Bread

[idun]

On Friday night, having enough flour in to make up a batch, I started a dough at bedtime, using cold water, and was going to put it into the utility room overnight.

I then remembered that now it is spring it gets very warm in there, with the eastern sun shining into the utility room from quite early on, and me, I don't get up early and early is not what most of you will imagine, 9 would be horribly early for me! I hate mornings.

Didn't want bread over proved, so had a look on the net about over proving and Nigella suggested putting the dough in the fridge.

I did.

Got it out yesterday when I got up, and got it out of the fridge.

It had hardly risen.

Took hours for the poor dough to 'wake up' and start to rise.

It would have been quicker if I had just started the bread yesterday when I got up.

For overnight proving, I always use cold water, but this is the first time I have put the dough in the fridge. IMO don't do it!

It was well after 14h and  I was starting to think that the lot would have to be binned, but maybe it was that thought that made it start to rise very very slowly.

The bread was OK, not the best I have ever made, but decent never the less.

The internet is great, but sometimes it certainly isn't.

[Lori]

I'm afraid to make even a small batch of home baked cookies.  Fear of using my precious ingredients for something not essential.  The talk now is of food shortages.  So, I am being very careful how I use or don't use what we have.

[Lori]

Our food delivery from Carrefour this morning included only a package of potatoes as far as fresh items.  We made the order a week ago and included several fresh food items; potimaron, butternut squash, cauliflower, clementines, etc.  Delivery guy said that there is a near total rupture of fresh fruits and vegetables.

We were told what we didn't get would be delivered once their stock had been replenished...

[idun]

I have frozen the bread in usable portions and so we have enough in for about three weeks now.

I had to use the last of my fresh yeast up, as I could tell that I had to, not only by the date, but the feel of it. I cannot use dried yeast as it makes my husband very seriously ill.

So that is all my flour gone, apart from Self Raising, which I use for cakes and pastries..

[idun]

I can get everything at the moment apart from plain or strong flour, there is self raising.

Our supermarkets are pretty well stocked up, including all the fruits, salad things and veggies I want.

Although a friend has told me that hers at about 13 miles away are not.

[Lori]

Glad your shops are still looking fairly normal Idun.  I hope that doesn't change.

I will find out tomorrow what our shops on the streets look like.  Last time I was out, they were fully stocked, short of a few things (the obvious).  I have no idea what I will find tomorrow; hopefully the same.

Our freezer here just isn't big enough to hold very much.  I have put as much proteins and veggies as it will hold.  We also keep a section of it free to hold several baguettes and some sliced sandwich bread that we get on the rare occasion we go out.  They freeze well enough.

I do look forward to moving as there is plenty of space for good sized appliances, etc.  No need to live in such a small set up - which really did not bother us under normal circumstances.  These days, of course, are anything but normal.

[Lehaut]

Did our first big shop for 2 weeks with the car on Saturday. Only one person allowed, so I did the shopping connected to my wife on the phone to make sure we did not missed anything. Worked really well.

The only shelves that were completely bare in Leclerc were the flour/yeast ones. Same in the local Intermarche.

[ericd]

@Idun. Next time you have fresh yeast, keep it alive by feeding it. This can be done for a long time. See link below.

https://nicrunicuit.com/faire/fermenter/comment-entretenir-le-levain-chef-pour-le-garder-longtemps/

[Judith-aka-Judith]

Walked over to our small supermarket yesterday as running out of some staples, mainly bread which OH gets through like it was the last thing on earth, and will only eat certain types ... no bread.  Only specialist flours, some sections had little choice (liquid soaps - but could get the one I like, disinfectants, eggs) but there was some to buy.  I was told - It's Sunday!  By which I implied no deliveries on a Sunday.

However, my first try at home made bread for some years worked last week, and that is keeping us going for now .. makes us realise now what is truly important in life, doesn't it?

[Gardengirl]

Idun, I’ve only once put my dough in the fridge over night - like you found, it didn’t work, and only rose reluctantly later the next day. It wasn’t awful when we ate it, just wasn’t quite right.

We’ve been self-isolating here in Berkshire for over 2 weeks now and have been OK for bread, some fresh, some from the freezer. Our son who lives nearby has brought some from Waitrose and from Asda, along with a large bag of bread flour last week, paracetamol and Maltesers - my weakness!

We didn’t join in our family get-together 2 weeks ago to celebrate our local son’s birthday. Our other son arrived from afar with bags of groceries for us, along with his Mothering Sunday card and flowers, and an Easter egg. He and his husband wouldn’t even stand in the porch, but stood outdoors in the rain to chat in case they passed on infection.

We had a home delivery from Waitrose a week ago, ordered 3 weeks before, when we felt things were getting serious. No delivery slots available since then.

At the weekend I had an email from Waitrose; as I’m registered with them and over 70, a delivery slot next Thursday was available; they’re using John Lewis staff - they closed about 10 days ago.

I started my order yesterday; no flour of any sort showing online, along with no toilet rolls, tissues, kitchen rolls, hand sanitiser (don’t need any as we don’t leave the garden). Interesting what isn’t available.

Wine isn’t in short supply online, so we’re supporting local (Languedoc) industries, but it doesn’t seem right to order too much, somehow.

[ericd]

My wife made bread as per this Canadian recipe at the weekend. I have always been dubious about home bread making having only had the result of the standard top-bench bread maker ...... This time, the result was most impressive !! Overall texture, crust, taste ..... I am bowled over.

https://youtu.be/NkpEueQA4iQ

[idun]

Not sure which recipe you used Eric, but I looked at the one that mentioned making bread without a machine.

The only thing I would say is that that is somewhat more fresh yeast than I would personally use, but OK never the less.

I tend use the au pif method as to how much I use, but did that a few months ago and then weighed it, so I could make a precise recipe for a friend who wanted to know how to bake bread.

In the mid to late 1970's for various reasons, maybe strikes, on our way home from work we had problems getting bread. So I just started making it and have done for most of the years since then. And for most of our time in France.

 I used to use dried yeast, changing to the 'new' super active when it came out and then OH became very very seriously ill, and it was that dried yeast that made him very ill.

Since 1979, I have used fresh yeast and he is fine with that. Also, I started using the Elizabeth David method of little yeast and a far longer rising time, and that is fine.

I do know that too much yeast makes hard bread which as a friend, who did just that, said, that her horses wouldn't even eat it.

Bread is the most satisfying thing I make. You start with next to nothing and end up with the most marvellous food on the table.

[pomme]

Smile, bread-making is child's play. A chef at one of our favourite restaurants shows his daughter

part one https://fr-fr.facebook.com/RestaurantLimprimerie/videos/546722889558893/

part two https://fr-fr.facebook.com/RestaurantLimprimerie/videos/206895657292659/

(you don't need a Facebook account to view these two videos)

[Alan Zoff]

Flour is back on some shelves but can't find bread yeast anywhere - well apart from Ebay thieves asking up to 50 times the normal price for stuff past its use-by date

[Kong]

My OH came home with some flour already containing levure. Haven't tried it yet.

[idun]

Kong what exactly does it say, because if it is not an actual preprepared bread mix, then it will probably be SR Flour for cakes.

I know it would depend on the  make of flour, but sometimes it would say something like, avec poudre levante dedans or poudre a lever incorporee.

Whether you can use SR flour for bread I do not know, I would not even use it for yorkshire puds.

[NormanH]

At the moment here in Béziers you can't get wholemeal sliced bread..

I don't much fancy my normal bread as it gets a lot of handling and is given to you with no wrapping, so I started making sandwiches with sliced bread which is  at least in a plastic bag...but so have a lot of the locals!

[Kong]

Idun - Preparation for Pain Blanc avec levure incorporee. ready to go ideal for a bread machine Main ingredient Farine Ble and various additives. We shall see!

[idun]

Good! So jobs a goodun then.[:D]

I asked as people have been contacting me here and asking about using SR Flour for bread. Simply I wouldn't too much rising agent.

[Lori]

From my experience SR flour is never used for proper bread making.  Cakes, cookies, American style biscuits, even pancakes, but not bread.

[idun]

I use SR flour for american style pancakes, but not for crepes or 'english' style ones I make.

[Gardengirl]

I normally use spelt flour, but the loaves we made this week were half spelt, half wholemeal, as I can’t get more spelt flour. Our son who lives nearby dropped a large bag of wholemeal off in our porch during the week.

My husband made the bread almost on his own, with just a little help, no bread-maker, but we use the mixer.

[idun]

We have a mixer but I never use it for bread. For one I find that our Kenwood can only do a limited amount of dough at a time, and two, I can give the dough a good bashing and I find that very therapeutic.[Www]

Also, men tend to be better kneaders, than me at least, more strength and better bread with a 'hard' knead before the first prove.

[Gardengirl]

Unfortunately, kneading for more than a few seconds sets my back off Idun, so that’s all I can manage to do. My ancient Kenwood gives it a good bashing and the bread is good and tasty.

More kneading might be a good exercise for my husband in getting rid of any frustration at not being able to get out and about though.

[Judith-aka-Judith]

NormanH, thanks for that clue as to why there is no sliced bread these days .. hubby's staple, but can I get it - no!  Makes sense though. I thought they were all going out for picnics!