The Bread Thread

[amateur51]

There's an amazing 'bio' bread shop near where Mrs. Thropplenoggin works: all kinds of fancy breads - multigrain, noix, raisin, pumpkin seeds and cranberries, orange zest and nuts...along with all the staples.

Exotic breads and office supplies - how remarkable

[Thropplenoggin]

Exotic breads and office supplies - how remarkable

[amateur51]

How does my comment relate to film of excessive pubic hair, pray?

[Anna]

nighty nighy, sleep tite!!

[Nick Armstrong]

How does my comment relate to film of excessive pubic hair, pray?

I think notre ami M. Le Noggin refers to the deafening silence (as of the wind-blown desert) that must surely have greeted your "staples" gag...

[Dave2002]

Eking out flour

Bread flour seems hard to get right now. We've tried various things to eke out supplies, including:

* mix bread flour with white flour - 1/2 and 1/2
* mix bread flour with oats - 3/4 to 1/4
* mix white flour with brown flour

Some of these have been fairly successful. The oat mix was a bit of a surprise - though perhaps not to be preferred to regular bread.
We have had some disasters - perhaps some of the flour was too old.

Also we found that putting certain types on a list for home delivery was a bit hit and miss. I think one week we wanted white bread flour, but it didn't arrive, and something else was substituted. The following week we assumed that there'd be a substitution, so ordered a different variety. Guess what! We got what we actually wanted the week before. The two Ronnies spring to mind.

[Cockney Sparrow]

Those shopping (infrequently as possible, I imagine) might like to ask at the bakery section. That is, if it has an in-store bakery. Our local, big chain - store with on site bakery is selling flour they bag up on the premises - as they do for flapjacks etc.

[Count Boso]

Those shopping (infrequently as possible, I imagine) might like to ask at the bakery section. That is, if it has an in-store bakery. Our local, big chain - store with on site bakery is selling flour thay bag up on the premises - as they do for flapjacks etc.

If you're lucky to have a small independent baker (we have three on our high street) they may bag up flour for you. Two of the three have certainly obliged for me - wholemeal and strong white bread flour. If they didn't have any they'd go out of business - but perhaps 'local' shops consider themselves more a part of their community. It's the yeast that I'm short of - so soda bread and unleavened flatbreads may become a necessity.

[oddoneout]

My local Morrisons is bagging up white flour in bigger than standard, and large, quantities in store.

[Barbirollians]

Yeast seems the really difficult thing to get round here - quite a bit of flour in both Tesco this week and the Co-op last week

[Dave2002]

Yeast seems the really difficult thing to get round here - quite a bit of flour in both Tesco this week and the Co-op last week

Probably depends where you are. Yeast was one of the last things we actually bought (Asda) in a shop before we hunkered down. If you can get home deliveries from Asda then that might work as a source, though I suspect that all the big supermarkets will be in similar positions. Some small bakers and/or local restaurants now operating as food delivery services might be able to sell you useful quantities. Yeast is available from amazon, but at a price.

[oddoneout]

Yeast seems the really difficult thing to get round here - quite a bit of flour in both Tesco this week and the Co-op last week

Hence the sudden popularity of sourdough versions!

[teamsaint]

Hence the sudden popularity of sourdough versions!

The Hugh FW sodabread recipe works really well.

Keeps decently until the following day. We use semi skimmed milk, and do half the quantity for two.

https://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/soda-bread

[cloughie]

The Bread Thread

Marmalade is OK - though didn't set as well as we'd have liked. Maybe we used the "wrong" whisky in it.
We've still got some of the batch from last year though. If we can get more Seville oranges "we" (as in mrs d) might have another go at a batch. The bread - courtesy of the bread machine has turned out well, however.

I may try another loaf tonight.

What flour mix do you use?

[Dave2002]

What flour mix do you use?

See p22 of this user manual - https://www.lakeland.co.uk/content/d...ions_15352.pdf

I use strong bread flour - and make the smallest of the loaves for recipes 1 or 2. I might try brown flour tonight, but apart from the flour the recipe and procedure is the same. Later on I may try the French or the Rustic French recipes, but it's possible the crusts will start to become inpenetrable!