Total bread making fail - any ideas what I did wrong?

[butteriesplease]

So, I wanted to make the 'karoo farm bread' from the REcipes for love and murder novel. I attach the recipe in the picture. I followed this (but realise now I used 1 sachet of yeast, and it needed a bit more).

Bread was totally rubbish (see 2nd pic). Didn't rise at the proving stage, and then when it came out of the oven, the crust was very well done but the inside was not properly cooked, and it really hadn't risen at all.

Any ideas for what wasn't right? Having tasted a wee bit, I can see it would be very tasty if I got it right!

Should say, my oven is a fan oven, which you can't turn off.

My 5 year old asked me what had I forgotten in the recipe but I promise I put everything in!

TIA.

forgot to say that I substituted honey for molasses. And did use Bran Flakes (the breakfast cereal) for bran flakes. Hope that was what was meant!

If it didn't rise at proving stage, the yeast is probably dead.

New yeast, did you bloom it in warm water first? If there’s no bubbles it’s dead. Make sure you’re not putting salt near the yeast as it’ll kill it. The dough looks too heavy to rise itself, so I would add in more water/liquid next time to make a softer dough.

Agree re the yeast, and if it said All Bran Flakes I'd google to see whether it meant All Bran or Bran Flakes!

thanks. It's sachet yeast that was in date, so pretty sure wasn't dead. Could smell it when added the liquid to the mix.
yes, it is a heavy mix, so additional liquid an idea.

It's the same sort of yeast we use when making bread in the bread machine, but as I say, the recipe called for 10g, and I put in 7g (as thought it was just going to be a sachet's worth, then realised afterwards).

that's a weird recipe without flour (or am I missing something?)
that would not give yeast anything to work with.

I've done a quick google, and Bran Flakes does seem to mean bran flakes the cereal!

Weird bread recipe - no kneading stage at all?

@bluerunningshoes there is a whole 600g of brown bread flour! It's a big bowl full of dough...

that's a weird recipe without flour (or am I missing something?)

Yes, the flour!

@ginmakesitallok yep, no kneading. This is one reason I was tempted to try the bread recipe! Super simple I thought to myself, can't go wrong I thought - !
I wonder if I halved the quantities and left the same amount of yeast would it work better?

ok

the no kneading is weird. but even then the yeast should have bubbled.
the amount of yeast is fine for one loaf (I use a lot less) maybe just not proved enough.

so is 30mins not enough proving?

so, plan for next attemp is to halve quantities, same amount of yeast, longer prove, lower temp in oven (?).

I@ve just tried a bit again, and the middle is clearly sticky not quite right, but the outside is nearly burnt!

That much yeast in all that flour wouldn't do much in 30 minutes.

Put yeast in a bit of warm water with half a spoon of sugar and leave for 20 minutes... if it frothes nicely the yeast is "alive"

Maybe your yeast was old (dead)

Did you def use strong flour?

Although it changes the method a little, I'd try it with yeast warm water and sugar mixed separately and allowed to develop a little before adding to main ingredients. Also you only used about 2/3 of the amount of yeast they mention which would have an effect as you say.

As it's only proved once, you could try leaving it somewhere warm for longer than the 30 minutes suggested, to give a chance for it all to work.

I honestly don’t see how that recipe can work. 30 minutes isn’t nearly long enough- it needs to double in size, however long that takes. And I am very sceptical about no kneading. Have .you made bread before?

Is ‘bran flakes’ not just bran ? Like wheat bran ?

www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/holland-barrett-natural-wheat-bran-60020283

I am a bread making novice! the recipe says All Bran Flakes, and I think that must mean the cereal? otherwise it would say just wheat bran? I did think bran flakes was odd, but I don't make bread so maybe not? I did google and nothing else came up as a possibility.

I did indeed use bread flour.

I think, judging from comments, more yeast and longer proving required. So, what does kneading achieve? would that be before or after proving?

May well also test out the yeast as per above.

OK- if you’re new to it, can I suggest something simpler? Have a look at

Easy peasy and delicious and great for giving you a sense of what dough should feel like.

@bertrandrussell that's a great video - I remember James Morton from Bake Off. I'll give that a go - thank-you!

I have a similar recipe that requires you to leave dough the fridge all night to let the yeast work its magic. 30 minutes rising time is nowhere long enough in UK even if the place and water are warm. I'd try again and leave it for a lot longer. The longer bread takes to rise the better the flavour too.

butteries-(are you Scottish?)-I really can't recommend his book highly enough. I have been an instinctive baker all my life-I learned from my not her-but I learned so much from it. And the doughnuts and yum yums are INCREDIBLE! And the focaccia.

This is a South African recipe. All Bran Flakes are cereal. . I also think this recipe was made in temperatures of late 20s to low 30s which is why it only needed a 30 minute proof. I know when I bake bread it can sometimes take hours to proof in my cold U.K. kitchen. At times I have put it in a VERY cool oven to speed up the process.

I am not a brilliant baker but IMO brown flour and seeds can make the dough heavier and more difficult to rise/need a longer proof. Not sure if there is any truth behind that but it's my theory.

I do what SeaRabbit does and leave it overnight in fridge for a long, slow rise. But I'm going to try combining that with the method in Bertrand' link.