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That tears it, all this talk has made me determined to make bread. I will do it Friday. Tomorrow will not be a good day because I'll be getting ready for my interview...so Friday it is.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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I think I'm going to steal my parent's bread machine when I go home in July. Assuming it's still working of course, my mom probably hasn't used it in over 10 years.
Posts: 1214 | Registered: Aug 2005
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I've never tried a knife with a slicing guide. I have something more like this, although mine is white plastic and probably close to 15 years old.
It's all right, but it takes up a lot of room on the counter and you can't adjust the width of the slices. IMO, it slices too thick for sandwiches but then again, IMO, I've never found a homemade bread that's good for everyday sandwiches.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Katarain: Eating warm bread is so worth the trouble cutting.. I know I'm supposed to wait, but I can rarely stand it.
It's not that it's too much trouble, it's that it's still raw in the middle if you cut it too soon. The real trick is finding the right balance between warm and cooked all the way through. At this point, it still falls apart when you cut it, but at least you don't have to eat raw bread or, as I have done at least half a dozen times -- throw it away.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
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I have thought about getting a bread machine. But I really don't have space for another appliance. (And I also want a mincer. And a vacuum sealer. And a better pasta maker.)
My parents in law have one though, and the bread that they make is pretty good. They do it the stove also - use the machine to mix it, then transfer across. It does go stale more quickly than store bought.
I'm mixing up another batch of the artisan bread that dkw mentioned. I did it entirely wholemeal. We'll see how it works.
Posts: 4393 | Registered: Aug 2003
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It's all right, but it takes up a lot of room on the counter and you can't adjust the width of the slices. IMO, it slices too thick for sandwiches but then again, IMO, I've never found a homemade bread that's good for everyday sandwiches.
Try mine. PB&J and deli are amazing on it. Personally, I don't like anything with ketchup on it; for some reason the tastes clash for me, but my daughter loves it.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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It's all right, but it takes up a lot of room on the counter and you can't adjust the width of the slices. IMO, it slices too thick for sandwiches but then again, IMO, I've never found a homemade bread that's good for everyday sandwiches.
We don't slice it up all at once. We just leave it in ziplocks on the breadboard with the bread knife next to it, and cut slices as needed. It stays much fresher that way.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by imogen: And a better pasta maker.
On that note, can we get some recommendations for pasta machines? I shelled out for the Ronco one, but (a) it sounded like the house was falling down, it was so loud, and (b) it didn't really work so well.
The gadgets we've had success with have been the bread machine and the George Jr. rotisserie. But the pasta machine sits on a shelf in the basement, and will probably never get used again (which begs the question of why we don't just toss it or sell it on eBay).
What's a good way to make pasta? And a good whole wheat recipe would be great as well, if anyone has one.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Katarain: Eating warm bread is so worth the trouble cutting.. I know I'm supposed to wait, but I can rarely stand it.
It's not that it's too much trouble, it's that it's still raw in the middle if you cut it too soon. The real trick is finding the right balance between warm and cooked all the way through.
I have never had this problem, but I generally allow mine to sit at "stay warm" for 10-15 minutes after done. That's recommended by most models, neh?
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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FWIW, we have a Black & Decker bread machine (sorry, don't have the model in front of me- I'm away from home) and it works wonderfully with the one caveat that you have to be careful to remove the bread paddle from the bread; we've lost one because someone threw out "remnant" bread, paddle and all.
Having a nice non-stick bread chamber that the loaf can just slide out of is a marvelous thing. With all due respect to the mixer people, who I'm sure make wonderful breads, it really doesn't get any easier than that. It's also a great way to make things like pizza dough.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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Ok, another probably stupid question. If I am making a yeast rising bread, can I let it rise longer then the recipe calls for? For example, if I have a bunch of free time in the morning and want to make the bread then, but want the bread hot and fresh at dinner, can I make it at like 8am, rise until 9am, punch down, supposed to rise until 10am but I leave it there and then cook it at like 4pm, to be eaten at like 5:30pm.
Posts: 2223 | Registered: Mar 2008
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I'm sorry scholarette but that really won't work. The bread will over rise and will either fall or be too crumbly. What will work is to put the bread in the refrigerator before you let it rise. At refrigerator temperatures the yeast will be essentially inactive. Then about 2 1/2 hours before you want to bake the bread, take it out. It will take about 1/2 hour for it to return to room temperature and then the normal time to rise.
It might also work if you refrigerate it after the first rise, I'd have to try it to see.
The actually time it takes the bread to rise is very temperature dependent. If you keep your house fairly cold, it will take a lot longer time for the bread to rise. When I lived in Montana and kept our house in the low 60s F during the winter, it took forever for bread to rise. To speed thing up, I would put the bread pans in the sink in a couple inches of warm water (~100 - 120 F) and I could get the bread to rise in about 20 minutes.
[ June 26, 2009, 10:31 AM: Message edited by: The Rabbit ]
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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I guess I should have started by noting that it is rather misleading for a bread recipe to prescribe a time for the bread to rise. Rise times will vary very dramatically with temperature and the condition of your yeast. If you want to get consistent results, you should generally let the bread rise until it has double in volume, punch it down and then let it rise until it has doubled in volume again.
Bread machines can get away with allowing bread to rise for a set time because they control the temperature while the bread is rising. But generally the machines can only heat, they don't have any capacity to cool so if you make bread in a bread machine on a really hot day it will probably over rise and either fall or be crumbly. They also can't compensate for any differences in the yeast so if you change brands, mismeasure or just have old yeast you will have mixed results. If you do it yourself, you can compensate for all these things by adjusting the rise time.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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Thanks! I thought it wouldn't work, but figured it was worht asking- and the fridge then rise is useful. I am in Texas, so it is usually pretty warm here.
Posts: 2223 | Registered: Mar 2008
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