sorry, bread questions again.

[stitch]

ive been trying the bread again, but the yeast i have says to let the dough rise only once, but i dont think it is rising enough. should i just punch it down, and let it rise again? or knead somemore?
also, all this hand kneading is making my knuckles sore. im scared will soon have blood in the bread...well, slight overdramatisation, but it is hard work
should i fork out almost a hundred pounds for the panasonic breadmaker? my kids love homemade bread.

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there must be lots of as-new breadmakers which people aren't using, you could probably get one second hand which hasn't been used. all those people who buy it and never use it.

i had one which I think cost 40 pounds but I wore it out in a couple of years, using it about 4 times a week. now i really miss it. I have to get another one.

hmm, good idea. thanks.

Have you got a food processor? Most of those have a dough hook type of "blade" and will mix a batch of dough in about 2 minutes.

I assume you are using one of the quick dried yeast type of products? If so then yes one rising should be plenty. However I tend to use a warmer water mix than they recomend, try using 50% boiling and 50% cold, this tends to get the yeast working much quicker.

Ensure that the bread is left to rise in a warm place, and cover with a cloth.

The dough will need to be kneaded for about 5 minutes, make sure that you are kneading in an effective manner. The best method is to use the heel of your hand to push the dough away from you and then turn through a quarter circle, and repeat. (does that make sense?) You should knead until the dough feels fairly elastic. (If you push a finger into the dough the dough should spring back fairly quickly).

Rising times will vary between about 30 minutes and 2 hours depending on the temperature, yeast action, humidity, and how well kneaded the dough is.

Stick to the hand making though, you can get a far better bread by hand than any bread maker will ever give you.

Just as an aside, it is worth mentioning that if you like a good crusty loaf you should bruch the top of the loaf with a little milk or egg wash. If you prefer a softer crust then dust with flour before baking and cover with a cloth when cooling after baking.

Any more questions just let me know and I'll do what I can to help.

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i knew i wasnt kneading it properly.
i tend to end up bashing it with my knuckles, on a lower table than usual, as find it is easier on my back. must try using my palm. i ten d to do that when feels like my knuckles are about to bleed.
as i knead, which i am obviously doing incorrectly anyways, i find it gets harder to knead, not easier.. also, was adding a bit of milk to water as someone said it made it easier to knead.
thanks for y our help. will try and use those tips now.
dont have a dough hook, as lost lots of bits of food processer over a few house moves in a coouple of years, and prefer using the stick it in the bowl, hand blender, which doesnt have a dough hook!

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ta da. worked wonders.
thank you all.
muuaaah.

Pleased to hear that it worked for you. I find there is a real feeling of satisfaction in making good bread by hand.

Sticth we bought our new breadmaker a few weeks ago, it is Morphy Richards and cost about £40 from Co-op (they are always good for a bargain)...we love it and have the expanding waistlines to prove it!