can I make bread tonight?

[IAmBooyhoo]

i have strong white bread flour, salt, easy bake yeast and spreadable butter. an oven, bread tin but a very cold house as i have no heating.

can i make bread tonight? how long will it take? and could someone talk me through amounts and temperatures please?

It will take too long to do a "proper" loaf - especially if you have a cold house. Could do a soda bread and then you wouldnt need yeast just bicarb and milk. Are you desperate for a fresh bread fix?!!

Recipe here... you need cream of tartar as well www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/sodabread_3594

yes you can, you can prove in the oven, put a hot water bottle in there (just don't forget to take it out before baking)
usually it would take knead/prove (30min or so)/knock back/prove (another 30min)/bake (one hour or so).

or you could try the sponge method:
mix 1cup of flour with 2cups of warm water and half a teaspoon of yeast. leave for at least 6 hours (again oven with hot water bottle is a good place fir that).
then add 500g flour, half a teaspoon salt, a tablespoon oil. knead/prove/knock back and shape/prove/bake.

ooh i have cream of tartar. i just want to be able to have bread in the morning for the breakfast. ran out of bread yesterday and no spare cash at the minute so i thought i'd have a go at making it. checking out recipe now thank you.

how did it go?

ahh, it was lovely. 1st loaf almost gone. ds1 not so fussed but he's fussy with most 'new' foods. myself and ds2 have had to restrain ourselves from swallowing the second loaf whole.

Now you have done it once, you can do it again when you have more time and use a more conventional bread recipe. Get a book with a variety of recipes in and experiment... We never buy shop bread anymore as I make loaves and rolls and have even had a go at pitta breads and chapatis. Pizza bases are just a basic bread mix to. Have fun.

yep, i totally have the bread bug now. it tastes so good!! i haven't costed it out. does it work out cheaper to make your own?

It depends... I reckon its about 50p a loaf if I use my standard mixture.
This is Hugh FW recipe 500g bread flour ( I use a mix of wholemeal/white in varying proportions as it all gets lobbed into the jar together in layers! Some loaves/rolls are whiter, some are more wholemeally!), 1-2tsp salt mixed into flour, 1 sachet yeast. 1-2 tsp honey, 1-2 tbsp oil ( I use olive, sunolive or rapeseed) and made up to 330ml ish with warm water. The test is if I put my finger in the water I cant detect a higher or lower temp ( I hope that makes sense!) Mix to a soft dough.
Knead for 10 minutes (atleast) then leave for first rise till doubled in size (ish), I usually use the mixing bowl oiled, and covered with a cheap shower cap! Then knock back gently and shape. Again sometimes I do a whole loaf, sometimes 1/3 rolls, or all rolls... Whatever I need at the time. Then leave to rise again for 30 mins, covered with damp tea towel or oiled cling.

Have been making bread for ages now. After trying lots of different recipes, can recommend the River Cottage Bread Handbook.

i make all our bread, too.

I use a soda bread recipe that doesn't call for cream of tartar, just buttermilk (I use half milk, half natural yog). Made two loaves last night - was out of the oven an hour after I started to think about it! One loaf for the freezer.

Then at the weekends I make a big batch of rolls for the week. Put what we don't need immediately in the freezer and then get them out as we go along.

I don't have a breadmaker, but it's really not that much faff doing it by hand. I do use cheap latex gloves when kneading though, keeps my hands clean!