Idiot proof bread recipe please.

[Graham & Brenda]

Hi, I have tried lots of my English recipes for bread but without a great deal of success (edible but not delicious) Do any of you clever people have foolproof recipes for bread using French ingredients? Plain white, wholemeal or anything you like? Hand made not machine.

Thanks in anticipation.

Brenda

[BruceR]

I suspect that if none of your British recipes are successful you have either got casual and are cutting corners (my principal sin) or the environment has changed.  It could be your new oven is not as hot as you think which would cause disappointing results. 

Here are some of my mistakes.

Not kneading enough first time - the dough should be springy when you finish

Dough too dry - it should be slightly sticky otherwise it wont rise much

After the first proof(rise) you MUST knead it again (my most recent error)  Otherwise it definitely wont rise much if you just shove it into the bread tin.

Avoid too much/not enough salt 1 tsp per 250 grammes flour is about right

For what it is worth I have used "Francine" white bread flour and got good results.

I have found that adding a small amount of flavourless oil - peanut(arachide) or sunflower oil definitely improves the moistness of the bread it is still good for sandwiches after 2 days.  The rough amount in 650 grams of flour is about 2 TBS - I just give it a splash.

Other personal tricks are that for brown bread I use 2 white to less than 1 wholemeal flour and throw in some rye flour or oatmeal bran for flavour.

Good Baking

[Patf]

I agree with all the points that Bruce makes. I don't think there's such a thing as an idiot-proof recipe. I've been making bread for years and still get a flop sometimes .There are so many variables and things that can go wrong. Recently I made some that wouldn't rise and eventually realised that the dried yeast I used wasn't the sprinkle-in type but should have been mixed with warm water and left to bubble up before adding. I use Francine's multigrain flour which gives a nutty texture. I also use sugar - 1oz to 1lb  of flour. And I think  fresh yeast gives the best result. You can get it from some supermarkets eg Leclerc, Carrefour, and some bakeries. Another variable is the oven. Finding the right heat and timing is a matter of trial and error. I have an electric fan oven and bake 4  loaves  for about 30 minutes, the first 10 at 250 degrees and the rest at 220. Keep trying and good luck. Pat.

[Teamedup]

My only comment is that I find that most people use too much yeast when they seem to have problems.

The supermarkets and some of the bakers sell cubes of yeast and I only use a quarter to a third of a cube for 3lbs of flour and a third'ish for up to 6 lbs of flour. I mix the fresh yeast with a teaspoon of sugar before starting and usually add the warm water to this and leave it together until I have got the rest of the things ready, ie clean worksurface, bowl, flour, salt and oil out.

 

I  knead hard  for about 5minutes max. And then leave it to rise for around 4 hours. I re knead gently and leave it in its baking tins or on a baking sheet for a further 2 hours and then it has usually well doubled and then I bake it.