Cube mk2 and WIR

[the hopefulls]

Morning Everyone

 

After being inspired by the hairy bakers last week i thought i would try and bake some bread, (wife was gob smacked) it turned out ok (not bad for a 1st effort) but it seemed a bit heavy, does anyone know what i done wrong?

[hillfamily]

Not too sure what went wrong I would have thought if it was heavy, you made to knead it more or let it rise for longer

 

You'll get better with practice............and kneading bread is a great stress reliever :D

 

I'm really enjoying the Hairy Bakers :D - trying to find out if they've got a book coming out to accompany the series or if the recipes are in their books that are already out

[chickencam]

There are so many factors in good bread.

 

Sufficient kneading

The right flour they vary so much my current favourites are Waitrose stong Canadian and Carrs Breadmaker flour

The correct water content the dough should be slightly tacky but not sticky.

The right balance of yeast and salt because salt inhibits the yeast but also helps to keep it under control.

 

there is a great book which I got from the Book People called Dough by Richard Bertinet it was about £5 I think and is really inspirational and full of useful info. The way you ahpe a loaf or rolls also effects how it rises a tip from the book.

[rachel19]

I tend to find that with either a completely wholemeal loaf or a 50/50 white wholemeal loaf then making it a bit too wet so that it is a bit sticky helps it quite a lot - can be very dense otherwise. Not so much of an issue with white usually. Its pretty hard to go ever so wrong with bread but fine tuning is the difficulty and i'm sure everyone has their own tricks!

[Egluntyne]

My hand made bread is disastrous....I cheat massively and use a breadmaker which always turns out fab bread.

 

Spelt and white flour 50/50 makes a lovely loaf, both in flavour and texture.

[Cate in NZ]

Wow, well done you for having a go at bread making, I'm sure that as all the others have suggested it's all down to practice & experimentation.....keep going and you'll be turning out lovely, fresh bread in no time

[Mutrix Farmers]

Morning Everyone

 

After being inspired by the hairy bakers last week i thought i would try and bake some bread, (wife was gob smacked) it turned out ok (not bad for a 1st effort) but it seemed a bit heavy, does anyone know what i done wrong?

 

Well done, keep it up and I'm sure you'll find the technique that works for you. Don't be too heavy handed when you knock it back after the first rise, you don't want to knock all the air out.

 

I find homemade bread is denser than shop bought, they add so many chemicals to make it fluffy, to keep longer, the right colour etc. It is possible to buy dough relaxer (Lakeland Ltd do it) to improve texture of homemade bread.

[Reikiranf]

I think I know where you've gone wrong..............you didn't buy a Panasonic breadmachine

 

Seriously though, well done for making your own bread, you will get better with practice and when you see how good homemade bread is you'll never buy another loaf

[Los Tres Pollos]

I started baking bread just before last xmas, we haven't bought bread since. I have had some failures but mostly from passable to 'that's how bread should be'. Keep at it, it is well worth while. Search the internet there is a myriad of sites out there with advice. As has been mentioned before Richard Bertinet's book Dough is very good, available from http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk for less than a tenner incl p&p with a instructional DVD. Although his kneading method I haven't mastered yet, I tend to use a more traditional British method as demonstrated here http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/get_cooking/videos/006.shtml. Keep at it, it is well worth the effort.

[..lay a little egg for me]

I tend to find that with either a completely wholemeal loaf or a 50/50 white wholemeal loaf then making it a bit too wet so that it is a bit sticky helps it quite a lot - can be very dense otherwise. Not so much of an issue with white usually. Its pretty hard to go ever so wrong with bread but fine tuning is the difficulty and i'm sure everyone has their own tricks!

 

I agree with rachel. Because it is hard to knead when too wet, I brush it all over with water for the first rise, and then brush the top with water for the second rise. I also make diagonal cuts in the top of the loaf which I think gives the top more room to expand during the rise.

 

Also, remember that hand-made bread will always be heavier than shop bought because the shop bread is made using special flour and fats and additives that enable it to be full of air and not goodness. Personally, I like my loaves a bit on the heavy side...