.

All best - Gavin

And let us know how you get on?

Hi Kevin,

Well I will have a go at making bread.  I agree it must be so satisfying to know you can eat something you have made with your own hands and sweat !  ;D

Will have the camera handy when the bricks come out of the oven  ;D

P.S. I do not own an AGA.

You have all just got me going back in time.

I was a baker for quite a few years and the smell of the yeast and the dough and then finally the bread. As it has been mentioned these smells are really nice.

Its nice to nw that you are making time to bake bread as making bread is time consuming (done the proper way, not in a bread maker).

It is also a shame that the small bakeries have been forced out by the instore bakeries, because the different shops all had their different ways and recipes.

Nice post Tim, thanks ;D

Ron

I know that machines are a boon to some but:
1. We have nowhere to keep one - except in the barn.
2. They save labour but, I believe, only do a small loaf at a time?
3. By hand, 5x1lb loaves (or equivalent) at a cost of 5 mins exercise.
4. Machine mixes contain 'improvers' or preservatives? Maybe not harmful, but I prefer not.
5. Machines can't do rolls, cottage loaves, pittas, baguettes etc?

Great for many, but not this boy!

Tim

I agree with you on the subject of kitchen machinery!  The other thing with bread makers, food mixers and the like is that you have to wash the buggers up later.  To me, that's always a worse chore than washing the one bowl.  And the infernal racket!

I don't eat gluten, so don't make "ordinary" bread, but now and then I use a gluten-free packet mix from Sainso's and add herbs, chopped nuts, seeds, sun-dried toms etc.  That's very tasty... fresh out of the oven with plenty of butter.  ;D

I also love pancakes, and its the same there.  Can never be bothered to get the mixer out, always make the batter by hand (with gluten-free flour of course). 

Your loaves, incidentally, look scrummy and I'm sure I would find it torture to smell them baking - I do so miss normal bread (and pizza bases, cakes and biccies!).  BUT, the GF diet helps a lot with my skin (psoriasis), so my main sources of carbs are rice, spuds, beans and pulses.  I like these foods too, so its no great hardship.  :)

Charlotte, my son has a friend who is on a wheat free diet and I make bread for him in my breadmaker.  It is so easy, I only have to wash the pan and that hardly at all as the bread leaves it clean.  It is quiet too, nothing like a food processor which I imagine you are thinking of so don't rule out a breadmaker completely, find a friend with one and ask them to make you some bread to try.  The smell is so wonderful when it is cooking, or to wake up to in the morning if you have a timer on it which most of them do.

I am a bread maker convert! Have had mine about a month now, it is quiet and you can make your loaves  medium, large or XL! I make my dough for the rolls, baguettes etc. in it, then just shape as per usual and leave for the final rise and bake. I don't use packet mix , but use organic flour, yeast , etc. as per a handmade loaf!
I think the washing up is actually easier as the non-stick coating of the pan makes it easier to clean than a bowl.
I agree with the storage of the darn thing, but with me using it almost daily, (children have packed lunch) it unfortunately sits out on the worktop. (I say unfortunately cos I hate cluttered worksurfaces in the kitchen, and I have very little counterspace anyhow!)
But I am a definate convert, last loaf I made was sundried tomato and basil and it was fabulous, tomorrow we are have 14 friends over for a barbeque, and I will make french loaves in the morning, well the machine will! ;D  ;D

Tulippa

OK, you've almost got me convinced.  Shop-bought GF bread is also hugely expensive, so buying a bread-maker would seem to make economic sense at the very least.  I'm also sure I could make a better GF loaf than some of the shop-bought ones I've tried!!! :P

I like the idea of finding a friend to bake for me!  That would be very good.   ;D  Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who bakes, apart from my future MIL who lives a long way away.   :(   Normally its a good thing when your MIL lives far away I suppose  ;)  but actually she's an excellent cook and whenever they visit I get some gluten-free treat (cheese straws, fruit cake, the list goes on), so I wish she lived nearer!

Doris, just read your post.  I don't think that GF bread rises well-enough to make big loaves.  Could be wrong though.  It has been known.  Those aubergine seed you sent me have all germinated by the way and are doing well  :).  By coincidence MIL & co had half of them and theirs have all germinated too (I heard today). So thanks once again!

Know the feeling Tim ;D

Except for me, it's when I've made a Tunisian orange & almond drizzle cake (Sophie Grigson)

Mother, Sister, kids and me devoured 3/4 before the cake had been out of the oven for an hour!!

Debs

I've made loaves in my machine with spelt and chickpea flour which I wouldn't have had the time to do by hand, especially spelt since it really does need two if not three provings.

Tim:
1. We have nowhere to keep one - except in the barn.

Mine is used a few times a week, so it lives tucked away but on the worktop.
2. They save labour but, I believe, only do a small loaf at a time?
Yes only a small loaf, but enough for a meal or two so since its so easy just have fresh bread every day!
3. By hand, 5x1lb loaves (or equivalent) at a cost of 5 mins exercise.
Its not just the exercise, it's the time being around at certain times for the correct proving and knocking back.
4. Machine mixes contain 'improvers' or preservatives? Maybe not harmful, but I prefer not.
I don't use machine mixes.  Never have.  Same improvers and preservatives you get in shop bought bread - so kind of defeats the object doesn't it!  I use all sorts of flour, mostly organic.
5. Machines can't do rolls, cottage loaves, pittas, baguettes etc?
They do the dough though, then its easy to take the dough and make your rolls or whatever.

My machine is a bit on the small side though, it would be handy to do enough rools so I can stick them all in the freezer without having to run the machine twice.  But then, I wouldn't have enough room for them to all sit and prove anyway :)

Agreed - better (much) to make bread the real way, with real yeast.  Possibly tastes better cos I enjoyed making it so much more ???

But I'm with nattyem - the only "improved" product that goes into my breadmaker is the dried yeast;  otherwise, it's the organic flours etc I'd use for handmaking.

No dried milk - I think it's in all the recipes only to improve keeping (well, that's a complete waste :) :) :) !)

It IS very handy not to be tied to the bread-making for three hours, if you've got 3-4 kids around!

And so handy for making the dough for all sorts of breads, rolls, whatever.  Pitta bread'll never be the same after fresh made.

Problem - it only makes one loaf at a time, but it is a good big one!

All best - Gavin


PS Washing up?   Ummm - what's that? 

A quick wipe of the pan is all it ever gets - no scraping dried dough off the table, sweeping "misplaced" flour off the floor, preparing/cleaning baking tins, washing up bowls/weighing pans/utensils.  OK, I'm mucky when I hand-make bread - but it's only getting into the spirit of things.

You can make the dough for rolls etc. in the breadmaker - I do it frequently and adding stuff like Sun dried toms, thyme,etc...
Also make pizza base dough in mine.

And  naan bread, Gavin?

Tesco will give you free fresh yeast if you ask at the bakery counter...

Some do!

Tim - yes also naan. (although I must admit I haven't made it yet!)

I will never eat shop bought or takeaway pizza again - the machine's dough is devine. Also foccacia, french sticks, ciabatta rolls...

I love my bread maker. Use it every day. One small loaf is enough to make four rounds of thick sandwiches, with crusts left over for toast and jam... enough for one day for the two of us.

I never have time for making bread by hand (only managed it a few times in the winter!) I normally hate gadgets!

ooo and lovely brioche. mmmmm...brioche......

might have to go put some broche on for tomorrows breakfast now :)

Got my wholemal kneading itself downstairs as I type!
The naan bread works brilliantly, must try pittas.
My next new recipe to try is raisin bread, wonder if I have any raisins lurking! :-\

Natty - brioche? I don't remember seeing that in my recipe book. What's the recipe?

looooove brioche.

well theres two different recipes I've used one is:

(for 1.5lb loaf)
3 floz water
3 eggs
3.5oz butter (must be softened to room temp not melted)
1.5tbsp sugar
.75 tsp salt
1lb2oz flour
2.25tsp yeast

set for white bread medium crust.

That is nice but the recipe I prefer isn't actaully called brioche, but its a similar bread:

Portuguese Sweet Bread

3 eggs
4floz milk
3tbsp butter
4.5tbsp sugar
.75tsp salt
1.5tsp vanilla
1tbsp grated lemon peel ( think i left this out last time i made it as I had no lemons!)
.75tsp grated nutmeg
1lb2oz flour
2.25tsp yeast

set on white bread light crust.  Its important to set for light crust (if you can) as the fairly high sugar means it burns really easily on the outside.

THanks! I'll give the first one a try. (we don't eat much sugar!)

And cheese brioche is also delicious.
Made it with cheddar and it all went before it had cooled down. Must try it with Roquefort â€" but that might be just plain dangerous!!
Sarah.

QuoteAnd  naan bread, Gavin?

Why not!

I don't - but that's only because I remember so well the taste of fresh-baked naan straight from the Yemeni tanoor oven --- a huge clay pot, fired by wood;  the bread dough gets "slapped" to the inside of the pot.  Aaaah, now that's bread :)

They had another bread in Yemen - soldier's bread, it was called; the cheap (authentic) version was made with (iirc) 12 different flours - sorghum, millet, wheat, barley and various bean flours.  Solid as a rock but lovely stuff!

All best - Gavin 

All this talk is making me so hungry!  Like you Gavin,  I really miss the bread from Oman and Qatar, there is nothing like it here.

I made bread (by hand) for the first time in ages over Easter with daughter, Eleanor (8) mine was like a house brick and hers looked like it had been bought in a shop, I don't think I'll ever live it down.  OH bought me a bread maker for Christmas a couple of years ago, my only complaint is the dough hook ends up embedded in the bottom of the loaf, does everyones or is this a unique peculiarity of my machine or, more worryingly, me ! :)

Mine occasionaly does, but I just dig it out when cool! made raisin bread today, smells delicious, had to dig out the paddle thingy, but it didn't make too much of a hole ;D

Our paddle always gets stuck, doesnt make too much of a hole though.

All this talk of bread!  Number one son and I could and probably would, live on bread, but so bad for the waistline!

My dough blade had only once got stuck (touch wood!)

Had my first bread disaster on Tuesday. Got in and Mr Aqui had already taken the bread out (as he'd got home first). It had risen, but the collapsed. I was looking for someone to blame when I found half the flour still on the scales. (it was a loaf that combines white and wholemeal flour).

Oops - I weighed it out carefully in the early morning. but then just left it!

oops ;D

did you try the brioche yet?

Em - not yet. Might give it a go this weekend (as long as I remember to get some eggs!) I try to save special bread for the weekend and try to be healthy by having wholemeal during the week.

Maybe we should ask Dan for a spot on the Recipes4All site that we can post our favorite bread machine and regular bread recipes?  (I made Foccacia today, was yummy with homemade chicken soup!)

I ws reading this with great interest ... hand made bread is great but for me the time element defeats me .. So rather than go without , I now have a breadmaker, and the only problem is the time to make enough ..like said before it disappears before it has been around for long :)

Tim I am a great Yeast fan.

It is of the brewers type though. I used to mash ale and the yeast used to impart a very uniqe taste to the final brew. I miss the days of the bottle conditioned beers with the sediment at the bottom. You can reactivate that and grow your own proffesional brewers yeast. Thats what I used to do :D It makes a real difference to the ale!

Anyway back to bread. I love bread especially home baked. The thing that is stopping me is nothing. It is just the scosiaty we live in now it is all convenience and time saving stuff. Life is guvened by time, money, and business and fast fatty festering food from takeaways and burger places. OK people work all week but hey I work as well but I still cook ma tea for me and my parents (mum and dad). I dont find it a chore I quite enjoy it. WE eat healthly. Plenty of greens and salad! Cannot beat it! I also like chips :D

Hey Tim cut a long story short Good loaf and keep up the good work. If we get into a crisis you will not be short of bread. Not need to go down to ya supermarket and fight for the last loaf LOL :D

Yes - we used to make our own beer. Trouble was, folk learnt about it & drank us out of house & home!

My mum has a breadmaker but lost the paddle for kneading the bread- i think she must of thrown it out by accident :-\. But a new one costs about 40 quid!!! :o So no more home baked bread :(

A friend of a friend has just set up a part time business baking bread just a few local deliveries at the moment but he is going to be selling at the Peckham Farmers market soon He uses fruit and beer as a leaven - anyway we got our first delivery yesterday and had some with lunch today. The girls both thought it was the best bread that they had tasted (better than my own home made bricks) and Rachel, having seen Tim's post earlier, thought Tim had made it especially for us ;D

Hi NattyEm,
                  On my first attempts at bread making using the Prima bread maker I had the same problem but got wise to the fact that once the kneeding cycle is done you don't need the paddle. ;)

So what I do now is, at the end of the kneeding cycle I remove the paddle and coat the container with a film of olive oil(so that the bread does not adhere to the sides)put the dough back in and replace the container in the machine. ;D

PS:- If you want a sesame seed coating on your bread put some seed in a plastic bowl wet your hands and slap the dough about in your hands then dunk the dough into the seeds until the dough has been covered in seed.
You do this at the same time as reomval of the paddle, it gives an authentic look to your bread. ;D

                                                       PREMTAL

i make my own bread, mostly totally by hand but if i don't have time (its not the 5 minutes kneading but also the clearing up!) then i bung the stuff in the breadmaker for it to knead then prove and bake as normal in the oven.

lazy but effective!