The Bread Thread

[Pulcinella]

Of course, the best bread machine is the one in The rake's progress: drop a stone in, turn the handle, and out pops a loaf.
Do any other pieces of music have bread connections?

[Roslynmuse]

Of course, the best bread machine is the one in The rake's progress: drop a stone in, turn the handle, and out pops a loaf.
Do any other pieces of music have bread connections?

There's that grim song from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Das Irdische Leben.

[cloughie]

Of course, the best bread machine is the one in The rake's progress: drop a stone in, turn the handle, and out pops a loaf.
Do any other pieces of music have bread connections?

Cwm Rhondda!

[teamsaint]

My dad baked excellent bread, and was a Master Grocer, so an expert source of information..

He swore by canadian flour, or else flour ground at Aberfeldy Water Mill.

Which is a long way from Wiltshire, frankly.

[Pulcinella]

Cwm Rhondda!

And, to answer my own question:

Franck: Panis angelicus
Ravel: Mother Goose

[HighlandDougie]

My dad baked excellent bread, and was a Master Grocer, so an expert source of information..

He swore by canadian flour, or else flour ground at Aberfeldy Water Mill.

Which is a long way from Wiltshire, frankly.

And has been a bookshop/gallery/coffee shop for the last 10+ years. The owners are very good friends (Aberfeldy being my local metropolis) but have decamped back to Engerland for various domestic reasons to do with grandweans etc. Anyway, very O/T, but no longer grinds wheat, alas, as the flour was indeed excellent. But, bread machines - the horror! The horror! Long/slow (preferably overnight) rising with as little yeast/lévain (sourdough starter for forumistas allergic to foreign words) as possible. Better taste, better texture, longer-lasting. What’s not to like? And kneading is excellent exercise.

[Dave2002]

No leave it to the machine!

What a knock down!

Went to Aberfeldy around September last year - and we did go round the mill - https://www.google.com/search?q=aber...0jDvnoGCsVAMfM

Seeing the photos jogged my memory - I thought at first we'd not been.

We went to another mill a few years ago - Mapledurham - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mapledurham_Watermill which has both new and old water drives. The old drive is with the old style water wheel, while there is a new Archimedian screw type drive which is linked to electricity generators. The flour from that one was very good.

Another fun mill to visit - though probably not possible at the moment - is Oldland Mill outside Keymer in Sussex -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldland_Mill,_Keymer

That one has been renovated and maintained by volunteers. I didn't realise until reading the updated file that it also has an auxiliary steam engine.
It has been quite popular with engineers.

[Serial_Apologist]

What a knock down!

Went to Aberfeldy around September last year - and we did go round the mill - https://www.google.com/search?q=aber...0jDvnoGCsVAMfM

Seeing the photos jogged my memory - I thought at first we'd not been.

We went to another mill a few years ago - Mapledurham - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mapledurham_Watermill which has both new and old water drives. The old drive is with the old style water wheel, while there is a new Archimedian screw type drive which is linked to electricity generators. The flour from that one was very good.

Another fun mill to visit - though probably not possible at the moment - is Oldland Mill outside Keymer in Sussex -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldland_Mill,_Keymer

That one has been renovated and maintained by volunteers. I didn't realise until reading the updated file that it also has an auxiliary steam engine.
It has been quite popular with engineers.

Local volunteers make bread at the old Brixton Mill - re-opened a few years ago - from the locally milled flour. From the publicity photos you'd think it was in the countryside!

http://www.brixtonwindmill.org/visit/

[Serial_Apologist]

They say white flours will last, properly stored, for up to a year, wholemeal for 6 months.

Well I make white flour last for years - and yet I'm still here! I don't make bread though, and only use it for making sauces,

[Dave2002]

Local volunteers make bread at the old Brixton Mill - re-opened a few years ago - from the locally milled flour. From the publicity photos you'd think it was in the countryside!

http://www.brixtonwindmill.org/visit/

Indeed - https://www.google.com/search?q=phot...WpSFItMB5B3pqM

https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/beautiful-windmill-sits-shadow-brixton-18713096

Plus I aways thought there was a prison nearby, but it turns out that there's also Wandsworth Prison, which is not far from Clapham Junction.

[johncorrigan]

What a knock down!

Went to Aberfeldy around September last year - and we did go round the mill

Thanks for the reminder, Dave - haven't got up to Aberfeldy this last year, except passing through en route to the Islands. I used to love going to the Mill, among other things, because they stocked a nice wee selection of CDs from round the world and round the corner, in the shop. You spurred me on to get kneading this morning, between the meetings (one of the limited advantages of working from home for me) - two fine looking loaves just about ready to go in the oven.

[Padraig]

You spurred me on to get kneading this morning, between the meetings (one of the limited advantages of working from home for me) - two fine looking loaves just about ready to go in the oven.

You're on a roll John. You are shaping up to be a contender for the Floury Farl Award and maybe an invitation from TV to compete in 'that competition'. Wouldn't it just take the biscuit?

[Nick Armstrong]

I found a couple more ‘bread’ threads, including one started back in 2012 by the much-missed Amateur51, with recipes, tips & experiences (including my own baking effort years back which I’d completely forgotten )

I’ve merged them into this thread, for completeness and your browsing pleasure

[Dave2002]

Thanks Nick. After all, we don't want this thread to fall flat as a pancake.

Yesterday's half and half wholemeal/strong white bread still OK today - very good. I think it lasts longer than the white, which can tend to go hard after not much more than a day.

[cloughie]

Surprising I added no grist into the mill back then! Am51 always had some interesting things to say - though Wrexham still languish in the National League now as then.