I love fresh bread, so I’m having a go at this bread making malarky. First go not so great, second go pretty much spot on, got it mastered now! 😆

Now, I just used the bog standard easy bread recipe: bread flour(Did 50:50 white:brown), yeast, bit of sugar to feed the yeast, lukewarm water, salt, oil, knead for 10 minutes, rest an hour, knock back, shape and rest an other hour, then into the oven at 200C for 25 minutes.

Bingo, lovely fresh bread, but well, it’s a bit bog standard and a bit lacking in flavour.

So how do you liven up your bread recipes? What do you add/do to lift it above the norm?

OLives and sun dried tomatoes to make a fairly large flattish bread [ 1 cm ish after risen so roll it pretty thin and the size of your oven- have this with italian dishes so add garlic if you fancy it

Other than i just make bog standard bread – fancy bread dont appeal to me as a general rule

The flat bread and the standard bread the same recipe as above?

There’s a jalapeno and cheese bread I buy out of tesco that’s magic, think I’ll be trying something along those lines. But I guess, got the basic recipe sorted, so I can just experiment away…

I started making this flatbread and it’s changed everything for me. I make it with 1/3 brown and 2/3 white flour. Don’t bother with other bread nowadays except a quick and simple beer bread from time to time.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfObqgc0TnQ[/video]

pretty much – DOnt know I do everything by eye and feel these days and just mix whatever flour i have – I have even used plain – ok for fat dont make a loaf but ok in even largish amounts to the mix 20%??

Perhaps a little drier as the olives and tomatoes have some liquid in them – NB add them on the last knead

For that one I would just add the jalapenos and cheese at the last rise as well

EDIT: my flat bread” is a risen one its not actually flat like the one above about 1/2 cm when rolled out

interesting vid, I was wondering, does leaving dough over night in the fridge really improve the flavour?

Noted on adding at the second rise J, cool, will try that maybe.

slow rises definitely improve flavour but not as much as a sourdough will

does leaving dough over night in the fridge really improve the flavour?

Yes, tastes better and also has a better texture/bite to it. I often use without leaving overnight, it’s good enough in a pinch but not the same.

cool. *scuttles off to make some dough to fire in the fridge overnight!*

No eye and feel for me. I just follow the Tartine Bread method to the letter and somehow produce decent sourdough despite lack of skill.

s77, get a recipe for brown soda bread – IIRC, Delia has a nice one bit this was pre-internet for me – no farting about with rising etc. Make with buttermilk (which I think most supermarkets stock these days). Toasted with butter and marmalade. Awesome.

(Not suggesting this as an instead-of, more of an as-well-as. It gives you a “I-make-BREAD” feeling bit is easy, full of flavour and lasts a bit longer than than fresh white bread.)

this book for me

Great read for theory and techniques with heaps of great recipes

sorted, will try that out tomorrow, chucked in a teaspoon of chilli powder there, will add some fresh chilli and cheese at second rise tomorrow, mibbe some sun dried tomato too, that sounds interesting!

Cheers DD and mike, will take a look at those. 🙂

Soda bread is proper easy

200g of white, 50g of wholemeal, 5g of salt, 7g of bicarbonate of soda, 50g of nuts or seeds or whatever you have around, 250/260g of buttermilk.

Fold it together, don’t work it too much, just mixed and no more. Turn it out of the bowl and form into a fat round burger kind of shape. Put it in a baking tray and sprinkle a bit more whole meal over it then 22 minutes in the hottest oven setting.

When it’s done check it sounds hollow on the bottom and let it cool for 20 minutes.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/calling-those-who-make-bread

Since the advice in this thread a year ago I’ve progressed to sourdough as it has so much flavour and is nothing more than flour water and salt. Sometimes some seeds. It’s a long process but really easy. I’ve totally ditched dried yeast now and have a jar of starter in my fridge.

After reading a lot of confusing recipes and info on sourdough I found this foul proof, no mess recipe that produces a perfect shiney crust:

https://www.hobbshousebakery.co.uk/blogs/recipes/henrys-sourdough

Is soda bread just soda scones/farls but not flattened?

Bog standard wholemeal bread recipe and add a small handful of roughly crushed walnuts works every time.

Same recipe cooked in the oven as opposed to on a griddle. I think it depends who you ask.

50/50 rye/strong white flour is a good one, tasty and a bit more versatile than pure rye bread.

I think traditional soda bread was done on a griddle on an open fire – well, the type of fire at one end of a cottage but it bakes in an oven nicely as well. If doing a “white” soda bread, you can always chuck a few raisins/sultanas in there to sweeten it up.

some great info here, plenty to try out! Cheers for that other thread link too.