Tuesday 18 September 2012
Bread, After the Village Show
Until recently the results of my bread-making efforts were very hit and miss. Luckily, no matter what the quality of the finished bread, the house always smelled wonderful while it was baking.
I clung to the traditional method of baking bread, including the ten minute kneading session, despite my friend Dom's best efforts to persuade me otherwise. When I came third in the bread category of the village show, while Dom of Belleau Kitchen came first, I knew something must be done.
I decided to give this new-fangled low-knead method a go. It is very different and it does seem strange with a sloppier mix to begin with, but oh the sheer sensual pleasure of the elastic dough as the magic begins to work and you end up with a silky smooth dough for very little effort.
I follow the recipes in Dan Lepard's book 'Short and Sweet'. I'm fully committed to this method now ...with all the zeal of the newly converted.
I enjoy baking bread so much that I could quite happily bake it every day. Big loaves, small loaves, white bread, seeded bread, soya and linseed, farmhouse...I am working through the recipes and building up my repertoire...the waistlines are building up too.
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Damn the consequences, full steam ahead. Butter must be on your chin and jam on your fingers for the complete engulfing of the senses.
ReplyDeleteI am reading this while I am watching THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF
Deletehow apt
Hello Joanne, I confess, I love good bread so much that I am more than happy to eat it without any adornment. But yes, slathered with butter and jam, what could be nicer?
DeleteHello John, Isn't it getting exciting now...I don't think I would ever attempt strudel pastry after watching that, and as for Queen of Puddings - no thank you. They could have done with you there to deal with the emergency.
DeleteI think we need scratch and sniff blogs!! Your bread looks lovely. Jx
ReplyDeletehow wonderful...brilliant idea Jan!
DeleteA x
Hello Jan, You mean it didn't work? Darn it, there must be a glitch!
DeleteI can just smell all that gorgeous bread in the oven - looks absolutely delicious.
ReplyDeleteHello Molly, It is a smell young Harry is learning to get excited about when he comes into our house, he loves bread warm from the oven.
DeleteI won't eat any bread but homemade...save me a piece ,pleeeeeeeease.
ReplyDeleteJane x
Jane, I can recommend the soya milk and linseed bread, it is a delight. I'll fax you a whole loaf, right away.x
DeleteLove home made bread
ReplyDeleteHello Doc, Flour, yeast, water and a couple of other ingredients transform into something so comforting and delicious. Magic!
DeleteYour bread looks lovely. I make bread every day - J is particularly partial to my raisin and cinnamon.
ReplyDeleteHello Scarlet, Lucky J! I haven't introduced George to sweeter breads yet, no, I tell a lie, I made one of Susan's bread recipes and it was utterly delicious. Raisin and cinnamon has set my taste buds off, I am going to have to have a go at making some.
DeleteAbsolutely lovely Elaine! There is nothing better than homemade bread.
ReplyDeleteI dream sometimes about the cottage loaves my mother used to make when I was a little tich sometimes just sometimes she would give me the top bit smothered in butter.....such a lovely memory . I can almost smell that bread!!!
That's another thing the waft of bread just out of the oven there is nothing that can beat it!!!
keep well
Amanda :-)
Hello Amanda, Oh the joy of eating the bun part. When I was a little girl I often got into trouble for eating the crust off a loaf of bread - while I was carrying it home from the corner shop! I am a bread addict! Memories tied into food are very powerful.
DeleteMy mom always baked bread so that it was just coming out of the oven when we kids got home from school. I remember having thick slices of warm bread with peanut butter and a glass of milk--perfect after-school snack! Sometimes, she'd make one of the loaves with cinnamon sugar and raisins swirled through it. A slice of raisin bread with butter was nirvana. I'll bet your house smells just wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHello Ms Sparrow, What wonderful memories! My mother used to bake wonderful bread too - it has taken me all this time to finally find that I, too, can bake bread. OK, it may not be as good as my Mum's bread was, but I think Gran's bread will linger in Harry and Francesca's memories.
DeleteOh I love to bake bread and I love to eat it. Alas, it is my one downfall. I must try to be good....I must.
ReplyDeleteYour bread is beautiful!
Hello Bonnie, Scones, cakes, biscuits - none of those tempt me half as much as good, freshly baked bread. I have always loved it. These days I have set myself a limit of two slices a day...some days they may be cut slightly thicker than other days, but I only ever have two. ;-)
DeleteThat is alot of bread you have made. Do you freeze it to have later . . . or eat it now and wish you had not. Fresh bread rising and then baking is such a wonderful fragrance
ReplyDeleteHello Lynne, Luckily I have a few neighbours who often find themselves clutching a freshly baked loaf and probably wonder how they can get rid of it without offending me. I enjoy the whole process of making the dough and then the rewards of the aroma and finally the eating of it. It does freeze, but I don't often need to resort to doing so.
DeleteThe thing I like most (other than the taste) about Soda Bread, is that there is no time spent kneading. And it always seems to be perfect.
ReplyDeleteYours look beautiful; you're tempting me to light up our wood-fired stove!
Hello Cro, It is one of the nicest things to bake. There are many foods I could easily give up, but bread has always been my favourite staple. Give in to temptation, get that stove lit, indulge yourself!
DeleteWell, however you made it, yesterday's went down very nicely indeed, toasted and with Marmite, thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteHello Owl, I'm glad you enjoyed it...you may be interested to know I am going get a sourdough starter made soon, that should give me lots more recipes to try out on you all.
DeleteJust found your lovely blog and look forward to reading more ...
ReplyDeleteHello Vintage Jane, You are very welcome! Was it that smell of freshly baked bread which drew you in? I'll nip over to your blog shortly and say 'hello'.
DeleteI love the smell of freshly baked bread as well, but we do not eat much bread at the moment so it gets made by my husband about once a fortnight.
ReplyDeleteHello LindyLou, The smell is half the pleasure! I am having great fun exploring lots of different recipes - with mixed success!
DeleteWe LOVE home baked bread! Well, who doesn't? :-) I have tried some bread machine recipes and some Kitchenaid mixer recipes...will have to try some of these.
ReplyDeleteHello Marie, Home made bread is a delight. I think there is nothing else that I bake or cook which gives me quite as much pleasure as a freshly made loaf.
DeleteThe smell from your kitchen is wafting right over here through the lovely photos. My husband makes bread from our bible 'The complete bread book' but new recipes are read and sometimes tried too. Your loaves should definitely win many prizes next year don't forget to show us your cups etc
ReplyDeleteHello cuby poet, The end result of a bread baking session is so satisfying. The smell, the appearance, the slice of bread...I don't even need butter. I enjoy my slice of bread just as it comes...especially if it has a crusty crust! Your husband sounds like a dab hand!
DeleteI used to try making bread. All would go well, the kitchen smelled fabulous, but the bread was always inedible. My 12 (now 39) year old daughter would make the exact same recipe and turn out bread worthy of blue ribbons at any country show! Fair enough I suppose, my sponge cakes are always better than hers.
ReplyDeleteHello River, I am not a successful cake maker. They are edible, but they never look the way they should! Maybe that is why I am enjoying seeing beautiful bread come out of the oven instead of apologetic sponges!!
DeleteHi Elaine,
ReplyDeleteWith you on the bread front!! Just got some 50 year old sourdough starter in the fridge waiting for its wake up call! Nothing better than the smell of warm bread-except eating it of course!