Do you bake your own bread?

[Sarasvati]

Share recipes! I have my first homemade wholemeal bread loaf rising atm, well first since I got rid of my breadmaker. My partner won't eat it but my kids might, and we ran out of bread :lol. I used this recipe http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Basic-Wholemeal-Bread-L2200.html but added a bit of salt.

[Gelato Mama]

I do, my kids love it (although they get annoyed that I don't make it enough and then complain that we should buy it) I tend to make spelt rolls, they are easy to cart around and quick to cook.

As I am very lazy but patient I went here http://www.breadtopia.com/ to learn how to do it with no kneeding. We are happy campers and it tastes a million times better than store bought.

[Sarasvati]

I quite like kneading, it's like therapy :rofl. I've have seen a few recipes that require no kneading, I shall check them out too.

Bread is in the oven, a bit nervous :lol.

[Janet]

Kneading doesn't grab me either. I use a bread machine. ;)

[Sarasvati]

I had a bread machine but wasn't thrilled with the bread it produced.

The bread I made wasn't brilliant, could have risen too long (6 hours :lol), or might have just been crap. Might try a no-knead type next.

[Penarddun]

I use the bread machine when i cannot be bugged to knead.

But, when i bake bread with kneading it tastes heaps better and is way easier to slice up...

[Ceres]

We've had the best bread from allowing it to knead and rise in the bread machine, then baking in the oven.

[Gelato Mama]

I leave mine for about 18hrs, give it a stir leave it a couple more hrs then it's ready to cook...

[turtledove]

I was using the method from the book "artisan bread in 5 minutes". It's no kneading and you make up a big batch of dough which you can store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks - it's soooo easy and the bread is fabulous. I'm now mAking sourdough also doing a no knead dough, but not storing it, just making a new dough every 2nd or 3rd day. Very easy and great results. And sourdough, apart from being delicious doesn't leave you with that bloated feeling. I've also mAde sourdough pizza and pastry. Crackers and cake next, I think

[Echo]

I make pizza dough in my bread machine. That's about all the bread making I do lately.

[Sarasvati]

Pizza dough is super easy without a bread machine. I am actually really good at it now :lol. Took heaps of practise to get it to the point where I am happy with it though, but now it's easy.

Thlose of you who do the artisan bread, do you make it with wholemeal or white flour? I don't buy white flour but a lot of white bread recipes become super heavy if you just sub w/m flour.

[Ceres]

I do half and half usually.

[turtledove]

I also do 1/2 and 1/2 usually, sometimes wheat, sometimes spelt. It makes really good naan bread too. Yum yum

[Chameleon]

I've got this awesome bread machine that does it all for me :lol

I've found that a great recipe and it makes really yummy bread but I lost it in the move, was in a friends book so I'll have to ask her again.

Otherwise the TMX is good for mesuring and mixing then you just let it rise, kneed it and cook, I do that for breadrolls and such

[Auset]

Which bread machine do you have Chameleon? Im still busy procastinating about which machine to purchase :lol

[Sarasvati]

:lol Chameleon! (It's my old one)

[battlecrumpet]

I'm trying to learn to do sourdough bread ATM. Anyone had any luck doing these in a breadmaker?

[turtledove]

I've never used a breadmaker but honestly it's so easy to make sourdough (or yeasted) bread you don't need one... This is what I do:
6 hrs before I want to mix the dough I take the starter out of the fridge and feed it (usually at about 2pm). The starter should double itself in 6 hrs. Then when 6 hrs is up (so at 8pm) I measure out the ingredients (starter, water, flour and salt) and mix it all up with a wooden spoon. The starter goes back in the fridge until I want to use it again. I leave the dough out (in a bowl) overnight and the next morning I punch it down and shape it into a loaf and then leave it to rise for an hour or two. Then I slash the loaf and it goes into a pre-heated oven for about 1/2 hour. And that's it. And it tastes fantastic. If you want the exact recipe (weights etc) I'm happy to share :)

[Sarasvati]

Please turtledove!

[Ceres]

Can you share your tips for making the starter too?

[turtledove]

The quantities I use:
150g rye starter (a 50:50 water & flour mix)
360g room temp filtered water
600g flour (can make it up to half wholemeal but you might want to start with all White for the first few times)
2 tspns salt

when you mix it all up start with the water and starter, then add the flour and salt

the method is pretty much explained above

I use a pizza stone in the oven & preheat to 230 degrees c for at least 20 minutes. I also put a tray in the oven to which I add hot water when I put the bread in, for a nice crust.

I think that's everything - let me know if there is anyhting not clear. My bread has definetely improved even though I've always followed the same method so I think it is something you get a 'feel' for.
Sorry ceres I can't give you any hints on making a starter as I got mine from a friend, which is the easiest thing to do :)

[turtledove]

Just to clarify: with the amounts above I make 2 free form loaves. I sprinkle flour on a pizza peel, then use more flour on my hands to divide dough into 2. Then holding one mass of dough, gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating it as you go. The surface should be smooth & cohesive - less so the more wholemeal flour you use, IME. After resting, and just before you put it inthe oven, dust the top of the loaf with flour & slash several times with bread knife.

[Beatrice]

I'm back to making our bread now we're trying to keep our food budget as low as possible.

I can't knead by hand (RSI) but I hate the floofy floppy bread cooked in the bread machine. So now I've started using the dough setting and then baking in the oven. So much nicer, I don't think I'll go back to making it all the way in the machine unless I really don't have time.

[Himalia]

I used to use a bread machine until it blew up. So then I went to doing it by hand which I much prefer. I usually make 2 loaves of wholemeal on a weekend and freeze it in batches, so it lasts the week. I also make cinnamon and raisin, multigrain, bagels and cinnamon scrolls mmmm. My favorite recipes are from the fresh loaf website.

[Ceres]

I've borrowed GG's bread machine for a bit and just made a pumpkin bread. I also prefer it cooked in the oven but appreciate the machine doing the kneading for me.

[Belinda]

I used to use a bread machine until it blew up. So then I went to doing it by hand which I much prefer. I usually make 2 loaves of wholemeal on a weekend and freeze it in batches, so it lasts the week. I also make cinnamon and raisin, multigrain, bagels and cinnamon scrolls mmmm. My favorite recipes are from the fresh loaf website.


Please can you post your cinnamon scroll recipe? I have been trying to get one for years!