Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

[Tripps]

Lovely - I'm imagining Normandy butter and Aldi raspberry conserve . . . .

Stop it. stop it - get thee behind me.

[PanBiker]

I put Aldi butter and home made Hedgerow Jelly on mine.

[Stanley]

I had a salad butty on white teacake yesterday lunch time. Eating bread is a harder addiction to conq2uer than smoking!

[Big Kev]

Made a focacia this afternoon, middle offspring and grandson came round at teatime so there's not a lot left.

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[Stanley]

If I'd have been there and not under constraint I'd have dealt with the remainder Ian.....

[PanBiker]

It's Kev's production Stanley not mine. Looking good though. My offering would be a Sunflower, Sesame and Chia seed loaf. We are halfway through that one now so you would have to be quick.

[Big Kev]

The remainder is in the freezer, I restricted myself to two small pieces. It's very nice even if I say so myself

[Stanley]

As you said recently Kev.... "Stop it. stop it - get thee behind me."
I do miss my carbs!!

[PanBiker]

Fail! My run in with wholemeal soda bread yesterday. All I can say is that the monks have something to answer for. No yeast, no kneading so no opportunity to develop the gluten content that holds it all together, no proving or knocking back. Mix, form into a ball and bake. Problem is it doesn't hold together. I baked it for the prescribed time set by Mr Hollywood in his bread book, it was baked on the outside and raw in the middle. I chucked it back into oven for another 15 minutes, still loose in the middle! I broke into four, (more like it fell apart into four) and dug out the loose bits in the middle shoved them back on the tray and into the oven for another 20 minutes.

End result a totally de-constructed wholemeal soda loaf, cant slice it but it will probably do to accompany soup and that's about it.

I wont be visiting that one again.

[Stanley]

Instant croutons Ian. Hard luck, these things happen. My recent bent crankshaft is a good example....
Have another go and end up with one of these....

[PanBiker]

Can't eat that Stanley but I know what you mean. I will still pass on soda bread, I don't think there is any substitute for some form of yeast.

[Stanley]

I'd agree with that. If there is any taste better than bread fresh out of the oven I don't know what it is. That's the worst thing about low carb diets, I was only thinking last night how good a cheese and tomato butty would taste....

[PanBiker]

Maximising energy usage and deciding to have Toad in the Hole for tea. I thought I would knock this together as the oven would be on anyway. White / wholemeal flour mix with Chia seeds. We are out of bread anyway so why not?



Should be ready to knock back in an hour or so, second rise in the tin so It will be oven ready either before or after when my toad goes in. Don't need bread with my toad so before or after makes no difference.

[PanBiker]

Toad warmed the oven nicely, bread had risen nicely by the time that was done. Out with the toad in with the bread. Baked nicely while I had my tea.

[Stanley]

Looks good enough to eat Ian.... (Get thee behind me......)

[PanBiker]

I just realised that I used the word nicely three times in two sentences! Mind you they did turn out nicely as well.

[Tripps]

Mind you they did turn out nicely as well

Yes indeed. It raises my spirits when I see your exemplary loaves. You certainly have the knack.

[PanBiker]

Today's production, apart from the steak pie mentioned in another thread I made this plait. The small blind baked base in the background was a spare bit of pastry I had left from the pie. I will let that cool and then shove it in the freezer ready for a mini quiche at some time in the future.



Interesting that this thread has had over 29,000 hits so far. Many will be bots and crawlers, I wonder if they like bread as well.

[Stanley]

I'm not a bot or crawler and you tease me!

[PanBiker]

Exciting news, I have been gifted a new sourdough starter or portion thereof. It came from my baking friend Caroline. I have been feeding it for the last three days and it's bubbling in it's Kilner jar and now ready for use. I am bereft of strong flour at the moment though! I will have a look at the Coop shortly. Aldi haven't had any for a couple of months now.

[Tripps]

Because of this thread and mentions of sourdough - I bought some 'sourdough crumpets' from Aldi recently. For novelty value more than anything. I've also tried a bargain sourdough loaf from the 'lucky dip' at Morrisions.

Can't say I noticed any real difference in either - but I'm not really a crumpet connoisseur.

I've discovered wholemeal soft pitta breads at Aldi recently, (6 for 55p) recently and they're good. Chuck 'em in the toaster then split them afterward. Real butter is very dear at the moment, but there is really no substitute.

Delicious.

[Stanley]

"Real butter is very dear at the moment, "
Sorry to take issue with you David but perhaps at long last its somewhere near its economic price and I wish all the increase was going to the farmers.
(My favourite butter at the moment is Kerry Gold, reasonably priced and made from milk from grass-fed cows. As far as I can see this is the only milk that carries that guarantee.)

[PanBiker]

Theoretically my sourdough starter is ready for action. It was very bubbly last night. I have decided to start with a small loaf using 250g of flour, not much waste if it fails. I have set it of and am just managing the initial dough manipulation, one more light knead and it's ready to set aside for an hours proving. The dough ball looks nice and elastic and is stretchy so it looks like it could be a goer. Time will tell, plan is for the final rise in my Banneton, first prove to pass first.

[PanBiker]

I let the dough rise all afternoon in the Banneton. Slight difficulty releasing it but managed in the end. A slightly uneven rise in the oven but it will be edible. Not very big as it was only 250g of flour.

[PanBiker]

Second go with a sourdough loaf. This time 375g of flour and 250g of starter, salt and water. I mixed it yesterday afternoon and left it on its first prove until 10pm last night. I knocked it back and shoved it in the Banneton for an overnight rise. The slower and longer the rise you get a better crumb and more flavour. This morning it was over the top of the Banneton and it was a bit reluctant to free itself from the Banneton. It fell back quite a bit when I turned it out. I may have made my dough a bit slack although it felt right when I was kneading it up. Anyway, 40 minutes in the oven with a water bath in the bottom and this is the result.



It's not risen as far as I expected but it has a nice crust and will be tested with our home made soup at lunch today.

Between the last two loaves I made a batch of sourdough fruit scones, can't show you a picture of them, they were pretty good and didn't last long!