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Stop
Press!
Morrisons
UK are now selling fresh yeast.
(on the shelf
near the butter)
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Bread Blog
It
was Andrew Whitley's
book, Bread Matters, that inspired me. I read all his technical
stuff about what goes into commercial bread and how much it had
changed during my lifetime. It was frightening how many additives
went into producing soggy, lifeless loaves with a long shelf life.
It was also a revelation that I only needed 4 ingredients to bake
a loaf! It just wouldn't last for more that 3 days (unless you freeze
it).
Fact
- there are between 15 and 20 ingredients in a standard loaf of
sliced / supermarket bread. And also other things called enzymes
that are (allegedly) only present during the baking process. Some
of these enzymes are produced from animal products. Are the non
meat eaters aware of this?
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Update - 29.404.09
Croissants
I've always wanted to make these but, like most people, It seemed too complicated. Yet again I consulted one of Richard Bertinets books, this time it was 'CRUST', his second one. Dough made and put in the fridge overnight, a packet of butter and I'm ready to go the following morning. A series of rolling and folding with 1/2 an hour in the fridge in between, to keep everything cool. then cutting triangle and rolling. Brushed with egg and left to rise for 2 hours, then baked in the oven. Result - superb first attempt.
Second time around I made them bigger and thought them good enough to give to friends.
To get over them going soggy overnight I now freeze them before the rise and get them out nice and early in the morning. Its that or get up at 2.00 am to make a fresh batch!
Why bother when you can buy one at the local Deli?
!. Its the challenge 2. They taste bloody good, even passing the 'partner' test.
Update - 27.01.2009
Yeast free / Dairy free?
My Daughter has recently been found to be allergic to yeast and dairy products. So thats No Bread then?
The answer was Soda Bread. But how to get over the milk problem? The answer is Goats Milk soured with Lemo.n Juice, as a substitute for Buttermilk. It may not be true Soda Bread but it tastes good and toasts OK.
Go to the recipes page for the method
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Update - 1.12.2008
Having recently attended a course with Richard Bertinet I have made 2 major changes.
- I use a lot more water in the mix
- I 'fold' rather than 'knead' the mixture, in an attempt to emulate the paddles used in commercial mixing.
Sounds strange? buy the book, DOUGH. it has a DVD showing the process
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©
2011 BarrySwan, Nottingham, UK
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