What's BLF Baking these days ?

Off-topic Chatter
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Nice to see some bakers! Hopefully……my 16kg bag will be here today. I’m getting withdrawal symptoms now.
pc_light - is that a loaf or a cake? if it’s a loaf I think something went wrong :wink: it could be for a number of reasons. Doesn’t matter though, it’s still lovely fresh or toasted/heated. Or maybe it’s a different kind of bread entirely? soda maybe?
It can be frustrating making bread, I have been there lol - but stick with it please, it’s very rewarding for you and friends/family - especially now. People love a fresh loaf or some buns! I used to make my Nan ‘Chelsea Buns’ regularly, but since she died a few years ago, i cannot face or want to make them :frowning:
I have been baking for many years now, and since it’s the best recipe ever, I thought I would share with you all.
I have tried hundreds of recipes - this one every time comes out fantastic.
I don’t hand knead the first bit, i do it it in a Kenwood chef. 1 minute on lvl 4, 4 minutes on level 1. Done.
The second knead i do by hand. DO NOT skip the butter bit, it takes the longest, but makes a difference.

Ballymaloe white yeast bread - by Darina Allen

The bread that was made in my home was always soda bread, so it wasn’t until I went to school in Cathal Brugha Street in Dublin that I learned the skill of making white yeast bread. Later I brought it to Ballymaloe House and they’ve been making it there ever since. This dough can be used to make rolls, loaves, breadsticks and all manner of bread shapes. .

Makes 2 x 450g (1lb) loaves (or 1 big one)

425ml (¾ pint) lukewarm water
20g (¾oz) fresh yeast
700g (1½ lb) strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
2 teaspoons salt
10g (½oz) sugar
25g (1oz) butter
Egg wash and poppy or sesame
Seeds for topping (optional)

2 x loaf tins 12.5cm (5in) x 20cm (8in)

Put 150ml (¼ pint) of tepid water into a Pyrex measure. Crumble in the fresh yeast and leave in a warm place for about 2–3 minutes. Sieve together the flour, salt and sugar in a large, wide mixing bowl. Then rub in the butter (looks like tiny breadcrumbs) and make a well in the centre. Pour in the yeast mixture and most of the remaining lukewarm water. Mix to a loose dough, adding the remaining water or a little extra flour as needed.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, cover and leave to relax for about 5 minutes. Then knead for about 10 minutes or until smooth, springy and elastic (if kneading in a food mixer with a dough hook, 5 minutes is usually long enough). Put the dough into a large bowl and cover the top tightly with clingfilm. Yeast dough rises best in a warm moist atmosphere; 27°C (80.5°F) is optimum, but a slower rising is preferable to one that is too fast.

After about 1½–2 hours, when the dough has more than doubled in size, knead it again for about 2–3 minutes to redistribute the yeast in contact with the dough so it will have a more even crumb. Cover and leave to relax for a further 10 minutes.

Shape the bread into loaves, plaits or rolls, then transfer to a baking tray and cover with a light tea towel. Leave to rise again in a warm place, until the shaped dough has again doubled in size (about 20–30 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/gas mark 8.

The bread is ready for baking when a small dent remains if the dough is pressed lightly with the finger. Brush with water and dust with flour for a rustic looking loaf or brush with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds for a more golden crust.

The bread will rise a little further when it goes into the oven – this is called ‘oven-spring’. Bake for 25–35 minutes, depending on size. When baked, the bread should sound hollow if tapped underneath. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

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G0OSE, it’s wholewheat bread hence the darker color. The bumps and ridges are from my dull knife dragging instead of cutting across the top while I tried to score the bread before popping it into the oven. The insides looked (and tasted) prettier than the outside, I should have taken a photo of the nice crumb inside but it’s all gone now :stuck_out_tongue:

Thanks for the tips, I will definitely give the Ballymaloe bread a try, it’s always fun to try new recipes. Hopefully it will turn out ok with any adjustments I need to make (such as dry yeast instead of fresh, etc.)

Today’s baking treat are a couple loafs using white flour instead of wholewheat. Ignore the funny looking patches some of the filling popped out of the sausage rolls.

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Yum! I’ve baked every day since my 16kg bag arrived! I made french sticks yesterday and this the day before-
!!

Today no bread but lemon victoria sponge!
If using that balymoe recipe and dried fast yeast (the tiny stuff) use 10.5g

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Wow those are nice loafs yum yum! I would of thought those were store bought. :smiley:
I’m gonna attempt my first bread loaf this weekend. I’m wanting to make Old cheddar bread.
For the cheddar part, I was thinking…

1) shred cheddar and mix with dry flour
2) proceed with the usual mix and wait and then bake

I’m wanting the cheddar to be evenly mixed when the bread comes out of oven. Is is ok to do it this way?

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Make your mix without cheese, mix it up and rest for 40 mins.
Put the cheddar in on the second knead there is a risk the extra salt will affect the rising, then let it settle for 10/15 mins, then shape into loaf, then leave 45 mins (ish) .
Always keep salt/yeast apart (obviously they mix in the end) but definitely don’t let them touch at first or the yeast will be killed too quick.
10 mins from end put grated cheddar on top. Make sure the loaf is nearly cooked first or it’ll drop.
I have been making bread for years and that Ballymaloe white yeast bread recipe rules lol! Never had a bad one since I used it.

Bread is EASY to make but it’s a bugger to master! when you get into it, it’s quite upsetting when things go wrong - but at least you know why when you’ve made 100’s of loaves!
At first it seems a mystery! too much/too little rising/mixing/dry/wet etc
Generally the wetter the better - but the dough HAS to be right for wetter (window panes - google) , as it’ll spread everywhere if not. Drier you can get away with, but it’ll be a worse crumb/texture……and so on……
If you over prove it may collapse, if you under prove it’ll be great fresh/toasted but no good next day.
Mixing… if you under mix the gluten doesn’t evolve, if you over mix you destroy the gluten.
All a very fine balancing act to get it ‘just right’ - but that will come with experience. I hope you enjoy it, I do greatly.
My top tip is put a big mug of cold water (or ice cubes) in the bottom of the oven right before you put the loaf in - this makes steam and helps stop the crust forming so quick and hence a better rise, it’s also more crispy.

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G0OSE - thanks for the substitution info.

For the sausage roll, after the first rise, I slightly flatten into a rectangular shape then spread the filling on top. Then slowly fold the end over (or roll) so that the filling stays inside. Slightly press any seams and place underneath for the final proof rise before bake. It’s still fairly evenly spread using this role method.

I prefer this method over mixing into the dough to minimize any filling (especially cheese) being exposed and burning during bake. Even using the roll method some of the filling manages to pop out (as you can see from the photo).

Happy baking (and eating!)

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For a show stopper on the table (and it’s easy) try the top loaf in this pic - just make a long roll, put ur topping on, then snip with scissors almost right through - then drag the bit to the left, then the next to the right etc.
It looks the nuts and is easier than making a loaf lol!

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This week I have been mostly baking Sourdough.
I work in a flour mill so no shortages here :smiley:

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Useful to know…… I had a mare getting flour.

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My yeast is 8 yrs old according to expiry date :smiley: . This weekend I started a sourdough starter plus attempted to get some yeast started with water and sugar for a normal bread bake . The yeast/sugar after 10 mins didn’t foam or anything. I then threw the yeast away thinking it was bad.
This morning the starter looked okay for day 1 and it was foaming. Then I figured the yeast was ok so I retrieved it back from the garbage. :slight_smile: Might have to fine tune my yeast mix next time. Yeah baking’s and art and a science! :innocent:

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Hehe. You know, you don’t need yeast? Just flour and water in a semi warm place and it’ll do it’s business. Just takes a bit longer, I have never used yeast. My mix is ages old and started using this-

Some use a 1/2 potato in the mix, it eventually dissolves, just add another.
Let it go for a week maybe, feed it daily - take say 2 cups out (roughly 1/3 in my case) - put the same back in, so some flour some water (very thick porridge consistency). Stir well, leave 24hrs , repeat.
After the weeks up you’ll have a proper one. You need to look after it daily doing the same, when not in use, just bung it in the fridge - literally you can leave it years.
On removal, after 2 years (yes i did it) take 1/2 tbsp of the old stinky mix full of the lovely sleeping bacteria (preferably from bottom - defo not top) and bang it in your new mix - and off you go again.

Depending on if you are making 100% sour dough, or say 50/50 with fresh (what i do) will depend on the size of your ‘mother’ mix.
Obviously if you are using all sourdough, you are going to need a larger mother mix.
I use an approx 7 cup mother mix, using 2 cups in a loaf with regular dough.
I’d put say triple that if intending to make 100% sourdough loaves. You’ll have to work it out lol!
Dorset foodie apple cake in the oven again……and it literally just beeped! feeding time :stuck_out_tongue:

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Thanks for the no yeast starter tips. It's actually quite satisfying peering into the starter jar and seeing that it's alive! Well, Day 2 of my starter and it seems okay. It's got bubbles and that tan coloured liquid in between. Will be removing starter and adding flour/water in the following days too. I'm gonna do a no yeast starter tonight also. Only thing I gotta get now is a bread baking pan. Seems to be hard to find nowadays.

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That’s it! well done. :+1: As time goes on it will get get better, don’t worry if you don’t feed it for a day or so, it won’t die off. Just feed it again and it’ll get going.

Pans, now there’s another thing I never use. For whatever reason I never have good results with stuff in/on metal.
Hands all the way when shaping Hank :wink: , it’s part of the enjoyment for me - if you found watching the starter satisfying , imagine the satisfaction when you get ‘handy’ at hand shaping……., once you get fairly good , it opens up a wide range of loaf styles and shapes and is much more pleasing, and there’s much more CRUST which is what we all love ! :smiley: I make my loaves on a non stick black sheet like teflon stuff it’s an oven liner thing. I put this straight on the oven rack - no trays or anything. 10 mins before the end, I take it off and put directly on the rack to get the bottom nice and crispy.
You will find your crust takes on a different crunch and chew with the sourdough, play with the amounts you use from say 30% to 100% it’s good fun, if you like baking which I’m sure you do!
When making your dough, and judging when it is ready, kneaded enough - you will see it change from like a lumpy, tearing type of finish, to an silky almost creamy looking smooth finish that stretches easily - do a ‘window’ test - by this I mean take a small piece of dough and try to stretch it so you can see through it, it will try to do it on it’s own under it’s own weight - if you can do that, it’s ready.
To check if the final rise is ready you lightly prod it with your finger, if it still pops back, it’s not ready for baking - the ideal point is right between where it ‘just’ comes back but doesn’t stay dented. I never really state times as the temperature where you are, it is will make a HUGE difference.

I am sorry I’m banging on so much - I just love making bread :person_facepalming: - if it helps anyone I’m happy, if it annoys others, well, don’t read it :stuck_out_tongue:

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Good tips for sure! Yeah my next adventure is gonna be the dough and the baking! I’ll try the no pan way too as it seems it’s more rustic and down to earth. Wanna feel the dough and worked it good. Besides, I still don’t have a bread pan ugh.

I dunno why I didn’t start baking before but I’m really getting into it now. Damm maybe I’ll try a wedding cake or something when I get better hehe. But yeah I got to the local Safeway as soon as it opened this morning and scored these... Picked up some Rye flour too but don’t know what to do with it yet.

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I'm doing loaf #5 this week and am out of bread flour too . #4 was made with all purpose and looked beautiful ..tasted good but wasn't as rustic as the bread flour ...had smaller holes and tasted more like just a dense bread .OTOH if you wanted a sandwich stuff wasn't going to fall thru the holes .

Still trying to figure out how to keep bread crusty and not dried out ..Put a nice loaf in a plastic bag and lost all my nice crunch .Maybe the answer is just to eat it all in one sitting and make more :P

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That is the answer….lol!
I have no way of keeping it crusty for more than say 8 hours, even then it’s not so good. That said, it is a long way from stale and is fine for sandwiches or toasting. You can just pop a 1/2 eaten loaf back in the oven for 10 mins or so, much like pizza sometimes it’s better. You can try various glazes too, but I find just plain water is best, or nothing at all. The important bit is the ice or water in bottom of the oven when it comes to crust - but make sure you release the steam 8/10 mins before end so it crisps.
I tend to cook mine so it’s ready and still slightly warm right when we eat dinner. You know your bread is good when the family want the bread more than the dinner!
Off out to try to track some yeast down………got flour now and no yeast! grr!

31

Eating fresh is definitely the way to go.

For my loaf bread, I typically, slice the entire loaf and put 1/2 in freezer as soon as possible. Then when needed, take out of freezer and pop into a toaster, less time than normal toast for almost as good as fresh using this method.

32

My sourdough starter seems to be acting up. I started it 5 days ago with flour and yeast. It’s sitting beside an always-on hot water unit. I left it sitting for 24hrs. Day 2 produced bubbles. Each day for next 3 days, I would pour out half and feed it 1:1 flour and water. Saw bubbles but this morning I didn’t see any bubbles. So I decide to feed it again and see what happens tomorrow.
I heard it can take from 7 days to 2 weeks to see the starter rise. There’s always a layer of liquid hootch on top which I pour out before feeding. Should I keep feeding it daily and wait longer? I read depending on conditions that it might take longer?

33

Years ago, BLF members were baking their flashlights.

Now they're baking food...

What's up with that?

34

links for those who got here by mistake .....

Baking your flashlight links >>>

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/6366

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/44710

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/21837

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/49517

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/42387