Does anyone else have a bread machine but break all the rules?

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

eg. use fresh yeast instead of dried, leave out sugar or salt, etc?

I have got a bag of old dough fermenting away in the fridge and am planning to attempt to use sponges and sourdough starters if I get round to it.... anyone else do this with a bread machine? Any tips?

i make sourdough but use a mixer. i don't bother with all the shaping, just leave it to rise in the bowl then roll in flour and into the oven. it comes out just the same as when i used fold it three times and leave it overnight in a floured teatowel etc etc. i wouldn't leave salt out.

i make roughly 500g each of starter, white and wholemeal, 1 tb salt. sometimes chuck in a bit of rye flour.

Thanks Fishie.

Is it much nicer than normal home-made bread?
I am reading Bread Matters and he speaks glowingly of the improved flavour from starters.

it is much nicer, but different. have you had poilane bread? rather like that. makes lovely toast too.

a loaf lasts us about five days, it doesn't go mouldy or stale, just sort of dries out a bit. ds (2) eats it when fresh but he does find it a bit much by day 4.

i've got bread matters, his instructions for keeping starter are excellent. do not like dan leppard much. i love this but it covers ALL baking not just bread.

Dh has changed all the original recipes we started with, less salt/ sugar for the dc, different flour. It usually works out ok.

Never had poilane bread - sounds interesting!

Have bookmarked the baking book you mention Fishie - it looks good.

poilane is killingly expensive, larger waitrose will stock or possibly maison paul do their own if you have one near? best of all would be a farmers market type thing. it is good to know what you are aiming for.

i presuming your machine will mix? prob better to bake in oven as you need really high temp.

please do tell me how you are doing with your starter. mine is about 9m now, it is my little pet.

Just googled Poilane (£10 a loaf according to one article) - very interesting! Gosh the French do take food seriously, don't they?

I go to a farmers' market every fortnight but I mostly buy meat - will talk to them at the bakers' stalls next time.
Actually it was a loaf bought from there that made me get the 'Bread Matters' book - it looked like an ordinary white bloomer but the taste was divine.

Does your starter live in the fridge?

My machine has dough settings which I bake in the oven. There's a loaf in the machine now with the old dough added so it'll be interesting to see if I can taste the difference.

yes starter in fridge, in a plantpot thingy with a dish on top, so not airtight but well covered. i find it goes a bit icky if left longer than a week, although gives a stronger flavour if you like that. also usually use white flour to feed it. this makes the loaf a bit less like dwarfbread after a few days.

originally i was very careful with measurements, proofing etc but have found it much easier than normal yeast breadmaking. the worst that happens is a slightly denser texture.

ooh maybe you can get fresh yeast from market bods - i'd love to try that but am in deepest london. we do have a hovis factory but they are unlikely to welcome my visit.

Can't you get fresh yeast from health food shops? Our local ones sell it. Or do you have any proper bakeries - that's where my mum used to get hers.

Actually though I haven't tried using fresh yeast because the books don't seem to think it makes much difference.

My old dough bread smelt extra nice when it was baking last night and the texture is certainly less cakey than usual but I haven't had a chance to taste it yet - will report back.

hollow laugh at proper bakeries. i live in an official 'food desert' apparently. loads of fruit and veg shops but there ain't no baking in this postcode.

apparently once you start baking regularly lots of wild yeast comes to live in your kitchen which makes everything rise faster. its all terribly exciting and scientific. oh you must get a dough scraper i've got a basic plastic one it is essential to get dough out of bowl and off worktop.

you can get fresh yeast at supermarket bakeries, just go & ask them.

i don't use sugar in bread maker bread, or milk powder or vitamin c. seems to work quite nicely!

wild yeast?
Suddenly makes breadmaking seem so much more exciting!

Fishie has trapped hers and tamed it - she refers to it below as her little pet.