[Food] Bread - Bread Maker vs Hand Made

[clapham_gull]

Just get a food mixer like a Kenwood, which has a dough hook and use it for other things as well.

I always use the dough hook, never bother kneading by hand, because that's what it is designed for.

Also, I don't bother buying strong bread flour any more. Because I couldn't get any - I bought some vital wheat gluten which is a natural product (usually from health food shops) that is simply the gluten extracted to make other things. They use it for meat subsitutues and it's often added to whole meal bread.

Just to reiterate, not a nasty additive - pure gluten extracted form the wheat.

Add a few teaspoons to plain flour and you have strong flour. Simple as that.

 

[clapham_gull]

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 want some good dried yeast (it's actually a professional one), I've got loads. Bought a bag the size of ground coffee bag a couple two weeks ago, because it was all I could get. It's open but in the fridge.

PM me your address and I'll vacuum pack some up for you and pop it in the post box. I've got too much anyway.

 

[schmunk]

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

Now it'll be a colonial.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

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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Surprisingly, found some at Sainsburys West Hove yesterday but only white flour. If you want a better selection then the bakery in Hangleton opposite Uncle Sams. Open 8am - 2pm Mon - Sat.

 

[jakarta]

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


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Clearly if they were an ILLEGAL it would be perfectly OK to enslave them. A nice blonde Lithuanian perhaps?

And to be serious for a minute (Sorry NSC), our local Sainsbury's, Waitrose and village Bakery all overflowing with bread, this is clearly not an issue?

 

[clapham_gull]

Flour is back-ish n the shops up here. I actually bought a job lot online (right in the middle of when it disappeared) from here:

https://www.hoohing.co.uk/-normal-flour-c102x3207828

Chinese Supermarket in East London.

It isn't "Chinese" flour, the Green Dragon Brand is from Netherlands. "Fine Lady" is just a bog standard UK plain flour.

No bread flour, but just add wheat gluten to strengthen it (see above)

Also bought a ton of other stuff. The delivery is a bit steep, but the actual prices are very very cheap. Turned up after a few days by courier, all carefully packed. They even rang me up because they had to change the brand of noodles...

 

[Guinness Boy]

Surprisingly, found some at Sainsburys West Hove yesterday but only white flour. If you want a better selection then the bakery in Hangleton opposite Uncle Sams. Open 8am - 2pm Mon - Sat.

Top man.

I put some in our Saino's click and collect but it was one of the things they emailed to say they didn't have. The 2 metre queue to go in was nearly back to the petrol station so I didn't bother going in and checking

This is terrific news though in that I am now out and about after over 2 weeks of self isolation. I think this gives me a legit shopping trip as I'll combine it with popping it to Wickies and loading up on some meat.

Cheers again.

 

[Chicken Run]

Top man.

I put some in our Saino's click and collect but it was one of the things they emailed to say they didn't have. The 2 metre queue to go in was nearly back to the petrol station so I didn't bother going in and checking

This is terrific news though in that I am now out and about after over 2 weeks of self isolation. I think this gives me a legit shopping trip as I'll combine it with popping it to Wickies and loading up on some meat.

Cheers again.

I’m told that Tescers have a bit of flour over at Holmbush, and Canners in CR Hove have got a great selection of meat.


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[Westdene Seagull]

Top man.

I put some in our Saino's click and collect but it was one of the things they emailed to say they didn't have. The 2 metre queue to go in was nearly back to the petrol station so I didn't bother going in and checking

This is terrific news though in that I am now out and about after over 2 weeks of self isolation. I think this gives me a legit shopping trip as I'll combine it with popping it to Wickies and loading up on some meat.

Cheers again.

No problem. Worth FB'ing Wickies saying what you want just in case - been very little in their window and displays recently.

 

[Guinness Boy]

No problem. Worth FB'ing Wickies saying what you want just in case - been very little in their window and displays recently.

Again worth knowing. Adam dropped a delivery three weeks ago but we've not contacted them since - a week's worth of Wickies lasts a good three with most people

 

[Goldstone1976]

For standard stuff I use the breadmaker - though it took a while for me to find a flour/yeast combination that gave me a satisfactory result. As [MENTION=865]clapham_gull[/MENTION] says above, I use Fermipan Red, and Shipton Mill flours.

For enriched doughs, and fancy stuff - baguettes, brioche, croissants, etc I do it by hand.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Again worth knowing. Adam dropped a delivery three weeks ago but we've not contacted them since - a week's worth of Wickies lasts a good three with most people

I'm always amazed when I ask for a pork leg joint for 5 adults and find half a pig when I pick it up. Those guys must have some appetites !!!! I dread to think what BG's steaks were like when he popped over on the bus.

 

[vegster]

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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Mr B the Baker in South Farm Road, Worthing is selling flour if that helps ? There is no real shortage apart from the fact that the bagging machines knocking up 1.5 kg bags can't keep up with the packing demand.
Morrisons have also recently taken to selling 1kg batches of bread flour, in the bags they use for sausage rolls and pies.

 

[Brok]

https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/show...ve-High-Salvington-Mill!&highlight=salvington
Here we go..... DIY

 

[The Large One]

Hand made every time.

Though getting hold of breadflour and yeast is a challenge.

 

[Machiavelli]

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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In Waitrose, Western Road (does shopping there make me a Tory?) they had some today.
There are places where you can get bread flour, but I'm not telling until I've placed my next order

Edit: it seems you frequent more plebeian establishments (does that make you a Kipper?)

 

[Machiavelli]

The answer to the question is quite obviously BOTH, as part of a three-day process that requires a sourdough starter

PS I've also recently come across a blinding pitta recipe although, disappointingly, that only takes c36 hours to make.

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

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.

Yep, breadmaker machine here too. Nice loaf in 2 hours.
Occasionally, I mix a French stick recipe in the machine and then bake in the oven

 

[vegster]

Hand made every time.

Though getting hold of breadflour and yeast is a challenge.

Morrisons for flour, they are batching up 1kg bags from the sacks they bake with, they also had fresh yeast yesterday for the first time in a month !

 

[Guinness Boy]

In Waitrose, Western Road (does shopping there make me a Tory?) they had some today.
There are places where you can get bread flour, but I'm not telling until I've placed my next order

Edit: it seems you frequent more plebeian establishments (does that make you a Kipper?)

I live in Portslade. Sainsbury's IS Tory round here...…

Anyway, Westdene sorted my flour issue so now I only need to find the grated crispy otter merkin that I use to season my sea urchin and we're away.