UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion
Craft and Cooking (Recipes)
>
In praise of the breadmaker
I need to make more bread again. Oh and then dip it in oil and balsamic vinegar....*drools homer style*
I'm back to using the bread machine most days now there's just the 2 of us to feed again. Keep meaning to get a bit more adventurous than the basic 2 recipes (the quick loaf and the 3 hr one) though.
I've made hot cross bun loaves in mine! I use a normal recipe for making hot cross buns the old fashioned way but just bung all the ingredients in at the beginning (wet first). Works brilliantly!
Now that is def worth a try. I love hot cross buns
I had a bread maker years ago. It was great to start with but then it just stopped producing consistently good bread. Are the machines technically any better than 1990?
I was devasted when my breadmaker broke! Thankfully, someone has lent us one whilst I save up for a new one. I use it most of the time but we do occasionally fancy a change and buy some bread from the nice local bakery.
Simon (Highwayman) wrote: "I had a bread maker years ago. It was great to start with but then it just stopped producing consistently good bread. Are the machines technically any better than 1990?"I used to have a really old bread machine that I got from a car boot sale for three pounds. It was fab! It was some German make I'd never heard of but it never produced a bad loaf. Then I got given a quite expensive newer model by someone who had bought it on a whim but hardly ever used it. I gratefully accepted and gave my old faithful to a deserving cause. My new machine is not as good as the old one. The stirer always comes off in the loaf and the bread doesn't always rise well. It has fewer programmes too, which means that most loaves get baked on the normal setting. On my old machine, I had about 15 options and had worked out what was best for each thing. White was three, hot cross buns five and wholemeal was fifteen. The times varied a lot more on the old one and I'm sure this is why the new one is less reliable.
Another thing I've found is that if you buy the ready mixed bread packets from the supermarket, if they are near the best before (ie within about a month), they don't always rise well. I think the yeast dies, as if you buy the yeast packs, it's always in airtight sachets, not just the paper bag of a ready mixed bread packet. So reach to the back of the shelf and you'll be fine!
There's nothing more disappointing than after three or four hours to only get a solid brick at the end!
That's interesting Beverly.I get the premix packets (whe they are on offer) and quite like the James Martin red onion bread. I usually do it on the short cycle, but the last twice it's been a bit of a lump. Today I put it on the long cycle. I shall see how it looks in an hour.
Oh I never thought of trying it on a longer setting! Mine has descriptions rather than numbers, ie rapid, white, cake, brown and a couple of others, I think, but I suppose I could be a rebel and try it on something else!That James Martin red onion sounds nice, I've never seen that, but I'll keep an eye out for it now!
I'm our breadmaker. I find it takes very little time. And yes, it rises and cooks without my intervention. OK, I'm an auld luddite!
Well the only difference to the last squished loaf I made was it was even crunchier on the outside.It was dated Jan 2013, so perhaps it does need a bit extra yeast.
http://applepiezucchini.wordpress.com...
Ok. I'm convinced. Brand and models please.
That is the newer version of the one I have (SD-257WXC) and it is Fabulous
Gets great reviews. Out of stock at argos.
I love my bread machine ! Had stopped making bread but have now started again, and when I'm in my new kitchen and I get a really big freezer, I'll have different loaves of everything so I can just pick the slice that tickles my fancy :)I have this one (which looks like an older model from the one you were looking at) and it's absolutely fab. It has plenty of recipes (savoury and sweet breads, even cake mixtures) and it's really easy to use. I've had mine for 4 years now, and while it took a holiday for a while, I spent a whole 2 years without ever buying a single loaf of bread.
Lorraine, you are such a housewife.It makes you even more adorable.
OH really loves the Wrights bread mix with Parmesan and sun dried tomatoes. I don't use a machine just a Kenwood and the oven. Its still quicker (and usually drier) than getting to the Welsh bakers and back.
Bought a bread mix. Now I just knead a machine
Patti will give you some abuse for that one, Simon, but I laughed.
The old ones are the best.
Simon...Currys have got some really good offers on Panasonic breadmakers at the moment.
My previous one had a compartment on top for putting raisins or whatever in and it would mix it in later on in the cycle.I would put smarties in there and if the timing was right, I'd get rainbow bread with chocolate lumps. If the timing was wrong it would be grey swirls. Gorgeous.
Michael wrote: "Lorraine, you are such a housewife.It makes you even more adorable."
Awww <3
Joo The Grand Inquisitor wrote: "My previous one had a compartment on top for putting raisins or whatever in and it would mix it in later on in the cycle.I would put smarties in there and if the timing was right, I'd get rainbow ..."
oh that's such a fab idea Joo ! Do you do this with normal bread dough? Ollie would love that !
What's this "normal bread dough"? I don't understand ;p
Smarties would be nice in a brioche I would think, being a sweet bread.
Mine beeps at you to let you know it's time to add things to the bread. I never thought of adding smarties though
Smarties in bread?Whoever knew that water and flour could be so exciting?
That's put the idea in a few of your minds. I wonder if there'll be a surge in sales of smarties :)Like I said, you've got to leave it until the very last minute otherwise they'll melt too early. Perhaps put them in the fridge or freezer beforehand.
I bet chocolate covered raisins would be nice too.
Simon (Highwayman) wrote: "Hops might be nice."Jeez
Beer bread. Saves time I suppose...
There you are Simon - you have to get a bread machine now!!
Ignite wrote: "I'm our breadmaker. I find it takes very little time. And yes, it rises and cooks without my intervention. OK, I'm an auld luddite!"
I had a breadmaker at one point but it took longer to clean the damn thing than by doing it all by hand, and you only got one shape when I like to do me plaits and other fancy shapes (not saying all breadmakers are a pain to clean but I would say from painful experience it's certainly something you have to check for before buying).
Now I use the mixer, (although all food processors have a dough hook these days) Bung everything in with fast action yeast so you only need it to rise once and it all takes less than 10 minutes (excluding rising time) including the washing up.
Damn this thread!...I've just ordered a Panasonic one after looking at the great reviews and some youtube clips on it.It was on special offer and going through the nectar site I've also got double points on it. It's being delivered (free) on Tuesday.
All your fault Rob and Simon...lol.
;0)
Yay Vanessa ! You're going to love it!
If I bought one, I would use it a couple of times and then get fed up with it.Kind of like what happened with the soda stream, and the washing machine.
Michael, you need a woman that will take good care of you :)And wash your clothes !
I never found cleaning my machine a chore. Damp sponge the outside and a quick wipe out of the bread pan.I had the throwing together of a loaf down to a science as well. Kept all the ingredients together on one shelf and did the loaf dance in about three minutes.
We've recently got a sodastream too. Love it. I never use flavours, though. I just use it for fizzy water or put a teeny bit of squash in with it.
Oh what have I done!Just downloaded the instruction manual for the machine I'm getting and it's got loads of recipes in it. Apart from all the normal loaves there's loads of speciality breads, spelt,brioche, panetone, loads of Italian breads, cakes, jams and compotes.
I was trying to lose weight...who'm I kidding!
Going to go out now and by bread flour and dried yeast.
There's a recipe for sundried tomato bread, which I love, so that might be one of my first loaves. Along with the cheese and onion bread, the fruit loaf, the multi seed, foccacia...drool...you get the picture lol.
After years of gentle hints I got a bread making machine for Christmass. It is awesome.
Consistently makes really good bread (I have worked out my own recipe for it) and it has enabled me to just about live up to a New Year resolution that I would only eat the bread I bake (at home that is).
It takes about 5 minutes preparation time for each loaf and then I can get on with other things. It has an added bonus of filling the house with that great smell of baked bread.