Calling all expert Breadmakers

[MrsMcGregor]

Can I have some advice from those in the know please. I'm sick of buying two day old bread and have been contemplating buying a Panasonic Breadmaker however, my KitchenAid deserves a chance first! So I've tried two doughs this week - pizza and white bread. The pizza dough was good but I have some questions about my bread dough.

I used Hugh FW's Bread book and made his white loaf but halved the recipe as his says it makes two medium loaves. So mine was a 500g strong white flour, 5g yeast, 300ml liquid and 10g salt recipe which I put in a 2lb loaf tin. It really is quite a small loaf .... should I have used the full 1kg flour for a 2lb tin?

Used the KitchenAid to do the kneading and followed the instructions for 10 mins at speed 2 yet my dough had no stretch at all ... it wasn't sticky and didn't appear overly dry. So I did something wrong but am not sure what.

The bread itself looked lovely when it came out - nice golden colour, even size, hollow sound when tapped. It is lovely as is with butter, doesn't seem heavy, not full of holes but if my dough was better would be nicer. Toasted, the kids don't like it. It is pretty crunchy which I like but has a very different taste to our usual Kingsmill pan. Is that just the way with homemade bread, does it come down the the dough or is there a better recipe for toast?

All advice welcome and I'll have another go at it on Friday. I really want a loaf that makes good toast but also a nice sandwich loaf for school lunches.

Thanks!

my loaf :)

Yum! Mine is very amateurish just now!

I make bread every day too ( I bake for a cafe )

I used the HFW book as a starter , as it gives you all the science bit

I use mostly white bread flour , some granary and some Allinson whole meal with seed and grain
I weigh out the flour and salt into the kitchen aid bowl ... And then warm the flour up in the Aga

I use warm water , the dry yeast from a tin and a spoonful of black treacle , leave the yeast to go fluffy and bubbly then add to the warm flour and mix on speed 2 with the dough hook

Then shape , put in tins which have been oiled leave to rise , then bake

The bread is a bit different every day , I blame the weather !
Practise makes perfect ! :)

this is the loaf baked yesterday and cut this morning.

And here's mine today ... I cut it warm as I was too impatient to wait!

looks very nice. bet it tastes lovely too!