Which is best? Kneading or Stretch and Fold? When it comes to developing gluten in my dough and choosing between kneading or using stretch and fold there isn’t really a contest. My preferred method for making bread is the stretch and fold method. Hands Down. It makes making bread so much easier. With the stretch […]
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Which is best? I have only ever used a cold dutch oven once, and I popped that into a preheated oven. I have always been a bit sceptical of how effective a cold dutch oven would be. However, a few people have told me that the method of baking our loaf in a cold dutch
Hot or cold dutch oven? Read More »
When you begin a sourdough starter it can become overwhelming trying to maintain it. If you keep it at room temperature it will need feeding with more flour and water at least once a day. If you live somewhere warm then you might need to feed it twice a day. The warmer the starter the
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Making a wholemeal loaf can be quite different from making a white loaf as the flour will absorb more water because of the bran and germ. Wholemeal dough benefits from the stretch and fold method, as kneading can be too harsh. When kneading the constant stretching will mean that the bran pieces shear the gluten
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Tiger bread has a delicious savoury/sweet/slightly salty glaze that cracks as it bakes and makes a really delicious loaf. Ingredients For loaf: (Simple white loaf recipe but you could use any bread recipe that you like) 500g strong, white (bread) flour10g fine sea salt5g (or 1 sachet 7g) easy bake/ fast action/ instant yeast or
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These bagels are easy to make at home and taste so much better than any that you can buy from the supermarket. They freeze well too, once baked, so you could make some for today and some for the freezer. Ingredients for bagels 500g strong white bread flour (you could use very strong for this
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Yes, you can definitely use a bread machine to make your bread at home. It always makes me smile when people come along to one of my bread making courses and then sheepishly ask what I think about bread machines. Most expect me to throw my hands up in horror at the thought. However, I
Can I use a bread machine? Read More »
Garlic bread is always popular in this house and I am always trying to think of new ways to make it more interesting (both to eat and for me to make). When it’s wild garlic season, (early spring), I make the garlic butter with the wild garlic leaves and, my goodness, it is delicious. Garlic
Garlic bread – Two ways Read More »
I made these spelt croissants this week to make sure that I remember how to, having not made croissants in more than a year since the cookery school closed. I don’t really know why I haven’t, except once made you have to eat them. Not that it is a terrible hardship, it’s just I normally
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Knowing how to shape your loaf is really important to a successful loaf. Good shaping means that you get a good crumb and final texture. Shaping your loaf well will mean that oven spring will be maximised. Your loaf is less likely to get stuck to the tray. However, it can take a lot of
Shaping your loaf two ways Read More »
