[Food] Bread - Bread Maker vs Hand Made

[Westdene Seagull]

Obviously lockdown has brought out the breadmakers in many of us ( is it Tory to make bread ? ). Used to own a breadmaker a few years ago but it broke and I never replaced it. I was looking at getting a new one but Miss WS said she'd make some by hand as she works in a restaurant and makes a lot of the dough. OMG, the difference. No breadmaker being purchased now.

Obviously you can't just chuck the ingredients in a machine and have a cooked loaf when you get up but I think the extra effort is worthwhile.

So the question for the breadmakers among us ( for we are the blessed ), machine or hand made ?

 

[Mr Bridger]

Obviously lockdown has brought out the breadmakers in many of us ( is it Tory to make bread ? ). Used to own a breadmaker a few years ago but it broke and I never replaced it. I was looking at getting a new one but Miss WS said she'd make some by hand as she works in a restaurant and makes a lot of the dough. OMG, the difference. No breadmaker being purchased now.

Obviously you can't just chuck the ingredients in a machine and have a cooked loaf when you get up but I think the extra effort is worthwhile.

So the question for the breadmakers among us ( for we are the blessed ), machine or hand made ?

Need a step by step on how you’re doing it.
I’ve got a bread maker and usually put it on timer so I wake up in the morning to the smell of fresh bread. Would like to have a go at making my own thou.

 

[schmunk]

Obviously lockdown has brought out the breadmakers in many of us ( is it Tory to make bread ? ). Used to own a breadmaker a few years ago but it broke and I never replaced it. I was looking at getting a new one but Miss WS said she'd make some by hand as she works in a restaurant and makes a lot of the dough. OMG, the difference. No breadmaker being purchased now.

Obviously you can't just chuck the ingredients in a machine and have a cooked loaf when you get up but I think the extra effort is worthwhile.

So the question for the breadmakers among us ( for we are the blessed ), machine or hand made ?

I rather suspect that in a proper ABX taste test you'd not be able to tell the difference.

 

[Bozza]

We are similar to you - had a breadmaker, it broke and we never replaced it.

We've been getting bread/pastry/savoury boxes from our local independent coffee shop (who actually get them from Coburn & Baker: https://coburnandbaker.co.uk/shop/) to help support them and keep them afloat, we've not been able to track yeast down and I haven't bothered with making a sour dough starter yet.

However, I have made soda bread a few times and it was great. It is ridiculously easy and, on the sunnier days, to take it straight from the oven out into the garden (Tory) for lunch with some mozzarella, chilli halloumi (Tory) or just some salted butter was brilliant.

 

[arewethereyet?]

I always prefer to do it by hand, it’s much more satisfying

 

[Lincoln Imp]

What about using the bread maker to help prepare the dough and doing the rest by hand and in the oven?

 

[southstandandy]

We've got one and the wife makes a small fresh loaf roughly twice a week. Tastes much nicer than a bulk standard loaf to me anyway. The only problem has been getting flour in the last week or two, but probably have enough to currently make a few more as things stand.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Need a step by step on how you’re doing it.
I’ve got a bread maker and usually put it on timer so I wake up in the morning to the smell of fresh bread. Would like to have a go at making my own thou.

We've been using this basic recipe - https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-white-bread

Using live yeast though - 21g with a teaspoon of sugar and mash with the back of a spoon. Turns to liquid yeast.

Use the measurements as a guide not gospel. If the dough feels too wet then add a little bit more flour. Too dry and add a dash of water. Kneed for at least 10 minutes. Miss WS has been adding two teaspoons of dry herds - rosemary is my favorite so far. Add an egg glaze to get a good browning.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

We are similar to you - had a breadmaker, it broke and we never replaced it.

We've been getting bread/pastry/savoury boxes from our local independent coffee shop (who actually get them from Coburn & Baker: https://coburnandbaker.co.uk/shop/) to help support them and keep them afloat, we've not been able to track yeast down and I haven't bothered with making a sour dough starter yet.

However, I have made soda bread a few times and it was great. It is ridiculously easy and, on the sunnier days, to take it straight from the oven out into the garden (Tory) for lunch with some mozzarella, chilli halloumi (Tory) or just some salted butter was brilliant.

Try your local baker for yeast - ours is selling flour and live yeast.

 

[Notters]

Same here, much much better bread making it by hand.

 

[Bozza]

Try your local baker for yeast - ours is selling flour and live yeast.

I did at the beginning of all this nonsense, and they don't.

An Italian independent restaurant in Worthing was selling raw ingredients as well as offering a hot food delivery service, but yeast was in units of 1kg. I know you can portion it and freeze it, but even so!

 

[CheeseRolls]

I think I have just about all options covered. I have a panasonic breadmaker, a food processor with a dough hook, a small wood burning pizza oven , a sourdough starter in the fridge and now son number two showing an interest and some talent bread making. Last few weeks he has made bagels, naan bread and bo buns. The latter were relatively straightforward to make and were particularly good. CR Junior likes to do everything by hand. I am not averse to using gadgets, particularly for the first stage. By outsourcing the bread making I can focus on all the other components of a great meal.

 

[schmunk]

By outsourcing the bread making I can focus on all the other components of a great meal.

At a guess, cheese?

 

[Guinness Boy]

Try your local baker for yeast - ours is selling flour and live yeast.

Where’s that please? I literally can’t get flour anywhere. My daughter loves baking and I use flour a lot to thicken sauces. I’m probably on the last 100g and no supermarket has it


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[CheeseRolls]

At a guess, cheese?

Haha - I have made the odd batch of paneer which is really easy, if you have some muslin.

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[CheeseRolls]

Where’s that please? I literally can’t get flour anywhere. My daughter loves baking and I use flour a lot to thicken sauces. I’m probably on the last 100g and no supermarket has it


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Truffles if you have one near you.

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[jakarta]

We are similar to you - had a breadmaker, it broke and we never replaced it.

We've been getting bread/pastry/savoury boxes from our local independent coffee shop (who actually get them from Coburn & Baker: https://coburnandbaker.co.uk/shop/) to help support them and keep them afloat, we've not been able to track yeast down and I haven't bothered with making a sour dough starter yet.

However, I have made soda bread a few times and it was great. It is ridiculously easy and, on the sunnier days, to take it straight from the oven out into the garden (Tory) for lunch with some mozzarella, chilli halloumi (Tory) or just some salted butter was brilliant.

If you were a PROPER Tory you would have a poorly paid Eastern European, who currently lives in your Garden Shed, making it for you...

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Panasonic breadmaker. Resorted to half-bread flour half normal flour. It's just so easy to make a loaf - one every couple of days. I should have a go at hand made bread and I am sure it is better, but the breadmaker is, as I say, just so easy.

 

[Chicken Run]

If you were a PROPER Tory you would have a poorly paid Eastern European, who currently lives in your Garden Shed, making it for you...

Wrong, their wouldn’t be any Eastern European’s here!


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[nicko31]

Find they are OK for kneading the bread but they don’t tend to cook well, often heavy and stodgy result. Found it better to finish off in the oven, you introduce hydration also to get more of crust

The only time I’ve ever seen a breadmaker make a half decent loaf was in the US is with a Zojirushi BB-PAC20, a dual paddle machine only available in 110v – so no good for UK