Anyone else started baking bread for the first time?

[AudTheDeepMinded]

Hello fellow inmates! I've tried baking bread before and never had much success. I bought a bread maker last week and think I've cracked it on the second loaf today, bloody gorgeous (alright, I know it is just sticking in the right ingredients in the right order but I feel a great sense of accomplishment nonetheless!). How's yours going? and has anyone a good recipe for decent pizza dough?

I 've made a few loaves of soda bread, using white flour as it's all I have. It's turned out well and I might try to be a bit more adventurous when this is over.

Yes. I have. I've been making soda bread for years but have now moved on to yeast bread. I'm finding it a good distraction and have had no disasters yet.

Lots of people have I reckon (and cakes) by looking at the empty shelves that held flour in my supermarket!

Did a bread-making course quite a lot of years ago now, and am contemplating experimenting with the spelt flour I grabbed in the supermarket (it was all they had left). I like baking bread - also it’s soothing - but just never find time. Now’s probably the time!

Yes shelves stripped bare here. Hope they bother as hate to think of all that flour and yeast going to waste.

Funny you should post this as have our first attempt in the bread maker right now. Smells lovely but looks quite small still.

I love baking bread. If you want a super easy recipe, have you tried any of the no knead recipes? I have had a lot of luck with the recipes on these websites:
www.jennycancook.com/recipe/breads-muffins/
www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes

not first attempt as we used to make bread years ago - life got in the way. In self isolation due to having had a temperature last weekend so using up what we have in -made a lovely multiseed yesterday and a plain white loaf today - I tend to just make the dough in the breadmaker and then pop into a loaf tin to prove for 2nd time then bake in proper oven. Yum yum

I wanted to, but cannot buy yeast anywhere :-(

I've tried to buy a breadmaker but can't find one anywhere, and none of the supermarkets have yeast or strong white flour. Luckily, DH is a dab hand at making soda bread and we have the ingredients for that, so he makes it every weekend.

We did our first attempt today from BBC good food recipe. It looks pretty good although could have done with a wee bit longer in the over as the middle was a teeny bit doughy. Still yummy though!

By the lack of bread flour in the supermarket - everyone is!

We always have yeast and strong bread flour in the house as DH makes great pizzas. We ran out of bread yesterday so I made a standard white loaf but the gannets in my house had polished most of it off by breakfast today.

Made another this afternoon which was 25% spelt, which was also very tasty. Hoping it does us for tomorrow as I'm now pretty much out of flour until (fingers crossed) grocery delivery comes on Friday.

I've mixed up a sourdough starter too today, for when I run out of yeast.

I’ve made bread before, but never been very successful (poor kneading technique) and mostly stuck to pizza bases. However I think I’ve finally cracked it and found a method that works, my loaf today was amazing! I’ll be gutted if there’s no flour in the shops, it’s my meditation and I feel so relaxed after kneading.

I have made bread in the past
Its so gorgeous
But... Its so nice I eat the lot with butter in no time
Good in the mouth
Not good on the hips

Every time I make bread it is doughy in the middle. How can I change that?

Also can I knead bread in a blender?

Bread goes mouldy whether it's home baked or shop bought, you do realise this?

@Curlygirly are you lifting the lid to look? It won’t work if you do that!!

I’ve baked my own bread for years. I’m pained I can’t get any flour at the moment I really hope stock comes back soon.

It has a window so I can see without opening lid. Have to say it was a complete disaster...much to everyone's amusement! Followed recipe that came with it too.

We used to make bread at the weekends, but put our breadmaker away due to the fact we'd just polish off a loaf at one go

Had thought we could get it out again this week, but no yeast nor packs of breadmix even to be found, and we've had no trouble buying sliced loaves in the shops, so looks like we'll have to put it on hold for a while.

I make sourdough - doesn't need yeast, lasts longer than yeasted bread and is utterly delicious

Yes, you need to get on the sourdough, if you're going to strip the shelves of flour you may as well make it worthwhile!

Here's one I made earlier.

Could somebody post their sourdough recipe please. The recipes in my bread making book need both a sourdough starter and dry yeast, too! I am rapidly running out of yeast :(

Another one who would love a good sour dough starter recipe please..it all looks so complicated..