Hooray - bread shaped bread!

[British Red]

I know very few homesteader types who don't make their own bread. I also know a lot of us use breadmakers so that the bread is proving, getting knocked back and even cooking when we are out weeding etc.

That's by the by but we really like to have a breadmaker. Other than a Kenwood mixer and attachments for bulk processing its one thing we would really miss. So our Kenwood bread maker died recently after years of service and BB found one she liked on Andrew James (I know a lot of people have their dehydrator that I recommend). It had a feature we liked the look of and was cheap enough. So we bought it. Does it work?

Breadmaker Loaf by British Red, on Flickr

Good even mix and baked, nice crumb, nothing wrong at all

Andrew James Breadmaker by British Red, on Flickr

Seems to be a real improvement over the Kenwood - has a delay start, seed dispenser and pizza dough programme (we need all of them) and is a good price at £55.

We'll need to live with it before recommending solidly, but if you are in the market for a new breadmaker - I'd consider it

Andrew James Website

 

[Robson Valley]

I looked long and hard at those things some 20 years ago.
I happily agree that for busy people, they are a major convenience.
My brother has/had one. A bread made with dill & cheese was an extraordinary treat.

Your bread certainly looks well-turned out. Even looks like bread (I saw macines that made cube-shaped breads. Huh?)

I needed something to make me slow down. I can do other things during the rise times.
But, kneading the dough is some sort of Zen thing,
don't know where my mind goes but the texture always brings me back.

 

[GGTBod]

That looks like a cracking loaf. Is this the same machine??

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Andrew-Ja...960432?hash=item1ea678e7f0:g:PsQAAOSw5ZBWNT8F

 

[British Red]

I do hand bake, so does my daughter, but I cannot deny having a machine do it is so handy when I have chores (and when don't I?). Its also great for knocking up a pizza dough whilst I do the night time shut up of chooks and barns and so on. Come in to fresh dough and a hot oven - pizza in a few minutes

 

[British Red]

That looks like a cracking loaf. Is this the same machine??

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Andrew-Ja...960432?hash=item1ea678e7f0:g:PsQAAOSw5ZBWNT8F

No mate, its the "twin paddle" machine we have

If you click on the website link in the OP it should take you to the site we got it

 

[GGTBod]

For some reason when i followed your link the pictures weren't showing, just tried again and can now see the machine

 

[Robson Valley]

I've always done pizza dough with just a bowl and a stick.
You have just about sold me on a mixing machine.

 

[SCOMAN]

The only thing about the bread machines I've seen is the gaping holes left by the paddles once the loaf is removed from the maker. I agree with Robson, most of what I've seen previously gave you a weird shaped loaf but yours looks good.

 

[bigbear]

Been havering about one cor a while as I am just not finding time to bake from scratch. Took the plunge, thanks Red !

 

[British Red]

Hope it works well for you

 

[bigbear]

Very happy so far, a couple of loaves made and eaten.
Not keen on their wholemeal recipe so just fine tuning my regular one to the machine but it seems like a great deal at the price.

 

[British Red]

We fooled with the pizza dough one as its too much dough for us. Easy fixed though. I have a wholemeal in as we speak - I think theres too much sugar in the recipe myself!

 

[Quixoticgeek]

How long does it take for the machine to produce a loaf from when you first hit the on button? Have you tried to 2 small loaf option?

J

 

[Twodogs]

Thats a proper loaf ,,,,,you cant beat fresh bread

 

[sandbender]

Thats a proper loaf ,,,,,you cant beat fresh bread

That is a proper loaf, it'll fit in a toaster too.

My son (3) made his first bread last Saturday, it was a pan fried effort rather than oven baked. He enjoyed though, every kid should know where bread comes from.

 

[Robson Valley]

For some years now, I've made my own bread every week. The formula makes 2 average-sized loaves, enough for me for the week. Forgiving enough to make cinnamon/raisin bread, fougasse, baguettes, focaccia, rye or buns.

Hamilton-Beach mixer & dough hook. The mix part takes about 20 minutes. First rise to 2X is abought 35 minutes if the flour was warmed. Time to do other things. Scale and makeup as 2 loaves, into the pans for second rise, again about 35 minutes. Do other things. Into the oven 43 minutes, do other things. There is some sort of a Zen thing, kneading the dough after the mix. Don't know where my mind wanders off to but the stiffening gluten development always brings me back. Same thing happens making pasta dough or pizza dough.

Because of the rise times and the baking time, I don't find it to be very much of an intrusion. In fact, when I worked, I'd crack open a beer after work on Fridays and make bread.
I read a sad piece where it was revealed that some big, automated bakeries whip 2,000lb flour and water into a foam, sugar and yeast added as "flavoring." They can scale it and into a travelling oven so fast the foam doesn't fall. Pathetic.

 

[Goatboy]

On the waiting part of bread making I always liked te tales of the early rising baker having a snooze on the lid of the proving trough. As the dough rises it gets to the point where it tips him off and onto th floor so as to wake him up as it was ready.
The wait is part of the enjoyment though, anticipation of fresh warm bread slathered in dripping butter. Hmmm!

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Robson Valley]

Today is turning out like I'd love to load the thing and push the button! Company really arriving on Saturday and as a rule, I let my house go to Hello.
Gotta like the baker's snooze story. I can see it.
Goatboy and others: what is that thing about fresh bread and soft butter? Haven't even measured the yeast and I'm drooling already!
My D2 gave me Dough (Richard Bertinet). Everything works exactly as he describes for all sorts of bready things. Very attractive.
The other text that's helped a lot over the years is Professional Baking (Wayne Gisslen), used in all the Cordon Bleu schools.

 

[Imagedude]

By "bread shaped bread" I assume you are referring to the type bread of bread that is shaped to facilitate mass production. Are there Euro norms for bread shape?

 

[Quixoticgeek]

How long do your home baked loaves last? I love making bread, I use my Kenwood chef, but the shelf life of it is typically under an hour, maybe 90 minutes if I am slow... freshly baked bread, with salty butter, still slightly warm... I tried making more, on the basis that I might get full and not eat it all immediately... all that happened is I got fatter...

J