Home Bread Making

[BritManToo]

48 minutes ago, rutteketuut said:

In november 2017 I bought a breadmaker on Lazada for 2100 baht ( brand Flezie).

Same as mine, a piece of junk,

First drive band fail after about 30 loaves.

Second drive band, failed after about 30 loaves.

They've withdrawn it from sale now, as they can't afford all the repairs in the 1-year warranty.

 

Maybe yours was made before the current (faulty?) drive bands were made, maybe you haven't used it much?

[mserror]

I have been using a breadmaker for almost 30 years. My current recipe:

330 g water

¼ teaspoon salt

1.5 teaspoon sugar

1.5 teaspoons yeast

266 g (1.5 cups) white bread flour

266 g (1.5 cups) wholemeal bread flour OR 1.5 cups including 2 tablespoon gluten if not bread flour

 

It's very important to add the right amount of water and this varies with the moisture content of the flour - another reason for buying bulk flour.  The dough should form a ball which slowly fattens when the machine is kneading.  If too dry, the bread will be heavy with a round top.  If too wet the bread will also not rise properly but will have a sunken top. It is better to have the dough too wet then add extra flour rather than vice versa.

 

Store the yeast in the fridge.

 

I freeze the bread, is fresh when thawed.

[steve73]

5 hours ago, Toosetinmyways said:

Yesterday for the first time ever both batches of dough failed to rise. Hand made not machine. Strange thing is one is sourdough starter and the other instant yeast. Surfing the web best answer was water quaility likely high chlorine. I use water filters but perhaps they still pass chlorines

Chlorine is added to tap water to kill any bacteria (& yeasts), and the quality control here means it's often overdosed heavily.  Filters are unlikely to remove it.

 

Always use bottled water... (Actually I tried with Chang beer one time, as I had some beer batter left over from cooking some fish... Very nice as I recall, but doubled the cost of the loaf.)

[tutsiwarrior]

7 hours ago, Toosetinmyways said:

Yesterday for the first time ever both batches of dough failed to rise. Hand made not machine. Strange thing is one is sourdough starter and the other instant yeast. Surfing the web best answer was water quaility likely high chlorine. I use water filters but perhaps they still pass chlorines

 

chlorine in the water supply is a killer...I can never get dried beans to cook properly using tap water (chlorinated)...always use the best quality water you can find for cooking purposes...

 

 

[hugocnx]

Just found these three beauties in my oven.

 

[tutsiwarrior]

4 hours ago, hugocnx said:

Just found these three beauties in my oven.

 

 

very nice looking loaves...now, where do you find a knife to slice them? don't think I've seen a proper bread knife anywhere in Thailand (long thin rectangular knife with a serrated blade)...I brought one back once from saudi but it's getting dull and serrated blades are tricky to sharpen...end up screwing them up mostly......

 

 

[Naam]

THIS is bread Gentlemen!

 

 

[sharktooth]

This mornings effort. Partially following Britmans recipe but added Vital Wheat Gluten and a few seeds. Getting there.

 

 

 

 

[billd766]

11 hours ago, tutsiwarrior said:

 

chlorine in the water supply is a killer...I can never get dried beans to cook properly using tap water (chlorinated)...always use the best quality water you can find for cooking purposes...

 

 

I use rainwater that we get from the roof in the rainy season and save in 2 x 3,000 litre stainless steel tanks.

[billd766]

6 hours ago, tutsiwarrior said:

 

very nice looking loaves...now, where do you find a knife to slice them? don't think I've seen a proper bread knife anywhere in Thailand (long thin rectangular knife with a serrated blade)...I brought one back once from saudi but it's getting dull and serrated blades are tricky to sharpen...end up screwing them up mostly......

 

 

You can buy proper bread knives at Robinson's, Villa and perhaps Foodland and Makro or order them online.

 

I am still looking for a 12 inch ceramic carving knife.

[Naam]

50 minutes ago, billd766 said:

You can buy proper bread knives at Robinson's, Villa and perhaps Foodland and Makro or order them online.

 

I am still looking for a 12 inch ceramic carving knife.

i'm getting a loaf or two 3-4 times a year, never use a knife but break it by hand the way my grandfather taught me.

 

off bread topic: found for the first time in 14 years Thailand (besides smoked salmon) edible smoked fish (cherry wood smoked whole mackerel) imported from "Scandinavia". Best supermarket, weight ~400g, 135 Baht. went home, tasted it (not salted/cured but properly smoked and very tasty) and sent the driver to get whatever was available. he brought another five just when i finished the first one.

[BritManToo]

7 hours ago, tutsiwarrior said:

don't think I've seen a proper bread knife anywhere in Thailand (long thin rectangular knife with a serrated blade).

Bought this in Makro a few years back, their own brand 'ARO', works well.

 

[albertik]

On ‎1‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 1:52 PM, steve73 said:

If it rises OK then the yeast is working OK.

 

Causes of collapse are usually:

1.  Insufficient gluten in the flour, so the dough looses elasticity as it starts to cook.  Use a proper strong "Bread" flour (or perhaps a gluten additive).  Too much wholemeal flour (that has low gluten) may also give problem... max 25%.

 

2. Alternatively, too much water makes the dough too soft, and again it will collapse as it starts to cook.  I found the standard recipes that came with my breadmaker had 10-20% too much water... try cutting back a little and see if it help.

 

3.  If it's much too warm during the "proving" (rising) stage it can rise too fast & too much, then I've noticed it will often collapse during cooking.  Breadmakers usually have to warm it a little at this stage; ideally around 25C, but often it's a little too warm in T/L.  Perhaps add a little more sugar to give the yeast extra "food".

 

Without getting into the chemistry, I have found the above conclusions to be accurate; specifically "too much water" I too use a bread machine and have had great results. I do add a mixture of 3/4 warm milk with 1/4 hot water to which I add sugar or honey. Then as opposed to the machine instructions I add instant yeast and let it proof (foam up) and then the flour. Lastly I add salt on top of the flour mound and let the machine do the rest. For  whole wheat I use a ratio of 25-50% whole wheat with the rest being plain old bread flour.

[madmen]

The smell of freshly baked bread [emoji506] keeps me away from baking. I would explode in weight

[albertik]

On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 11:23 AM, BritManToo said:

The recipes that come with breadmakers are always too wet and tend to fall.

Don't know why, maybe they use a different flour to everyone else.

And they always want you to use milk and eggs, who puts milk and eggs in their bread?

I do use both and these ingredients make for a superb soft, light loaf.                         

[sharktooth]

35 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Bought this in Makro a few years back, their own brand 'ARO', works well.

 

I think you need to take that knife to your manky looking nail before you make anymore bread man ????

[billd766]

1 hour ago, Naam said:

i'm getting a loaf or two 3-4 times a year, never use a knife but break it by hand the way my grandfather taught me.

 

off bread topic: found for the first time in 14 years Thailand (besides smoked salmon) edible smoked fish (cherry wood smoked whole mackerel) imported from "Scandinavia". Best supermarket, weight ~400g, 135 Baht. went home, tasted it (not salted/cured but properly smoked and very tasty) and sent the driver to get whatever was available. he brought another five just when i finished the first one.

I usually make bread rolls, freeze them and defrost them when I need one.

[KittenKong]

14 hours ago, tutsiwarrior said:

chlorine in the water supply is a killer...I can never get dried beans to cook properly using tap water (chlorinated)...always use the best quality water you can find for cooking purposes...

Chlorine in the water could indeed be the OP's problem. But chlorine evaporates if left in an open-topped container for a day or two. Boiling/heating speeds up the process. So it might be worth him trying with tap water that has been in a decanter for a day or two.

Chloramine (often used instead of chlorine) doesnt evaporate though. I dont know which Thailand uses as for drinking and cooking I only use water from delivered 20l bottles, which may explain why I never have trouble with bread rising.

[KittenKong]

9 hours ago, tutsiwarrior said:

where do you find a knife to slice them? don't think I've seen a proper bread knife anywhere in Thailand (long thin rectangular knife with a serrated blade)...

https://www.ikea.com/th/en/catalog/products/70294725/

 

3 hours ago, billd766 said:

I am still looking for a 12 inch ceramic carving knife.

Opinions vary about these:

https://www.knivesandtools.co.uk/en/ct/ceramic-knives.htm

[hugocnx]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Bought this in Makro a few years back, their own brand 'ARO', works well.

 

Actually I prefer a 'deep freeze' knife. Doesn't hook up as much.

Need a new one. Anyone know where to get. Not at Makro afaik.

[hugocnx]

8 hours ago, Naam said:

THIS is bread Gentlemen!

 

 

LOL, bought that one yourself right? Nah, copy & paste.

 

[madmen]

LOL, bought that one yourself right? Nah, copy & paste.
 

They sell an identical looking loaf of rye in the supermarket at central world. It's almost a piece of art.. 300 baht but would last a week or 2

[Naam]

1 hour ago, hugocnx said:

LOL, bought that one yourself right? Nah, copy & paste.

 

of course copy and paste from the net. do you think my precious last loaf survived the Christmas holidays to be photographed on 4th of january?  next delivery mid february. till then i have to suffer what the few bakeries in Pattaya produce as far as "German" bread is concerned. but the latter is any time better than the foam rubber produced and sold in Thailand anywhere or baked at home. an exception are the baguettes from "au bon pain". your mileage may of course vary.

[BritManToo]

My new Morries bread machine arrived ealier today, and this is the first 500gm Whole Wheat loaf out of it

(my usual recipe).

 

[billd766]

2 hours ago, KittenKong said:

https://www.ikea.com/th/en/catalog/products/70294725/

 

Opinions vary about these:

https://www.knivesandtools.co.uk/en/ct/ceramic-knives.htm

Thank you for that information. I read the thread plus the bit on bread knives and have decided against ceramic knives unless they are a really good quality to be out of my price range.

[hugocnx]

8 hours ago, Naam said:

of course copy and paste from the net. do you think my precious last loaf survived the Christmas holidays to be photographed on 4th of january?  next delivery mid february. till then i have to suffer what the few bakeries in Pattaya produce as far as "German" bread is concerned. but the latter is any time better than the foam rubber produced and sold in Thailand anywhere or baked at home. an exception are the baguettes from "au bon pain". your mileage may of course vary.

Okay, seems this topic is below your level. Baked at home is not inferior in many cases.

And, we home bakers are proud of our products even if obtained through trial and error.

[Justin Side]

15 hours ago, BritManToo said:

My new Morries bread machine arrived ealier today, and this is the first 500gm Whole Wheat loaf out of it

(my usual recipe).

 

My Morries machine arrived yesterday (Friday) and it made a great Whole Wheat loaf for me also. 

[Naam]

6 hours ago, hugocnx said:

Okay, seems this topic is below your level. Baked at home is not inferior in many cases.

And, we home bakers are proud of our products even if obtained through trial and error.

i said

Quote

your mileage may of course vary.

 

[BritManToo]

42 minutes ago, Justin Side said:

My Morries machine arrived yesterday (Friday) and it made a great Whole Wheat loaf for me also.

 Interior light on mine doesn't work, I'll probably return it.

[Justin Side]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

 Interior light on mine doesn't work, I'll probably return it.

Same here but not really a problem.