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Consider making your own bread, it's fun.

English Tutour (123 posts) • 0

for the first rise, I do that in the Bread Machine. For the second, I cover the dough and set my mini-oven to 90C and let the dough rise in there for the required time.

One of the main secrets to good bread making, especially for bread machines is in the measuring of the flour. One must not scoop and pat the flour. Scooping and patting the flour adds too much extra flour to the recipe.

I also never make a loaf of bread, I make rolls. They stay fresh longer in the freezer. And what I found was that the oven needs to be hot - at least 185C for good bread. I cover loosely for 2/3rds of the time with foil and then reduce to 180C and uncover to brown for the remaining time. Turns out perfect every single time!

BarbaraBarbara (63 posts) • 0

Yeast is an organism. It needs food to grow. As long as it has food it will continue to grow. It feeds on sugar. Cane sugar will do but the bread will have a vaguely sugary taste. However if you care to take a little more time it will also feed on the sugars that occur naturally in wheat flour. Altitude has nothing to do with it. Temperature has a little to do with it as it grows more rapidly at warm temperatures but will continue to grow in the refrigerator. Yeast continues to grow until it has used all the sugars available to it, and that's a lot. Therefore you only need to add a tiny little bit of yeast and then wait. Recipes that call for several teaspoons of yeast usually originate from yeast sellers. Bread made from flour, water, yeast and salt that has been slowly risen is the best. The flour seems to release a bunch of flavours and aromas unique to slowly risen bread. The main function of improvers is to give the bread a smooth glossy surface, soften its texture and improve its keeping qualities. If you want to use sugar and 'improvers' do so. Why you would I have no idea when you can also buy glossy, soft, sweet three day old bread at any Chinese bread store.

GoK Moderator (5096 posts) • 0

To be fair Barbara, bread machine bread is a different method to artisan bread making. The use of ingredients will be different as the timing is fixed. Slow risen is not doubt best, but not perhaps an option.
Try googling [altitude bread making]. Lots of websites do not share your opinion about altitude making no difference.
There is also a lot of stuff about Vitamin C and bread making. Apparently ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, promotes a more acidic environment for the yeast to thrive and produce more carbon dioxide. The more carbon dioxide, the more rise to your bread. Lack of rising does seem to be a problem with whole wheat flower and ascorbic acid is one solution that is recommended. Improver contains ascorbic acid, that is why I use it. My bread is not glossy, smooth or sweet.

Not all of us have the resources to make artisan bread. Some of us need to rely on a bread machine. Not all of us have access to artisan bread. Using a bread machine is a compromise, but then so is most of life; especially when you consider TIC.

I know you are an artisan, but try not to be too patronising about other peoples efforts.

Magnifico (1981 posts) • 0

Sorry, I'm not a bread expert but did anyone mention sourdough? I love the taste and apparently it has other benefits.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_machine
Sourdough contains a symbiotic culture of yeast and lactobacteria; lactic acid produced by sourdough's lactobacteria greatly preserves bread.

GoK Moderator (5096 posts) • 0

A good link from the @English Tutour in another thread

"Through trial and error, I found out about adding extra salt, reducing the amount of yeast, and adding more liquid...

Excellent article about dealing with high altitude and bread making voices.yahoo.com/[...] "

BarbaraBarbara (63 posts) • 0

Sorry guys. I'd no intention of being patronising. I was however overlooking the fact that much of this discussion is about bread making machines and I do agree with you that if what is coming out at the end of the process is not suiting you, you will have to fiddle with the ingredients to get the results you're after. I have also assumed that my taste in bread is the same as everyone else's.

English Tutour (123 posts) • 0

For sure, Barbara, no prob!

And - ones taste in bread has a great deal to do with where you are from, where the bread differs from country to country and tradition to tradition. Croissants, vs. German dense and chewy broits vs. Italian breads vs. American Wonderbread, etc., etc.

bucko (695 posts) • 0

For rising, I use the microwave.
Put a cup of water in and run for 4 minutes while you are mixing dough.
When you are ready for rising, put the dough in the microwave which is now nice warm and humid inside.

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