Who makes their own bread?

[Grumpetvoluntary]

I'm fed up of buying supermarket bread in plastic packaging. It is so packed with sugar that it never seems to go off which unnerves me!

I want to start making my own bread but don't have a huge amount of time to spend on it (I have a boisterous 2 year old and am frontline nhs and will be spending a lot of the next few months working overtime delivering COVID vaccines). Please tell me how you make yours and does it require a fancy machine?

I know this sounds trivial given current circumstances but I really am determined to be less reliant on pre-made Frankenstein products and there is no bakers nearby (we have just moved to a rural village)

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MNHQ

@starsinyourpies

Yes use stand mixer to make dough then bake in oven. I prefer versatility of this e.g. using a loaf tin, making rolls etc over a bread maker,

When I had a bread maker I used to make the dough in it, then bake in the oven, (I have weak wrists, so difficulty in kneading sufficiently)

We do because DD2 is allergic to soya and during lockdown 1 it was tricky to buy soya free bread. We use a bread machine and whack the ingredients in the night before and set the timer. The bread is amazing!

I use my old Panasonic breadmaker loads (for both dough and a loaf).

A bredmaker isn't necessary but it would be good with a timer if you are working a lot - 5 minutes setting it up and you can delay it so it is finished when you get home/get up in the morning.

We bought a Panosonic bread maker.

Amazing. we make a loaf every 3 days, either put it on a timer at night or first thing in the morning.

We have been making pizza dough and jam in it as well.

It takes 30 seconds to make and then 6 hours baking time, as we use the no sugar recipe.

I has saved me so much time

A previous employer gave me a Panasonic bread maker several years ago and I use it every other day to make a loaf for our family. Best gift ever.
I periodically try to hand make loaves and rolls, but fail miserably every time - they’re edible, but useless for sandwiches or too crusty to bite into.

We use our bread machine all the time (Panasonic). I sometimes make naan bread by hand and it always reminds me that it would be such a faff to make bread every day without a machine, so I'd definitely get one.

I started making homemade tortillas because I hated how much plastic they came in, and they are delicious! So soft when they are freshly made, and can be easily freshened up with a few seconds in the microwave. Plus if you hang them over the shelf in the over for a few minutes you can turn them into taco shells. I also make roti if we have curry. Both of these are easy because they don't need yeast or time for proving.

How do you get the tortillas thin enough? I tried making them once and it was not terribly successful!

My husband can't eat the supermarket bread because he gets bloated so I buy soda bread for him. I'm going to learn how to make it myself. Here's a Paul Hollywood version www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/soda_bread_24837

I had a Panasonic with seed dispenser for my birthday years ago and love it.

I use stoneground flour and add seeds to make it crunchy then I slice and freeze.

I make pitta & flat bread dough in it too.

[quote StillGoingToWork]My husband can't eat the supermarket bread because he gets bloated so I buy soda bread for him. I'm going to learn how to make it myself. Here's a Paul Hollywood version www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/soda_bread_24837[/quote]
When my husband was on a yeast-free diet I made this for him.www.giverecipe.com/easy-no-yeast-bread-loaf/

I've made my own bread for years using the no knead method. The actual effort involved is about five minutes with great results every time.

The only special equipment required is a heavy casserole pot. Another good point is it uses very little yeast which is better for you.

The disadvantage is it takes some elapsed time, you need to raise the dough at least overnight but this results in a better tasting bread that's easier to digest.

There are lots of recipes online. I use this one. It works fine with wholemeal flour too.

www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/06/better-no-knead-bread-recipe.html

I have arthritis, I can’t knead or knock it back. A breadmaker for me is an essential.

@SoupDragon This is the recipe I use

thecafesucrefarine.com/best-ever-homemade-flour-tortillas/

I've not really had a problem getting them thin enough, I just roll them out?! I think if you don't leave the dough to rest for so long, then they spring back more which can make it trickier, so I usually try to leave them for an hour or two. My biggest problem is rolling them into anything that resembles a circle, but thankfully DS seems to enjoy the peculiar shapes that I create

I will have a look. I make pizza bases and have trouble rolling those out thin enough

Thank you :)

@SoupDragon

I will have a look. I make pizza bases and have trouble rolling those out thin enough

DH makes really thin pizza bases - wholemeal dough using the pizza program, I'm not sure if he rests it but he uses coarse rye flour for rolling which I think helps as a release agent (I suppose polenta is the more traditional equivalent) and a silicone rolling mat rather than a wooden board. This is the best thing by far I ever got from Pampered Chef, I assume they must be available from elsewhere.

The last tip I had for pizzas was more kneading which helps stop it springing back so much and this has helped but I don't think it would make a tortilla. We don't use tortillas that often so I've not had a reason to try them again - I just remember them being a faff and too thick!

As an aside, I came back from a soggy dog walk yesterday to a house that smelled of freshly baked bread in the breadmaker. Divine and it really lifted my mood !

I've had my Panasonic breadmaker for I don't know how long, maybe 15 years?!

I had a spell not using it but I'm now back to it, now I can get flour! We have a fantastic Mill near us that sells all over the UK, it's shut at the moment, but I will go back when they sell to the public again.

I've made all sorts of breads in the breadmaker, all delicious.

We do. A bread maker will be your friend and the smell in the morning is lovely.

For simplicity and speed buy a bread machine - nothing fancy, Argos own brand is fine. They come with a few recipes to get you going. Once you have time it's still useful to mix the dough (with perfect rise) then bake in the oven

I have a breadmaker but have recently found that it is making very heavy loaves, same recipes as always.

I have been thinking of trying the quick recipes on You Tube where it is cooked on the hob in a pan, has anyone tried this?

Or could anyone tell me why my bread is so solid and how to fix it?
Have new flour, new yeast ... still not nice bread.

I make sourdough roughly every other day at the moment and slice and freeze the left overs for toast and sandwiches. Once you get into the swing of it it takes zero effort, especially if you are stuck at home anyway.

Before sourdough I used to make bread rolls that are proved overnight and require no kneading. 5dl cold water blended with 10g fresh yeast. 2 tsps salt, 2dl porridge oats, 8dl flour (can mix two different types of flour, I do half white, half rye). Mix it all together with a spoon. Cover and put in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Preheat oven to 200C. Use two spoons to plop approx 14 rolls on to a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes and bish bash bosh, fresh rolls for breakfast.

Bread needn't be a chore.

I got a Panasonic Croustina for Christmas- it's one of the few machines that makes properly crusty bread. As a German I am pretty picky about my bread, so not having to eat limp, tasteless supermarket bread is heaven. My favourite: Dark rye bread is delicious (although denser than other bread types).

Beiing able to just chuck in ingredients and getting a freshly baked bread a few hours later means I do it about every two days. I wouldn't want to faff around kneading and rising and remembering to switch on ovens on a work day.

I'm sure a cheaper model would do fine for most people, as long as they're ok with a softer crust.

Make mine with a mixer and in the oven couple of times a week.

DP made me an oven shelf that is a baking stone- slides into shelf rack so full width of oven- makes a big difference to the bottom of cottage loaves & pizza's.

Sour dough- I make over 24hrs prove in the fridge and bake in a really hot Dutch oven with grease proof paper in the bottom- same method as a PP. It sounds like a lot of work, but it is literally 10/15mins hands on, mostly it is ticking over in the background.

Foccacia is a really good one to make, I find it is very forgiving I use this recipe and make quite a wet dough.

Fougasse is another one that is really easy but looks ever so impressive- this is a good recipe

For just a normal basic tin loaf I use:-
500g Strong flour, 7g yeast, 1tsp salt, 1 tsp butter, 350ml (approx) luke warm water.