I’m going to try and make my own bread today. Without a machine.

Any tips? Just going for plain white.

you’re not climbing the ladder without a pansonic…

to much time on your hands mate

I’m fairly certain you have to put seeds of some description into it otherwise it’s not a middle class step up.

Just going for plain white.

Tbh, if you can’t manage a plain white bloomer without tips then forget it.

Try not to overthink it mol.

Have you grown your own wheat ?

And of course milled it yourself.

TEPID water for the yeast.

And yes, making white bread is not middle class. White bread is the bread of the underclass. You need wholemeal. With sliced olives etc.

This is one of those things that everyone goes through at some point. Before you realise that all the kneading, mess, failed attempts and washing up is just not worth the ballache, and it’s easier to just buy a loaf 🙂

That said, it’s great fun, and your house will smell lovely.

Sometimes when wheat was being fed from the hopper to the millstones, if the feed was too fast, or if stones had got into the grain, the millstones would stop. This is where the phrase “grinding to a halt” comes from.

TEPID water for the yeast.

Nope, it can be cold. If it’s cold, the prove takes longer and happens more slowly which gives a better loaf.

Use fresh yeast. You can get it from supermarket bakery counters, you have to ask for it though.

560g Strong White Flour
10g Fresh yeast
10g salt
20g rapeseed/olive oil
300ml tepid water.

Knead for 15mins by hand or 10mins in a mixer.

Leave to prove in a covered bowl for 30mins to an hour. Take out of bowl and shape/place in oiled loaf tin. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to prove for further 30mins. Turn oven to 230deg C with baking stone/tray in. When up to temperature put oven dish with water at top of oven, this will provide steam. Put loaf tin/loaf onto baking stone/tray, slash with sharp knife/lame. Bake for 22 mins.

Enjoy.

I think it elevates you slightly higher than the frightful middle orders Molls

What would Dave use?

You can bake middle class bread with white flour – you just need to have some one polish build you a stone oven in the garden.

Can I do my middle class bread joke?

Woman walks into local organic everything shop.

Woman to shopkeeper: “I want to bake my own bread have you got any unusual flour?”
Shopkeeper: “Spelt?”
Woman “F-L-O-U-R!”

I thank you.

Ciabatta surely? Tiger bread at the very least?

Anyone that thinks this represents having too much time on their hands is an idiot! You don’t have to stand and watch the bread rise you know…

10 minutes mixing and kneading – make in a big bowl to contain the mess
I don’t use fresh yeast and the results are excellent
a further few mins shaping the loaf
You need to be nearby whilst it is in the oven, but it does not require any attention.

Total time spent prob 15 mins tops.

Tbh, if you can’t manage a plain white bloomer without tips then forget it.

hear hear

🙂

I’m going to try and make my own bread today. Without a machine.
Any tips?

Get a machine

Google no-knead. Mix it up, wait 12h(ish), bung in the oven, job’s a goodun. Using your own sourdough is a niche further…

Knead for 15mins…Leave to prove in a covered bowl for 30mins to an hour… Cover with oiled cling film and leave to prove for further 30mins…Bake for 22 mins.

Jesus christ I could have walked to the shop bought some of warbies finest thick cut, toasted and eaten most of it before you put yours in the oven. And be halfway round a ride before you get to actually slice your loaf.

What happens if you leave it to prove for a lot longer? eg do the kneading go away do sommat else, finish off a few hours later.

Tbh, if you can’t manage a plain white bloomer without tips then forget it.

How do I know if I don’t need tips if I don’t ask?

I’ve never tried it before.. lots of recipes online, some variations, I just thought I’d see what STW people do.

Sugar or no?

What’s the water in the oven actually do? Some online people do use it, some don’t.

Tiger bread at the very least?

No way, they sell that at Asda.

Sometimes when wheat was being fed from the hopper to the millstones, if the feed was too fast, or if stones had got into the grain, the millstones would stop. This is where the phrase “grinding to a halt” comes from.

Every day is a school day, thanks DD.

Jesus christ I could have walked to the shop bought some of warbies finest thick cut, toasted and eaten most of it before you put yours in the oven. And be halfway round a ride before you get to actually slice your loaf.

I see your point, but this is true of lots of food you make from first principles no? Where’s the satisfaction? I’m not sure mol is planning to never buy a loaf again but the satisfaction in making bread yourself is great. Why make spag bol from mince, tomatoes, garlic, herbs and the rest when you can go to the shop and buy some Findus Horse version from the freezer section for £1.99 and fee the family?

Every day is a school day, thanks DD.

😳

I may have recorded an episode or two of Paul Hollywood’s Bread. 🙂

How do I know if I don’t need tips if I don’t ask?

Best tip I could give,just get on with it or you will miss your bread making window of opportunity 😆

Tiger bread at the very least?

No way, they sell that at Asda.

It’s a sign of the times. I saw a middle class lady queuing up in ASDA last week with fresh veg in her trolley. Obviously the cashier didn’t know how to process it so she just passed it through as 3lbs of chocolate cake.

There’s a worrying number of people on this thread who’ve seen the inside of an Asda supermarket.

s…nob 🙂

There’s a worrying number of people on this thread who’ve seen the inside of an Asda supermarket.

It helps keep hoi polloi out of Waitrose, donchaknow.

Jesus christ I could have walked to the shop bought some of warbies finest thick cut, toasted and eaten most of it before you put yours in the oven. And be halfway round a ride before you get to actually slice your loaf.

I could have ridden your bike route on a motorbike and be at home playing fantasy computer based games whilst you are still out 😉

What happens if you leave it to prove for a lot longer? eg do the kneading go away do sommat else, finish off a few hours later.

Depends it can over rise and go a bit off but generally not a great deal.

Its finished when kneaded to prove just means let it rise at least once before baking.

Molly ignore all this “advice” its a bit of trial and error till you get the hang of it – just enjoy and know they will get better

its easier to cook rolls than a loaf as you will cook them all the way through

I see your point, but this is true of lots of food you make from first principles no?

was partly tongue in cheek. Problem is even the bestest bread in the world kneaded on the thighs of virgins, baked in the finest stone oven, lit from the fire of mount olympus is still only something to wrap around ham and salad or dip in soup.

I will give it a go at some point i guess, the fresh stuff is nice and all but I struggle to get very excited about bread* so CBA making my own unlike other food stuffs.

*altho I am incredibly OCD about making sure my worthless mass produced bread doesn’t get squashed – humans, weird or what?

On a related issue…

Why did the baker have brown hands?

I like Asda, I prefer their green colourscheme to the blue and red of Tesco and the orange Sainsbury’s. Morrison’s yellow is okay, but their employees are a bit scary. Asda is upfront, no hiding behind any pretensions. And the tiger bread is addictive.

Why I choose supermarkets on the basis of their brand colours really don’t know.

only something to wrap around ham and salad or dip in soup

Only? ONLY?!

Bread is the finest food stuff known to humankind, dontchaknow.

I’ve eaten bread pretty much everyday for 47 years and I still look forward to my morning toast and lunchtime sandwiches. Not for the filling or spreads but for the lovely bread that accompanies them.

If all you do is dip it in soup or wrap it around ham for a sandwich, then yeah, off to the supermarket with you! 🙂

Tips:
* choose a recipe and stick with it for a few goes, so you get to see what difference small changes make.
* I like the Bertinet kneading method
* I mix the easy-yeast in with the warmish water and leave it for five or ten minutes before adding to the flour
* sourdough is better than using yeast – making bread from just some gloop from the fridge, flour, water and salt is ace – but if you miss a few weeks the starter get too sour
* shower caps make great covers for when proving
* putting the dough in the fridge retards to proving so you can control when you have to do the baking a bit more

Follow @evilgordon or @planbreadbakery on Twitter for bread inspiration and tips

It helps keep hoi polloi out of Waitrose, donchaknow.

Not in Andover it doesn’t. Or at least not me. I’ll use which ever has what I need, which inevitably means Asda, Waitrose and Lidl

A bread machine is far more middle class anyway – outsourcing the manual effort of kneading and moving items to and from the oven.

This is a winner every time

As is this for when you fancy a go at a sourdough

Cooked in a domestic, electric oven?

Wood fired is the way forward if you want to climb the ladder…

Not in Andover it doesn’t.

Well, as any fule kno, that’s because Andover is entirely hoi polloi! 😉

Should be in Thyme & Tide buying something nicely organic instead! 😉 (Incidentally, have just had a rather lovely picture of Little Miss CFH having her lunch in that very spot a little while ago!)