It’s been an interesting year at VPK HQ. At the beginning of this year we were celebrating our classes getting fully booked weeks in advance. We felt that we were finally on the right track with the business. It felt like it was going to be a great, and busy, year. Then we all know …
NB.This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase items using these links I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Why use a Dutch oven? Baking your loaf in a Dutch oven can improve the results that you get. A Dutch oven is a catch-all term for enclosing your loaf …
Why score/ slash a loaf? Scoring/ slashing your loaf allows your loaf to burst at the cut when it expands in the oven with oven spring. If you don’t score your loaf it will burst at the weakest point and you might end up with a little ball of dough erupting from the side of …
Having success with bread making is all about confidence. That comes with practice and knowledge. Knowing a few top tips can really help. Hop over to our Facebook group Bread Made Easy for lots of top tips on bread making. You can also get advice from fellow bread heads or show us your successful bakes …
I often get asked how to store bread to keep it at its best for longest. Store in a cotton/ linen bread bag My number one tip is to pop your loaf into a cotton or linen bread bag or wrap your loaf in a clean tea towel. As a loaf stales it continues to …
Salt isn’t just added to bread to improve its flavour, although that is really important. It has a few important roles in the development of the dough and the quality of the final loaf. Salt is added to bread at a rate of between 1-2% of the flour weight. For a dough that is made …
Knowing when your loaf is ready to bake is really important for a successful loaf. If your loaf is left too long it will overproof and whilst it may look spectacular – fully risen and filled with air – as soon as you put it in the oven it will collapse. You can read more …
When learning to make bread it can be helpful to understand the basics of the science that is happening. When you understand what is happening in the dough and the transformations that are taking place you can learn to make adjustments to make even better bread. The composition of the wheat grain An understanding of …
Subway have made the news today after the Irish court ruled that the bread that they make their sandwiches with cannot be considered bread at all. One of Subway’s franchisees appealed to have the tax removed from their sandwiches arguing that the sandwiches they sell are a staple food and as such should not be …
NB: I have included links to items that you can purchase from Amazon in the post. If you buy using this link I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can get started with bread making with just a few essential items of equipment. You might find that you have …
