Bread Making Newbie

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I bought a Morphy Richards bread maker model 48239 about four years ago. Never used it even once for all kind of reasons. Today I took it out of storage, went through the manual but still not sure if it will work.
I am confused with all the type of flours available and what kind of yeast to use.
I would appreciate your tips for making the first successful loaf of bread. Basic white bread would do for a start. Thanks.
Morphy Richards 48239.webp
 
Dried sachet yeast is the thing to use.

As there are so many makes/models of different pan sizes etc, the recipes tend to be specific to your device, so best to use that.

The best general advice I can give is to follow the given recipes slavishly - changing quantities can result in all sorts of disasters.



Still using my Panasonic three or four times a week.
 
Thanks.
I have a manual with recipes.
What I would like to know is how long the bread is good for and does it really taste good or that is just a marketing thing to say.
 
Ah, now the bread will indeed be delicious, either warm or, within a day or so, cold.

But it doesn't last more than a couple of days, unlike commercial bread which has a higher moisture content and is packed with preservatives.

If we have any left after two days, it gets toasted or used for wet sandwiches, like egg or tuna.
 
Lazarus said:
Ah, now the bread will indeed be delicious, either warm or, within a day or so, cold.

But it doesn't last more than a couple of days, unlike commercial bread which has a higher moisture content and is packed with preservatives.

If we have any left after two days, it gets toasted or used for wet sandwiches, like egg or tuna.
Click to expand...
I get the tuna bit, but how many eggs live under water?
 
You need strong flour - it'll probably say both strong and for bread. Basic recipe is 500g flour, 8g salt, a slug of oil or fat (olive?), 7g (1 sachet) dried yeast and about 300ml water. If a loaf is going to last you along time, slice it, bag it and freeze it, then you can prise a couple of slices off when you want to make toast.

Most bread flour (in UK and in France) has a recipe on the bag. It'll taste great but doesn't have all the chemicals that commercial bread has, hence the advice on freezing.
 
Nelson knows a bit about bread making ...
He often brings a loaf for me when he visits.
Damned good it is too ...
:D
 
Does he use a bread machine or use a conventional oven?

I've mad a couple of loaves after a several year gap and I am not wholly satisfied with the result. It makes me choke when I see photos of these beautifully light loaves and I could use mine to sole my shoes.
 
Business opportunity?
 
PaulR said:
Does he use a bread machine or use a conventional oven?

I've mad a couple of loaves after a several year gap and I am not wholly satisfied with the result. It makes me choke when I see photos of these beautifully light loaves and I could use mine to sole my shoes.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you used the wrong grain, whole would leave you satisfied?
 
Well, actually the first loaf (the lead weight) was indeed the wrong flour. I couldn't get the gluten to develop at all and then after baking I discovered a gaping hole inside where the CO2 bubbles had coalesced into a single large bubble. The second one I knocked back and gave a second rise to before cooking (which I hadn't on the first) and, although it was fairly consistent in its texture, it didn't rise very much.

At that point I conceded that, at about two years old, the flour was probably past it so I went to the local mill and bought another 5Kg bag. While I was there I asked them to look on their records to see when I had bought the last one. Oh dear, it was 4 years ago! No wonder it wouldn't work properly.

So, with the new flour I set about making the third and latest loaf. Now with the arthritis developing in my hands I can't knead the bread manually so I use a Kenwood Chef with the bread hook attachment. However, even with the new flour I didn't seem to be able to develop the gluten properly. There just wasn't enough bounce in the dough even after ages with the Chef. There came a point where I said Soddit and just tipped the dough into the bread tin. Into the preheated oven at Regulo 8 for 30 minutes and then tip the loaf out and give it another 10 minutes upside down.

Result: better but it still hadn't risen as much as it should. There's obviously something wrong with my method (lack of manual kneading perhaps) but I'm struggling to find out what.
 
On a couple of occasions, I've ended up with the dreaded brick.

I found from web searching that adding some lemon juice to the mix is supposed to help develop the gluten.

I tried it, and really cannot say for sure it worked as most of my loaves were ok anyway ..... but possibly worth a go? Nothing to lose.
 
Will try a squeeze next time. Ta.

You still sometimes get a brick with a machine? Or are you a traditional baker?
 
PaulR said:
So, with the new flour I set about making the third and latest loaf. No with the arthritis developing in my hands I can't knead the bread manually so I use a Kenwood Chef with the bread hook attachment. However, even with the new flour I didn't seem to be able to develop the gluten properly. There just wasn't enough bounce in the dough even after ages with the Chef. There came a point where I said Soddit and just tipped the dough into the bread tin. Into the preheated oven at Regulo 8 for 30 minutes and then tip the loaf out and give it another 10 minutes
upside down.

Result: better but it still hadn't risen as much as it should. There's obviously something wrong with my method (lack of manual kneading perhaps) but I'm struggling to find out what.
Click to expand...

You can over knead with a machine.

The method I use which is quite successful is the mix the ingredients and then leave it for 10 mins or so, then stretch and fold for a couple of minutes, leave for another 10 then stretch and fold for a couple of minutes, and then back in the bowl to prove. It's less wear and tear on the wrists and hands. There are variations on this theme but look up 'autolyse method.'
 
PaulR said:
Will try a squeeze next time. Ta.

You still sometimes get a brick with a machine? Or are you a traditional baker?
Click to expand...


Master Baker (Before @Milamber wakes up)

Yes, even with a machine. Web has many hits on the Topic, but no definitive reason for it happening.
 
I can believe that it's possible to over knead. However, I was watching closely throughout the machine's operation and I didn't see any sign of it "peaking".
 
PaulR said:
Does he use a bread machine or use a conventional oven?

I've mad a couple of loaves after a several year gap and I am not wholly satisfied with the result. It makes me choke when I see photos of these beautifully light loaves and I could use mine to sole my shoes.
Click to expand...

Hi ---
I use a bread machine ... Panasonic SD - 252 quite old now ... but Panasonic machines are regarded as the best ... had a morphy richards many years a go it made good bread ... just not built to last as long as the panasonic machines ....
best flour for flavour and rising qualities ... i find is Canadian ( and i,v used many) and i prefer to use olive oil rather than regular veg oil in the mix..... pic below of the ones i currently use... separately or mixed depending what i fancy :)

flour.webp
 
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