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| Author |
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| 25 new of 205 responses total. |
i
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response 61 of 205:
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Nov 29 14:38 UTC 2002 |
I get my yeast at By the Pound (the bulk store in the S. Main Market) and
use only 1/2 t per loaf. I don't recall the cost per pound - any idea
what you pay?
Experiments with my machine and no-bread-flour loaves never worked out.
There's more fiber in the 2C bread flour / 1C wheat bran that i'm using
now than in 3C of whole wheat flour. (I use the fine-cut bran, so it's
not mostly air in the cup.) Occasionally I see whole wheat bread flour
and use that with good results. There's also a limit to how many things
i can reasonably stock in my feeding-just-one-person-&-no-chest-freezer
pantry.
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keesan
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response 62 of 205:
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Nov 29 15:10 UTC 2002 |
So you are mixing white flour and bran? But then you don't get the germ,
which has a lot of vitamins and minerals. And most of the taste.
We get our yeast and flour through a buying club. The flour is about 40 cents
per pound. The food coop charges something like $1.35 for it. Organic whole
wheat bread flour in both cases, from the same supplier. We are sharing the
flour with three other people and we buy it fresh nearly every month now.
If you have other business in the downtown area and want to stop by with a
milk jug or other container we can sell you about 7 pounds (one gallon). I
presume our baking yeast costs about half what the coop charges. We also have
rye flour and cornmeal, both organic. They are probably fresher than
supermarket whole wheat flour, which can be pretty rancid after sitting onthe
shelves for a few months. We have also tried adding to bread part durum flour
from the Indian food store, which is yellow and claims to be 'whole'
(entiere), and is higher gluten.
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slynne
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response 63 of 205:
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Dec 1 21:25 UTC 2002 |
If a person is thinking about getting a bread machine for baking whole
wheat bread, does the brand matter?
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i
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response 64 of 205:
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Dec 1 21:59 UTC 2002 |
I dimly recall that some bread machines have a "whole wheat" setting...
which is *NOT* to say that this setting is good for anything but sales.
Brand certainly matters in the sense that it does with any gadget - some
are better performing, more reliable, cheaper, etc. than others.
Are you familiar with bread machines to know of any features that you
want to have?
I don't think they've reviewed bread machines for a while, but i recall
a suggestion or two in a recent Consumer Reports magazine that's around
here somewhere.
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slynne
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response 65 of 205:
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Dec 1 22:14 UTC 2002 |
I am totally clueless about bread machines. I do want to get one,
primarily because I want to start baking whole wheat bread so it is
important that I get one that can handle that.
What kind do you have, i?
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mary
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response 66 of 205:
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Dec 1 22:18 UTC 2002 |
I had a Panasonic (sold at Williams-Sonoma) and it did a very
good job with whole wheat bread. But that was eons ago, don't
know anything about the latest models.
Buy it from somewhere that will take it back, used, if you
don't like it.
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slynne
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response 67 of 205:
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Dec 1 22:27 UTC 2002 |
That is good advice.
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keesan
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response 68 of 205:
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Dec 1 22:41 UTC 2002 |
Ours has a whole wheat setting (also about 10 other settings such as sweet
bread) but I don't know what it does. Perhaps it allows a longer rise. I
would like one that you could program for as long a rise as you want, and
choose between 1 and 2 rises. Our first machine was only able to do one
standard setting - short rise - and the bread always came out rather heavy.
We have two machines now with timers that in theory should allow you to make
breads that require first rising the sponge and then adding the rest of the
flour (mix up the sponge, add to the machine, dump flour on top, set on a
timer to start the next morning after the sponge has risen for a while.)
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slynne
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response 69 of 205:
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Dec 1 22:42 UTC 2002 |
That sounds complicated. I dont even know what sponge is. haha.
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keesan
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response 70 of 205:
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Dec 2 15:45 UTC 2002 |
Along with whole wheat and sweet bread, it has rapid and quick breads, so I
suspect these settings are in fact only different timings. I wonder how rapid
and quick differ. Sponge is a wet dough that rises for a while and falls back
on itself and then you add more flour to get it to rise again. It supposedly
gives things a different texture and taste.
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i
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response 71 of 205:
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Dec 3 02:05 UTC 2002 |
My machine is a Regal from early '96. I bought a replacement pan & paddle
for it a year or two ago.
My impression is that many bread machines are bought with good intentions,
then fall into disuse fairly soon. Depending on your budget, it could be
good to borrow one or buy second-hand. Consumer Reports briefly lists a
few favored models in their Xmas gift issue - they go for $75 to $100 new.
It's certainly possible to make fancy stuff with a bread machine (if you
have time to burn & itchy fingers), but regular use of one with a proven
recipe pretty much amounts to (1) measure & dump stuff into machine, (2)
plug in machine & push buttons to start it, and (3) remember to remove
finished bread semi-promptly & leave it out to cool for a while.
You'll probably need to add a few standard bread ingredients to your
pantry. Yeast and bread flour almost certainly. Probably oil. Whole
wheat flour in your case. There's no need for lots of ingredients; but
somebody somewhere has found & bought & grated & measured 15 different
kinds of cheeses because they just *had* to bake 15-cheese bread.
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cmcgee
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response 72 of 205:
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Dec 3 02:13 UTC 2002 |
Item 3 has a lot of stuf about bread machines
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keesan
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response 73 of 205:
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Dec 3 02:49 UTC 2002 |
We do not put any oil in our bread, just flour, water, yeast. Jim has been
experimenting with how much rye flour can be added to the wheat before the
machine overloads and he has to take it apart and replace the thermal cutout.
He is up to about 1/4 now, I think.
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glenda
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response 74 of 205:
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Dec 3 03:40 UTC 2002 |
I used mine 2-3 times a week for almost 5 years. It is in disuse at the
moment because the power set up in this house can't handle it. As soon as
the house is repaired/remodeled it will go back into regular use.
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jmsaul
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response 75 of 205:
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Dec 3 05:05 UTC 2002 |
Re #73: That's pretty funny. How many times has he blown the cutout?
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slynne
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response 76 of 205:
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Dec 3 16:13 UTC 2002 |
I think I will try to borrow my mom's bread machine. I'll bet she cant
remember the last time she used it! :) I guess if I break it with my
whole wheat flour, I'll buy her a new one.
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keesan
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response 77 of 205:
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Dec 3 16:34 UTC 2002 |
Jim has, at present, three bread machines. The one into which he is putting
rye flour has not 'broken' yet. One of the others arrived with blown cutout,
which he replaced. First time he made bread it blew again so he tried a
smaller batch or more water. Then his housemate blew the cutout on the third
machine. So the answer is three. Some of these machines are really not well
designed for non-fluffy type bread. Another friend with another machine also
had problems with whole wheat bread - it would start moving and then stop
every time until Jim gave him an adjusted recipe. Until then he would always
take the unkneaded dough out and bake it (without waiting for it to rise) and
eat a hard lump. He does not quite understand how bread is made.
Two of the three problem machines are Wellbuilt. The one which always works
well is a Regal, so you might try a Regal for heavier breads. We actually
paid $20 for it used (at Miller Manor thrift shop). Kiwanis often has bread
machines for $10-25.
If Slynne's mother's bread machine stops working Jim will be happy to fix it.
Ask him for a recipe suggestion for whole wheat bread. He did a lot of
experimenting and discovered that it helps to preheat the pan and the water
so it will rise faster.
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scott
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response 78 of 205:
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Dec 3 16:35 UTC 2002 |
My Panasonic is a tank - I've had it for 7-8 years, and had to replace the
drive belt after 7 years. Worth the $160, certainly.
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scott
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response 79 of 205:
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Dec 3 16:36 UTC 2002 |
(er, worth the $160 to buy the machine, not to replace the belt. The new belt
cost something like $10-15 with shipping)
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slynne
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response 80 of 205:
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Dec 3 17:22 UTC 2002 |
I definately will ask Jim (and others) for nice whole grain bread
recipes!
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i
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response 81 of 205:
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Dec 4 12:15 UTC 2002 |
Note that most bread recipes probably need to be tweaked (adjust yeast,
sugar, liquids, etc.) to your machine (which has slightly different times,
temps, pan shape, etc. than the recipe-writer's machine).
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slynne
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response 82 of 205:
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Dec 4 18:34 UTC 2002 |
I see. That just might end up being a challenge for me. I am not the
best cook in the world. Oh well, it will be fun anyways.
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i
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response 83 of 205:
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Dec 23 03:14 UTC 2002 |
I'm thinking more about a toaster oven. Cooking for one, there are a
fair number of times when turning on the stove's oven just seems silly
(making 6 muffins or some such). I don't make toast, so the "can also
reheat pizza" bottom-end models are out. I want something that'll do
a loaf of banana bread, small casserole, etc.
Measuring tape, etc. will tell me if it would fit in & not blow fuses -
but how useful are such things? Are good ones really a smaller version
of a "real" oven, or just glorified TV dinner heaters? Is "convection"
a real feature or a noisy price-hike?
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slynne
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response 84 of 205:
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Dec 23 04:03 UTC 2002 |
I made my first loaf of bread in my bread machine! It didnt rise as much as
I would have liked but it was edible!
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cmcgee
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response 85 of 205:
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Dec 23 12:11 UTC 2002 |
Toaster ovens are Great for small batches. I even have a set of baking
pans that fit toaster ovens. It includes a jelly roll pan (the cookie pan
with 3/8 in sides), a 9 1/4 by 6 1/2 by 2 in baking pan that is a great
lasagne size, a 7 1/2 by 3/3/4 by 2 1/4 in loaf pan, three mini pie pans,
and four mini loaf pans. Made by Mirro. I don't remember the last time I
saw them on sale, but check the (fake) hardware store on Stadium, next to
Big George's. [We all know that Stadium Hardware is the REAL hardware
store on Stadium}.
Over the years I've collected a couple 6-hole muffin pans, a springform
pan with both a flat bottom and center-hole insert, 7 inch pie pans, two
small round cake pans, and numerous tart pans of various shapes. I make
biscuits, muffins, cookies, cornbread, and just about everything else in
my toaster oven.
The Jiffy mix single layer cake mixes make the cutest little layer cakes.
For mixing small batches of cookies, my Cuisinart Little Pro Plus is a
whizz. (It also whips egg whites, juices limes, lemons and oranges, and
doubles as a salad shooter, with a side-directed, continuous feed shredder
or slicer.)
That said, I don't bake much, compared to many people here. If I ate
baked goods very often, I'd probably go the big oven, big freezer route.
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