Bread after covid

[slimpersoninside Profile]

Like many, many people I have been making our bread during the initial shortages and on through lockdown. I confess I use a bread machine, I'm not a very experienced bread maker and don't want to waste precious resources producing inedible failures. When I retire (and flour and yeast shortages are a thing of the past) my intention is to get into a routine of making bread by hand that fits with our daily life.

We have wholemeal as our "daily bread" with the occasional white loaf sliced and frozen for toast as and when.

Whilst eating our sandwiches at lunchtime hubby said he can't see us going back to shop bought bread even once we're back to our more regular shopping habits, I hasten to add we do not have a convenient decent bakery (all supermarkets).

I started to wonder if there will be more people making their own bread in the future as they've realised that much of what's on offer is rubbish.

Will you carry on making your own, whether it be hand crafted or bread machine?

[scullion Profile]

we will - but then we did before so it hasn't been a change for us.

[aero280 Profile]

I've made all our bread since I retired 10 years ago. So no change.

But it's hard to get completely wrong - unless you find the sachet of yeast still unopened after you have spent an age trying to work out why it's not rising...

The only time we buy bread is on the last day of a holiday, etc., especially if it's French or German.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I too have been making most of my own bread since I retired

I don’t eat much bread, but I make most of what I do eat

I too have wondered - will people continue to bake? Having had a few months away from supermarket bread will they turn to local bakers, where available? Or will they breathe a sigh of relief and return to Chorleywood process soft sliced?

[WWordsworth Profile]

Yep, me too.

I have made my own bread for years and will continue. I have not actually run out of ingredients but it has been close a couple of times.

I do buy bread occasionally if it's decent and RTC but generally I don't like supermarket stuff, even that from the bakery section.
Too soft and pappy for me.

[patpoyntz Profile]

My mother always made our bread...a bought loaf was a bit of a treat for us, like a bought cake! And when I had my first child, my Mother said, well if you do nothing more, really try to make your own bread..she had a thing about chemicals in brought bread! So, most of my married life I have made our bread, and we have just celebrated our 50th anniversary! I make a very basic loaf most of the time, with occasional forays into sour dough and fancy things like focaccia. However both my sons make wonderful sour dough bread, and I have taught many girl friends of said sons to make basic bread, and I think that although most are no longer girl friends, they still make bread..’lesson for life’ as one said. So, yes, I will continue to make our bread.

[slimpersoninside Profile]

I'm looking forward to the time when my life is my own and I have the time to experiment with bread making and find what fits in with our lifestyle. I don't want to go down that road yet. I could be back to work anytime, it's all too up in the air.

Until I pack in that work malarky I'm content to let the machine produce reliable loaves. I will however have a dabble into some hand made bread. I recently got a flour delivery which included a couple of oddities, Italian 00, French 55 and Cibatta so that I could have a bit of a play.

For now I envy all of you (just a tiny bit) that are fortunate enough to make and enjoy your own bread, day in and day out .

[herbidacious Profile]

We will go back to shop bought for most of our bread, I think. Normally we would only consume a fraction of the bread we do now - I'd usually just buy a loaf at the weekend. OH is breadmaker (using the breadmaker) in chief and I know he won't want to bother if he's going into the office and if I offer to make it he will say no, as essentially it will present a temptation for him - late evening bingeing.

The last time we had this much homemade bread was when OH was unemployed for 9 months last year...

Hmm guess who eats most of the bread?!

I am useless at making bread by hand, incidentally. I don't have the kneeding gene.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

I´m like you, slimpersoninside, in that I give it a go; although my bread would probably score 4/10 " Could do better".
Never mind, I make it anyway, in the hope that some day I will get it right.
It´s definitely better than the bought stuff here, mind you.

[Suffs Profile]

I made our own bread for years when the children were at home and I worked part time (my paternal gt grandpa was a village baker and my grandma taught me to bake when I was around 10) ... since I retired I’ve made most ... almost all ... of our bread, only buying bread if were somewhere with a specialist baker who makes something ‘different‘ that we want to try.

Until recently I’ve been using Doves Farm Quick Yeast but it seems unobtainable at the moment and flour is also in short supply ... we’ve got plenty of flour now by buying a couple of 16kg bags from a local artisan bakery who are happy to deliver ... I’d been meaning for ages to make sourdough so now seemed the time ... after a few forays (documented on the Sourdough thread) I’ve bought a 40 year old starter and am enjoying getting the hang of this new (to me) routine. After a couple of definite ‘could do betters’ the third loaf was really tasty and a much better texture ... in fact we both tucked into several slices of bread and butter that evening.
We’re also getting used to the presence of Susie Starter in our kitchen and the need to feed her occasionally.

What will we do when yeast is back in the shops? Not sure ... I’ll probably continue to make sourdough most of the time and use yeast on days when we run out of bread unexpectedly and don’t have time to wait for a sponge to get lively overnight. But we’ll always make our own bread ... I’ve taught OH to make ‘my method’ wholemeal loaf using yeast so should I begin to fall off my perch I can continue to eat in the manner to which I’ve become accustomed

[slimpersoninside Profile]

I'm interested in giving making bread using a starter (poolish, biga, sponge) a go to see what type of taste and crumb they give. Neither of us are keen on sourdough (I know, sacrilege, just shoot me now ) so will not be going down that route.

Just need to retire so I can set to .

Herbi, no need to sacrifice the bread machine bread when back at work. My MO is to set the machine up the night before and set the timer. Currently I set it to be ready at around 10am, in time for lunch, the only thing that will need to change when I'm back at work is the finishing time . I think most bread machines have timers so hubby can still make your bread, ready at a suitable time for your lifestyle.

[Lokelani Profile]

I've made bread intermittently over the last 25 or more years, but always from kits or recipes & dried yeast. Have had a go at a few sweet versions too, stollen etc.

I used to make it by hand from a very simple recipe, then bought a Panasonic Breadmaker. Then I bought a Kenwood Chef & love making the dough in that & actually being able to handle, shape & add other things to it, like focaccia.

Definitely don't have the confidence to make a sourdough starter. I think I'd be too worried about bad bacteria & mould or at best forgetting to feed it, or it spoiling when we go on holiday. I love the idea of it though.

As anyone who has read my fresh yeast thread earlier today knows that was my first foray into fresh yeast & I obviously had a dud batch! It didn't put me off though, I just love the magic of going back to dough & finding it has doubled in size.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

I've used a breadmaker for 17-20 years. When we both went to w*** we made 2-3 loaves a week, fewer when Mrs B packed up and fewer still when I retired as we were away a lot. Now we're home all the time it's back to 2-3 loaves a week. I don't see it as cheating - very happy with the bread it makes. If I want pizzas, rolls, focaccia or sourdough I'll just use the dough function and bake them in the oven. It makes less mess in our relatively small kitchen than doing it by hand.

I suppose it's at its best when used regularly as the bread doesn't remain fresh for very long. We'll typically have it as fresh bread maybe twice within 24 hours (or so) of baking, after which it gets toasted.

[Rainbow Profile]

I suppose it's at its best when used regularly as the bread doesn't remain fresh for very long. We'll typically have it as fresh bread maybe twice within 24 hours (or so) of baking, after which it gets toasted.

I use a bread maker, too, but don't eat much bread, so I slice the loaf and freeze it after a day or two. Then just use it for toast, which is fine.

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

I rarely use anything by the dough function on my bread machine these days. I don't like the finished shape it bakes, so I always bake in a bread tin. Like others, I have it fresh for a couple of days, then freeze the remainder.

[scullion Profile]

i, too, have a bread maker. the thing that annoys me about them is the holes left in the bottom of the loaf from the paddles (the bread used to stick on them and the hole was bigger than it should have been as well). i used to remove them before the second prove and oil the spindles to keep the holes small. i haven't used it for quite a while - my partner has been making the bread for cooking in a solar cooker for some time now.
i did use it to hide some chocolate from my partner once - and forgot about it - until i switched it on. the chocolate bar had accidentally been slipped between the pan and the side. the smell of burning chocolate was a bit of a giveaway and i couldn't use it as a hiding place any more.
i also used it just for kneading.
he makes smallish baton loaves with an overnight prove, no kneading - it's very good.

[Hickybank Profile]

I too have been making my own bread for 15 years or more, I have never had a bread maker always kneaded mt own, (good for the wrists)

I always make half & half & buy my flour by the sack direct from the mill.

Recently I discovered a quicker way to knead the dough that works perfectly, I am sure others on here use this method as well.
Having measured out ingredients, I start by combining in my Kenwood chef, when combines I mix on a very fast speed for two minutes, then onto the worktop & knead for another two minutes, four minutes in all & makes a perfect loaf.
Does anyone else make theirs this way?

[jeral Profile]

Hickybank, might I ask: How long would it take you to combine the ingredients by hand, i.e. how much time does using the processor actually save (allowing for washing it up too)? Ta.

My processor came with a plastic blade accessory for pastry/dough so I might try it if I thought it might give a better head start than just mixing. It means I could make a larger batch than the small manageable amount I make for a few rolls.

[Hickybank Profile]

Hi Jeral, I would normally knead for 10 minutes minimum & would have to wash the bowls just the same as the mixer.
Although sometimes I will go back to my old way just to work the wrists.

[jeral Profile]

Many thanks. It definitely sounds worth a go