Bread making?

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

Soooo, it seems my assumptions have been wrong. i always thought making your own bread would be expensive? apparently not as its on the eat cheap bit. Is it really only 20p per loaf? and what things do you have to buy, ingredients wise, for normal plain bogstandard and CHEAP bread?? thankyou

[wiggletastic]

We use a breadmaker (bit of an outlay to start with but so easy to use, you just chuck the ingredients in and it does it all for you). TBH, I would have no idea how to make bread without one .

Basic loaf: yeast, flour, sugar, butter, milk powder, salt, water.

This probably seems like a lot of ingredients but the only one you are using a large amount of is flour which is reasonably inexpensive.

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

that all seems unscary lol. Do you find it cheaper than buying bread, can you tell im on a major economy drive!

[Bonneville]

I think it works out at more than 20p per loaf. I can get three loaves out of a 1.5kg bag of flour - then youve got your other ingredient costs as well - so maybe around 40p-50p per loaf. Will be cheaper if you can get flour in bulk somewhere though.

[Bonneville]

Its saved me a fortune - I was paying about £1.30 for a loaf.

[wiggletastic]

Its definitely cheaper even if you make 'fancy' bread with 'bits' in as they are even more expensive in the shops anyway and of course, you know exactly what has gone into your own bread. It doesn't keep as long as shop bread but you just make what you need.

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

yeah thats about what im doing at the moment, plus the benefits of having nice fresh bread i spose, the smell if nothing else.

Just gota convince DP to get a bread maker then!

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

thankyou

[zanz1bar]

this, its soooo easy

[zanz1bar]

Dam got the link wrong, sorry

Try youtube No-knead bread New York Times.

It is the easiest, cheapest and the best farmers market style bread you will ever eat.

[northernrefugee39]

We buy organic flour in bulk and make the dough in a breadmaker. It takes 40 mins, I set it up the night before, and then bake the rolls for breakfast while we're getting dressed.
YUM.
Wiggletastic, our breadmaker gives the bread a sort of ..breadmakery smell/taste? But if you use just for dough it's gorgeous
The only problem is that more gets eaten because we love it so much.

[herladyship]

like northernrefugee we make the dough in the breadmaker (chuck all ingredients in and switch on) then bake the dough in the oven, either rolls or in a silicone loaf tin (no greasing/no sticking)

couldn't be easier.. or yummier

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

this all sounds to yummy to be true. and advise on the breadmakers? or do they all do the same thing really?

[SoupDragon]

You do not need milk powder.

The Panasonic breadmaker with the nut/raisin dispenser is expensive but seems to be the one recommended most often. I got an old version from my parents for christmas and I've not bought a loaf od bread since. I've just started using it to make dough for pizza bases and also pitta bread too. Fabulous.

[wiggletastic]

Not tried the dough making in the breadmaker then baking in the oven but might give that a go. Do you just miss the milk powder out SoupDragon?

We have the panasonic but without the raisin dispenser. Time to upgrade maybe....

[SoupDragon]

Yes, just leave it out. the recipe booklet for the new Panasonic one doesn't have it as an ingredient at all. It also has lower sugar levels too.

[SoupDragon]

I left it out because I didn't have any and the only reason the booklet gave for including it was "to improve nutritional values" which I decided was nonsense.

[wiggletastic]

Hmmm.... interesting. How much less sugar? I will experiment next time.

Although I have just bought another big tub of powder which will be of no use for anything else. Waste of at least 80p there.

[SoupDragon]

The booklet I've got says 1 tablespoon I think, the new one says teaspoon.

[wiggletastic]

Thats quite a lot less, does it not affect the flavour? Still, less sugar will be much better for DD who is the reason we have started using ours again. I didn't want to give her shop stuff will all sorts of whatever in it.

[northernrefugee39]

We don't use milk powder either. Sometimes I just use a bit of milk and water.
We use honey instead of sugar. Olive oil instead of butter.

There's a gorgeous recipe for naan bread with our bread maker which uses yoghurt. Sometimes I shape this dough as rolls and their like ciabatta and delicious.

I find the thing to get used to with homemade is less salt; it shows up how much salt is in bought bread.

[northernrefugee39]

whoops
they're like ciabatta

[SoupDragon]

I was gradually reducing the sugar anyway before my friend mentioned that her booklet only said 1 teaspoon. We can't taste any difference whatsoever.

[wiggletastic]

Excellent, I am all for less sugar. Thanks.

[campion]

You don't need a breadmaker.Oven on 200c / Gas 6-7. 500g strong plain flour, sachet dried yeast,1 level tsp salt + dessertspoon olive oil if you like. Hand hot water - approx 200 mls but may take more. Mix flour,yeast, salt (and oil), add water to form softish dough. Turn out onto floured surface, knead 5 mins, shape ( rolls - any shape you like; larger loaves- either put in ( loaf) tins or just shape into bloomer, plait etc. Put on baking sheet, cover with teatowel or loose cling film and leave in warm place till nearly double size. Brush with beaten egg ( or not) and bake till golden brown 10+ mins for rolls, 20+ for loaves.Don't bake the cling film though.

It doesn't take long and you can add your own extras / variations - garlic and cheese / sun dried tomato and herbs/ nuts and raisins etc.

I have to do this inside 70 mins with 20 year 7's. It's a bit of a rush - and gets v hot! - but they love doing it. Breadmaking can be creative and fun and it seems a pity to leave it to a machine.

[SoupDragon]

No, you don't need one but they are fab. It's the leaving them to prove I always have problems with - nowhere to leave them and I tend to forget them.