I need advice with my bread making

[Potter's Farm]

I go through phases of making bread and not buying any at all, and then the complete reverse. The reason why is that my kids don't eat the homemade stuff as well as i'd like.

If it is fresh out of the oven, they'll burn their faces off eating it, but by the time its in their lunches at school the next day, they decide they don't care for it much.

I make tortillas, chapatis, naans, pikelets, all sorts of things that they always eat well, but my loaves of bread have a heavyish texture to it that puts them off.

I've discovered by trial and error that adding more fat creates a lighter texture. I now add treble the recipe amount, but by the next day, the bread is 'heavy' again. I know this is probably in part to the fact that I add no preservatives and all the other crap that the supermarkets put in, and that perhaps I will never manage to bake a loaf that will please my children, but if anyone has any advice, I'd happily hear it!!

Thanks, Lisa x

[Odsox]

Hi Lisa
I make our bread 3 loaves at a time to save on oven time and because we only eat 4 slices a day we freeze them sliced.
I slice the bread as soon as it's cold and tightened up a bit and then stand the whole sliced loaf on end and put a polythene bag over it (if you see what I mean). It's easier than trying to reassemble the loaf one slice at a time in a bag.
Then get out however many slices each day and make the sandwiches with the still frozen bread, or defrost for half an hour or so, whichever you find is best.
Voila, fresh bread every day.

[contadina]

Wholemeal bread seems to stay fresher longer or white bread made using semolina flour.

[Paul_C]

one thing bought white bread has, apart from chemical rising agents not on the product lable, is that its backed in a much taller tin which allws it to rise alot more. thus giving it a much lighter texture for the same ammount of dough.

a way to do this is to have a taller tin (and if somone finds some PLEASE tell me where). simply the gluten strands form larger bubbles in the bread giving a similar texture.
colour is impossible almost to match as they use bleaching agents

[Green Aura]

Without your recipe it's difficult to say really - if you make wholemeal try replacing a cupful of flour with white.

I know one of the more natural flour enhancers is Vitamin C - a lot of US breadmaker recipes recommend the addition of this. You could maybe try a tsp of lemon juice in the water (citric acid I know but there's a bit of Vit C in there). I've never tried either though so can't tell you if they work.

One other thing springs to mind. I used to be quite mean with the amount of water I used, resulting in a heavier loaf. Starting off with quite a sticky dough seems to produce a lighter texture.

Having said all that real bread will never be as soft and fluffy as the sliced stuff - thank goodness.

[oldjerry]

Exactly what I was thinking,I tend to make loads of rolls,about the size of a yorkshire barm cake.If there's more than you'll get through in a day,chuck them in the dreaded freezer.

[jimmyhague]

KEEP GOING!!.. whatever glitches with the kid's diets are normal but they'll be healthier and happier with all your homemade fayre. they will thank you for the diversity. i come from a generation that sadly miss the Breadman, mondays, wednesdays and fridays. Milkman (electric cart) every day. slow lift up the hill if you timed it right. Coalman... I digress

[Potter's Farm]

Thanks guys!!!

That's all really helpful. I do use a dough hook on my kenwood - I have fibromyalgia and I find hand kneading very hard most of the time. I never thought of freezing in batches....so simple but such a good idea...and keeps the freezer topped up and running costs down.

I will try adding lemon juice, and will see if I can find a taller tin. The kids like the rolls I make, as long as they are still warm from the oven.

We have an unspoken rule in our house...if I cook it, it has to be eaten! The kids (14, 12 and 8) have been fantastic since we've changed our life, and will eat all sorts of things that they would never have touched in our 'other' life, and I suppose I should be more strict about them eating the bread I've made, and as jimmyhague so rightly says, anything I make will be far better and healthier for them.

When they turn up their noses at the next loaf, I'll tell them the 'ishers' said they have to eat up!!

[Susie]

I've never tried this but I read somewhere if you replace the water in bread with water you've cooked potatoes in that makes it lighter and it keeps better (but I may be misremembering).

[Durgan]

Give da kids some real bread. Soften in a steamer and it is like a good bagel.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?OJLLC 23 January 2012 Pilot Bread Black Walnut(Juglans nigra) and Dark Rye Flour.
Some of my various versions, only limited by one’s imagination.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?TQLQY 17 January 2012 Pumpkin Seed Pilot Bread using Dark Rye Flour.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?NKAXW 17 January 2012 Sunflower Pilot Bread using Dark Rye Flour.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?WNDIT 15 January 2012 Almond Pilot Bread.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?GWIRX 15 January 2012 Flax Pilot Bread
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?VNKLV 14 January 2012 Potato Pilot Bread

[Potter's Farm]

I have gone back to hand kneading when I'm able to, it makes me feel i'm more involved with the bread making process....not sure if that sounds weird or not???

I was reading the list of ingredients in shop bought bread and noticed that vinegar is listed. I tried adding 1 tablespoon of home made elderflower champagne vinegar in with the water and the resulting loaf was lovely. I'm not sure though if the improvement is a result of the extra kneading or the vinegar.

[boboff]

Surely you should just get up a couple of hours earlier and make it fresh for the little darlings?

Well maybe not!

I find the cheap value flour makes the best bread, and give it an hour for the first rise and at least 30 minutes for the second before you put it in the oven, this does seem to make better loaves for me.

The make with frozen bread slices sounds like a good idea to me.

What about trying to make toasted, or maybe spreading with toms and cheese and make sort of pizza slices, these are nice cold.

Or make the rolls, put in the filling and freeze, then just pop in the lunch box, obviously not lettuce!

[grahamhobbs]

Potter's Farm, bread should contain nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast (or natural leaven starter or bit of previous dough). All other ingredients are not essential to make a normal 'light' loaf. If you can let us know your precise recipe and method it will be easier to point you in the right direction.

[MKG]

I went through this. Even convinced myself that "proper" bread was always going to be heavier and denser. Bought a breadmaker and it was crap. Bought another - and it was crap. Went back to doing it by hand - it was certainly no worse. But it wasn't, shall we say, appetising. That's probably down to me not being able to discipline myself to knead for long enough. So I succumbed again ...

Shameless advert time - I bought a Panasonic SD2501, and it's sodding brilliant. It takes me 10 minutes to load it all up and 4 hours later, I have a loaf which smells gorgeous and is light and eminently edible - oh, and stays fresh for days if it lasts that long (rare).

I am thoroughly ashamed of the fact that I have done down the Ish principle. On the other hand, I always have yummy bread. And I don't have aching arms.

Hey - c'mon. I do everything else by hand.

Mike

[Potter's Farm]

Potter's Farm, bread should contain nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast (or natural leaven starter or bit of previous dough). All other ingredients are not essential to make a normal 'light' loaf. If you can let us know your precise recipe and method it will be easier to point you in the right direction.

My recipe.....2lbs flour, 14g yeast, 1tsp salt, 1tblsp sugar, 600ml water, 1tblsp champagne vinegar, 6tblsp oil.

Mix, knead tilll arms drop off, leave to rise till doubled in size. Knock back, knead and shape. Leave to rise for 1 hourish.Cut 2 slits into top of loaves. Bake at 210c for 25ish minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

I made 2 loaves yesterday morning, just made school lunches half an hour ago and the bread was still lovely and soft and fresh.

And Mike, you are excused!!

Lisa.