I love bread so much.
I was saying to my mum today that my house might be messy, but I get a lot done, we're all very happy and we eat really well!
I've been making a lot more "free formed" bread lately.
I was getting fed up of making a loaf in the bread maker and only eating 3/4 of it, instead if I make a batch of rolls I can pop what ever isn't eaten into the freezer for another time. Much better use of flour and electric.
I've also messed about with other types of loaves, my friend was talking about fougasses and I thought they sounded like a great idea to add to the freezer as a lunch that my wife could just grab on her way to work. Each loaf has cheese, salami and sun dried tomatoes in and is then topped with finely chopped rosemary and see salt with an egg glaze.
I also mixed up a batch of dough the other day and took it on a play date with me, a great way to get kids interested in what they're eating (although mine don't normally need much encouragement!)
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| My little baker making a loaf |
Next year I'm going to make a real effort to grow some more poppies, they are simply my favourite thing to add to bread, as a topping or in the dough, they add such a great, subtle, flavour.
I have some great plans in the extension to make a "prooving cupboard" above the new fireplace (but accessed behind it) so I have somewhere warm to keep my bread while it increases in size. Has anyone else done this?
What's your favourite bread to make?
What ingredients to you like to add?
I love bread but sadly can't eat too much, but my favourite would be pumpkin seed.
ReplyDeleteI do a great one with five seeds in it.
DeleteYour bread looks wonderful, they did some of these on Bake Off, love the idea of a proving cupboard, I have a proving shelf above the Rayburn it works great for me, sometimes too good.
ReplyDeleteThat's where my friend saw the loaf, I don't watch it but Google gave me the answers I needed!
DeleteYour bread looks great. I bought my retired husband Paul Hollywood's book and we haven't bought a loaf for about a year. He bakes all our bread. We don't have a breadmaker, but we do have a food mixer with a dough hook which helps with the initial hard work of kneading. He tries all sorts- white, malted, wholegrain, fougasse....but my favourite is foccacia..mmm. He has become really hooked over the past year and we always have fresh bread in the house - no wonder I'm putting on the pounds!
ReplyDeleteThat's the danger with good food, it makes you want to eat more of it! I do love foccacia as well and make it to go with spaghetti bolts sometimes.
DeleteAll your creations look terrific. I find bread making so relaxing and enjoyable. My favorite bread is Parmesan Peppercorn (but hubby doesn't like it so I don't make it often) . I also make incredible English Muffins. Hubby's favorite is an Amish loaf--which is a much sweeter bread that makes incredible French Toast
ReplyDeleteI also must like the word incredible---hah!
DeleteI'm salivating looking at the bread. I will make the effort to make more bread now I'm retired. Especially the flavoured ones to go with free soup. Yum
ReplyDeleteMy wife is a trained and award winning baker. She has ribbons to prove it too! I'm the family 'meatball' baker. All our bread is superior to the baked foam from the stores.
ReplyDeleteLet me share two things: Bread Machine. Get one, but don't pay much. We have an $8 limit here. We buy our bread machines at local 'thrift' shops. It seems folks get these as gifts and eventually give them away to the Good Will type stores. Hence, the 8 limit. Second, I always use the machine to make the dough. We almost never let it actually bake out the loaf. When the dough is right, we make it into a conventional loaf.
Additions: We keep fresh wheat berries on hand. When I make a loaf, I grind about 1/4 cup of wheat berries in a simple little coffee grinder. I add this grind without accounting for it in the measures. Just pour it in. The freshly ground berries/whole wheat add such a huge flavor increase.
Make more bread!
Hey Kev, all the bread looks divine! You know me, I could eat a whole loaf on my own. I only free form. I would quite like one of those bread proving baskets, but that is just more stuff to keep. I dont make to many rolls but this has given me inspiration!
ReplyDeletefougasse recipe when you have time? they look wonderful! i bake bread almost every day.
ReplyDeleteI second this recipe request! Your bread is beautiful. Additions: to wheat bread are cranberries and molasses, also I make a seeded bread with flax, millet, sunflower and oatmeal.
ReplyDeleteProofing: I bake in preheated cast iron with a lid to act as a proofer. Halfway through baking the lid comes off.
DeleteI do make Soda bread, because of the simplicity. Fougasse is popular here, but I've never tried making any.
ReplyDeleteyou've got me going now, I want to get my bake on but the local shops around here don't sell flour or yeast :o
ReplyDeleteI guess the local cave dwellers are too loyal to the village baker to do it themselves
Wow what beautiful breads. I can imagine your house smells delicious!
ReplyDelete