Off Topic > Food & Drink
Making bread
PaulR:
My latest attempt (I tried posting a moment ago but seem to have failed) was a fluffy springy delight - taken from a recipe for "Mantovana olive oil bread" by Marcella Hazan. We ate both loaves in the space of a few hours. Two three-hour stints in the airing cupboard with a thorough knocking back in between.
rafletcher:
--- Quote from: Liz on November 03, 2008, 01:11:55 PM ---I've been making home made bread recently, and although it's mainly been successful (apart from the first one which was squidgy inside) I've been getting squat, compact little loaves. The dough rises exactly like it's meant to, but doesn't seem to get any bigger when it's been baked. It's good bread, just a bit stodgy.
The only thing I can think of is that I've been letting it rise in a bowl, then transferring it to a tin for baking. Maybe I should let it rise in the tin so that I don't have to handle it which seems to deflate it a bit before baking.
Any ideas?
--- End quote ---
Yep, what you're making is real bread, not some airy squidgy chewy pasty confection made by the "Chorleywood" process. The bread you're getting is just as it should be, solid and nutricious.
DO try making some real sourdough, and also some real (and extremely messy) ciabbatta. The ferment for that takes several days, but the holey chewy tasty result is fantastic.
Polar Bear:
If you want fluffy bread you need chemicals. Read up on the Chorleywood method. Yuk!!
I have never been able to get a fluffy loaf baking at home. Doesn't mean you can't of course... :)
Strong white flour rises so much better than wholemeal. I tend to mix my bread 75/25 strong white / wholemeal. 50/50 gives a really tasty loaf but rises much much less. 50/50 is great for adding seeds too imo.
/edit Cross post with rafletcher :thumbsup:
blackpuddinonnabike:
I'd recommend reading 'Bread Matters' by Andrew Whitley - if anything, knowing what goes into mass-produced bread will easily make you persevere with your own. Made some great stotties from that (as well as others).
Julian:
Ah - I'm using granary bread flour, and adding seeds, so that might have something to do with it.
Chemicals in commercial bread is one reason I'm making my own - the other being that I can eat pretty much an entire loaf of Hovis and still be hungry a couple of hours later. My bread, stodgy or not, is much more filling. ;D
More salt, more yeast, rise in the tin, two provings. No airing cupboard but putting it next to a radiator works just as well (and keeps the cat happy). I'll report back on the next loaf. :thumbsup:
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