It's the same mentality. If you want to be sure about what goes into your food and how it is produced, there one surefire way: grow it and cook it yourself.
I'm not overly proud of using a breadmaker, but it's the thing that means I DO make my own bread, all the time. Years ago I went about 6 months making it by hand and not buying a single commercial loaf in that time. Work and other commitments meant that went by the wayside, until the arrival of the breadmaker. One breadmaker has worn out and this is the new model.
My 'regular' loaf is 80% wholemeal and 20% Rye/White/seeded mixed. Getting a good crust can be a bit of a challenge. I find myself going for the lowest setting as it's needed for slicing. I'm happy with the results.
You bread looks wonderful and bet it is delicious. As for the breadmaker..I had no success with it at all...but...husband did. So now he makes the bread in the family, How Good is That! Pays to not be good at somethings)))))
ReplyDeleteMal, you've done it, I am convinced... there is a sale on breadmakers at the local KMart up the road, and I am going to take the plunge.
ReplyDeleteThat bread above looks delicious. I am pretty sure I can smell it from here :)
Dear Mal, I'm a recent convert to a bread machine, and I'm pretty impressed. It's a huge improvement on my previous efforts! It also means I don't pop to the shops for a loaf and end up spending £20 on impulse buys. Result!
ReplyDeleteI have a breadmaker and I don't use it. But I make my own bread. I don't know why I don't use the machine... it is easier.
ReplyDeleteYour bread looks great. I remember using honey in my breadmaker for better crust.
Our breadmaker is used lots - most weeks more than once. As I understand it different makes of breadmaker have different results with some being really poor. Some friends had problems using a breadmaker the same make as ours but it turned out that they weren't following the recipes to the dot and putting too much liquid in as they thought it needed it! Now they end up with perfect bread too.
ReplyDeleteI used to make my own bread...but not for a long time now. I've never used a bread maker though...just the hand method and i used to like using fresh yeast too...it was good but took quite a lot of time and so it went by the by with other commitments....never thought about a bread maker...then again I don't even have a hand mixer..everything gets beaten by hand....maybe i should invest in some of these new novelties!!
ReplyDeleteWe have a bread-maker too, and it is used a lot - probably twice a week on average - and we have been very pleased with the results. My wife Jane often uses the machine to make dough for cooking in the oven rather than in the machine itself - e.g. rolls, ciabatta, Spelt loaf etc.
ReplyDeleteNo breadmaker here, but by coincidence I came home from work yesterday to discover that teenage daughter, on half term holiday, had baked bread. It was wonderful to come home to the scent of freshly baked bread. It went to long way to erasing what had been a **** day in a **** week.
ReplyDelete... or jerusalem artechoke?
ReplyDeleteMy favourite 'sweetener' is barley malt extract.
As noted, if you deviate from the manufacturers 'recipe' it can upset things. Once you do it can take ages to figure out what works. Change the sweetener or even the brand of flour and it can make a difference. The kneeding power of the machine is a boon even if you do the second rise and bake 'manually'. I generally don't get around to doing this, except when making pizza.