Breadmakers?

[SteveToms]

Is Bagor going to thank everyone in this thread?

[Bagor]

That's the type of guy I am.

Now out of thanks so sorry Bud. You're SOL.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Forget the breadmaker, the spungey crap those things produce is not worth it (unless that's what you like).

I highly recommend reading this simple bread making technique. Ive tried this out, and not only is it easy (trust me, I'm an idiot in the kitchen...I once managed to set spaghetti on fire), the result is simply awesome. Nice crusty bread that feels like it came out of an old-world hearths.

The article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08mini.html

The recipe:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/di...r=1&ref=dining

I sometimes make bread this way. Now the main drawback is that you mainly just make a loaf of bread with this method, and it turns out great......BUT, you do not want an heirloom type crust for cinnamon buns, yeast donuts etc. and they can not be made this way.

I also have a commercial Bosch machine that has a dough hook and with that machine, I can put in about 12 to 14 cups of flour, 6 to 7 cups of liquid and have it kneaded in around 3 to 5 minutes. And that makes 4 to 6 loaves of bread, or the equivalent in cinnamon buns or whatever bread product you wish to make.

I also had a breadmaker, although it has since gone to one of my kids. While the bread made in a breadmaker might not have the same crust as making it the long fermentation method, it certainly is a far cry better than most commercial bread that you purchase. So if you wish to get a breadmaker, don't shy away thinking you will end up with sponge and mush.

The bread maker I had made a rectangular loaf, it did everything, you just put in the ingredients and then waited for the bread to be done. Mine had a timer for a fast and a slow cycle. I never had any problems with the long cycle, just make sure your yeast is on the top of the dry ingredients. I believe it also had 3 crust setttings, so you could get a very dark crispy crust or a lighter more tender crust. And you can make any type of bread in a breadmaker. And what some people do is just use the breadmaker to mix and knead the dough and then they take out the dough and do other stuff with it. So make your pizza dough, enough dough for a small pan of cinnamon buns, whatever. I think I had this breadmaker, I do know it was an Oster.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005OTXK/ref%3Dasc_df_B00005OTXK819434/%3Ftag%3Daskcomel-20%26creative%3D380333%26creativeASIN%3DB00005OTXK %26linkCode%3Dasn

Now a couple of things I found in Calgary, and that is because of our high altitude and dry climate. If you have never made food products with yeast, you might not even notice this or know what the problem is. Anyhow, I found that the recipe book that came with my breadmaker never gave very good results. So I adapted and started using less yeast, and I either cut back on the dry ingredients or added a bit more liquid. Flour in Calgary is drier because of our dry climate, so it will absorb more liquid. And if you don't compensate for that, you end up with a terribly dry loaf and will be discouraged from further bread making.

It is hard until you have tried it a couple of times, but you have to know what the proper consistency of bread looks and feels like. If too much flour and not enough liquid, the loaf will not rise properly and will be very dense, dry and poor crumb. On the other hand, if too much liquid and not enough flour, the bread will rise quite nicely, but it will not be able to hold that shape and will fall during baking. Depending on the type of flour you use, you might want to consider adding a bit of gluten as well. You can find that down most baking aisles these days and if not, for sure in most health food stores or organic stores.

[redforever]

By the way, if you wish to see a video explaining how the slow fermentation method works, you can check out these sites. Both are the same, just different viewers.


http://vimeo.com/2886078?pg=embed&sec=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX_6l2bmvQI&feature=related

[yads]

I just made bread last night for the first time using this recipe.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-...bread-machine/

It was quick, easy, and tastes good. I did oversalt it as I misread 2 tsp as 2 tbsp, so it tastes more like pretzel bread.

[The Goon]

I recall seeing something on TV about ten years ago that to get your money's worth from a breadmaker, you'd have to make bread every day for six years.

Still, the smell it makes in the house is AWESOME.

[4X4]

Bread is about the last thing I'd consider making myself. My mom used to do it and it was good, but why waste the time on something that you cannot really make any better than the stuff at the store? It's not like pasta sauce where you can make it 10x better than the crap on the shelf at Safeway.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by yads

I just made bread last night for the first time using this recipe.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-...bread-machine/

It was quick, easy, and tastes good. I did oversalt it as I misread 2 tsp as 2 tbsp, so it tastes more like pretzel bread.

I would find another recipe. First of all, 2 Tbsp of yeast for only 5 cups of flour? wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much. I use maybe that amount for 14 cups of flour.

And baking bread at 350F? No way, no wonder the loaves are light and look unappetizing.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Bread is about the last thing I'd consider making myself. My mom used to do it and it was good, but why waste the time on something that you cannot really make any better than the stuff at the store? It's not like pasta sauce where you can make it 10x better than the crap on the shelf at Safeway.

Well, bread making is indeed the same as making your own pasta sauce and good homemade bread is 10x better than the mass produced bread in supermarkets.

Most of my family and guests are quite happy with my bread, and usually if we are invited to friends and I ask if I can bring something, they say, bread?

All of these were made by me, without a breadmaker. Making good bread is all about knowing what bread dough should feel like and it is all about ratios of the actual ingredients.

Sometimes I braid my bread...For the round loaf, I first of all made a braid of bread, next I tied that braid in a knot and tucked the ends under. Then I baked it in a terra cotta flower pot, with straight sides. I oiled and seasoned that terra cotta pot so it is now non stick. Baking in that terra cotta pot is similar to baking bread on a pizza stone, you get a very nice crust. The long loaf was baked in a French loaf mesh pan.



My cinnamon buns, I use my Grandmother's Spudnut recipe...



Crescent rolls.....I roll the dough into a large circle, cut the circle into 12 triangles and roll up each triangle, large end to small end



Multigrain rolls, a variation on my grandmother's spudnut recipe, just not as rich, so cut down on eggs, use a bit of oil instead of butter,etc and add in whole wheat flours and other grains for fiber.....



Orange twists, again, another variation of my grandma's recipe with some orange juice concentrate etc added, and instead of making them like cinnamon buns, I cut strips, twist them, tuck one end under and they end up with a Danish shape



And these are oatmeal twists, a very nice wholewheat dinner roll. They have oatmeal in them of course, flaxseed meal, wholewheat and all purpose flour. I roll pieces of dough into ropes, tie each rope in a knot and then tuck the ends under.

[yads]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Bread is about the last thing I'd consider making myself. My mom used to do it and it was good, but why waste the time on something that you cannot really make any better than the stuff at the store? It's not like pasta sauce where you can make it 10x better than the crap on the shelf at Safeway.

It's not just the taste, but also the satisfaction of doing something yourself.

[Zevo]

Red, that is some nice looking bread. There is nothing like warm, fresh bread slathered with butter. Mmmmm!

[The Goon]

Suddenly, I'm hungry.

[Madman]

Originally Posted by Table 5

sit on your ass and watch tv and dont touch it.

That's what my wife tells me every night.

[lucky1]

I used to make bread with the breadmaker all the time, it was really good, but just not worth the pia factor when you can buy decent whole grains at the store. But, I still use it all the time to make pizza dough.....

[twotoner]

Get one of them baking stones from the grocery store - about 10-15 bucks I think. Makes a big difference if you are going with the roll your own approach.

[Kipper is King]

Originally Posted by 4X4

...why waste the time on something that you cannot really make any better than the stuff at the store? It's not like pasta sauce where you can make it 10x better than the crap on the shelf at Safeway.

But there's so many flavours you can add to bread. It doesn't have to be plain everytime. I do think homemade bread is better that way.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by twotoner

Get one of them baking stones from the grocery store - about 10-15 bucks I think. Makes a big difference if you are going with the roll your own approach.

It depends on what you are baking. For loaves of bread yes, for other bread products, not necessarily. Not all bread products are to have a crusty exterior.

[wooohooo]

Are you a woman redforever? Not dissing you, just curious. Those are some darn good looking buns haha the best I ever made was Banana bread but I added too much of not sure what and it tasted like soap.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

Are you a woman redforever? Not dissing you, just curious. Those are some darn good looking buns haha the best I ever made was Banana bread but I added too much of not sure what and it tasted like soap.

Yes, I am female, thought most knew. But men can bake and cook too you know.

If your banana loaf tasted like soap, chances are you put in too much baking soda, that is the main leavening agent in banana bread.

Or, your bananas were past the stage of being overripe((

[Kipper is King]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

Are you a woman redforever?

Really? You think baking is a girly thing?
I beg to differ.http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...62#post1963762