How Do I Survive Living At The Farm ... Tips And Tricks Please!

[MeMock]

I have always wondered about this bread maker talk. My wife is my "bread maker" and makes amazing bread by hand with nothing more than a counter top, measuring devices, mixing bowl and an oven. In Chiang Rai ingredients are not difficult to find but I suppose that may not be the case everywhere.

That would have been me apart from one important ingredient. The oven! It is Thai food most of the time so no need for an oven, until I discovered that I missed bread too much hence the bread machine now has pride of place in my Kitchen.

My Thai Bread Maker.

Edited December 11, 2012 by MeMock

[notmyself]

Use your time to learn as much as you can.

[villagefarang]

I have always wondered about this bread maker talk. My wife is my "bread maker" and makes amazing bread by hand with nothing more than a counter top, measuring devices, mixing bowl and an oven. In Chiang Rai ingredients are not difficult to find but I suppose that may not be the case everywhere.

That would have been me apart from one important ingredient. The oven! It is Thai food most of the time so no need for an oven, until I discovered that I missed bread too much hence the bread machine now has pride of place in my Kitchen.

My Thai Bread Maker.

Nice to meet a fellow blogger and now I know what a bread maker is. I had never seen one before. We already have the oven, however, so not much need for a bread maker. I have run across several of your regular visitors online but this was my first visit to your blog. Good luck and keep blogging.

[billd766]

I have always wondered about this bread maker talk. My wife is my "bread maker" and makes amazing bread by hand with nothing more than a counter top, measuring devices, mixing bowl and an oven. In Chiang Rai ingredients are not difficult to find but I suppose that may not be the case everywhere.

That would have been me apart from one important ingredient. The oven! It is Thai food most of the time so no need for an oven, until I discovered that I missed bread too much hence the bread machine now has pride of place in my Kitchen.

My Thai Bread Maker.

I bought my Breville Bakers oven in Taupo, Enn Zed while I was working there 3 years ago and a 1kg loaf lasts me between 4 to 6 days.

I put it on a marble slab on the table, sling in the ingredients and around 3 hours later out comes the loaf. Shake it out of the tin and leave it on a wire rack to cool keeping a rat swatter handy for the small rats and a bigger one for the wife.

I only bought a tabletop oven a couple of months ago and I am still "playing" with it as yet.

My bread maker makes "vertical" bread rather than the normal shape.

Edited December 12, 2012 by billd766

[David48]

Mate ... I'm liking your loaf there ...

.

[MeMock]

Thanks Village Farang for your kind words, I have been enjoying your blog off and on for quite a few years. The photography is excellent.

Biild766, thanks for sharing your pics. 4 - 6 days is quite some time, I am assuming you must toast it come day 2?

Mine only last for 24 hours before they are gone (lots of rats in my house) and within 12 hours I am generally toasting it. (Just shows how many preservatives go into most mainstream bread.)

I forgot to mention VillageFarang - one of the big benefits of the machine is that you can get it all ready before bed and set the timer which allows the smell of cooking bread wake you up the following morning by using the timer. (Oh who am I kidding, it is the sound of the loud speakers, roosters and dogs that wake me up but then the lovely smell hits me!)

Here is a photo of my effort this morning. A 750g loaf with a 60/40 white/whole grain mix with a few rolled oats thrown in for good measure.

Edited December 12, 2012 by MeMock

[transam]

Thanks Village Farang for your kind words, I have been enjoying your blog off and on for quite a few years. The photography is excellent.

Biild766, thanks for sharing your pics. 4 - 6 days is quite some time, I am assuming you must toast it come day 2?

Mine only last for 24 hours before they are gone (lots of rats in my house) and within 12 hours I am generally toasting it. (Just shows how many preservatives go into most mainstream bread.)

I forgot to mention VillageFarang - one of the big benefits of the machine is that you can get it all ready before bed and set the timer which allows the smell of cooking bread wake you up the following morning by using the timer. (Oh who am I kidding, it is the sound of the loud speakers, roosters and dogs that wake me up but then the lovely smell hits me!)

Here is a photo of my effort this morning. A 750g loaf with a 60/40 white/whole grain mix with a few rolled oats thrown in for good measure.

Looks like something on my cigarette packet.

[MeMock]

It's the best cancer growth you have ever tasted!

[billd766]

Mate ... I'm liking your loaf there ...

.

The best taste is about 30 minutes after it has cooled a bit with some nice salted butter.

Yummy.

[billd766]

Thanks Village Farang for your kind words, I have been enjoying your blog off and on for quite a few years. The photography is excellent.

Biild766, thanks for sharing your pics. 4 - 6 days is quite some time, I am assuming you must toast it come day 2?

Mine only last for 24 hours before they are gone (lots of rats in my house) and within 12 hours I am generally toasting it. (Just shows how many preservatives go into most mainstream bread.)

I forgot to mention VillageFarang - one of the big benefits of the machine is that you can get it all ready before bed and set the timer which allows the smell of cooking bread wake you up the following morning by using the timer. (Oh who am I kidding, it is the sound of the loud speakers, roosters and dogs that wake me up but then the lovely smell hits me!)

Here is a photo of my effort this morning. A 750g loaf with a 60/40 white/whole grain mix with a few rolled oats thrown in for good measure.

There is usually only me that eats it plus the chickens get the bottom crust or whats left when it is finished.

I have changed from using 2 Tbs of sugar to 2 Tbs of honey per 1 kg loaf as it kkkkkeeps moister longer.

I normally have 1 slice of bread and butter and 1 slice of toast with jam, marmelade or whatever I have at breakfast.

Sadly though I can do a doorstep toast I can't get the old fashioned dripping to go with it.

It makes a good cheese on toast and fried bread is OK too.

[notmyself]

I can't get the old fashioned dripping to go with it.

Render a pig's head. Takes a good 12-14 hours but you get enough dripping (lard) for a year.

[Humbugged]

How can you eat lard on toast...that is disgusting.....pure liquid fat and grease.....

[notmyself]

How can you eat lard on toast...that is disgusting.....pure liquid fat and grease.....

Bread and dripping built the UK mate.

[transam]

How can you eat lard on toast...that is disgusting.....pure liquid fat and grease.....

WHAT, that was a treat for us kids together with a cup of juice from the boiling of cabbage, with a dash of salt.

[MeMock]

^ You got salt? Lucky bugger.

[transam]

^ You got salt? Lucky bugger.

No salt, poor sod. ..................................

[David006]

I can't get the old fashioned dripping to go with it.

Render a pig's head. Takes a good 12-14 hours but you get enough dripping (lard) for a year.

Ain't that head cheese?...yum..cholesterol city..what about using a rice cooker ...or maybe a slow cooker ...same same ???

Any one ever do pigs trotters ?....no idea what ya supposed to do/cook cook 'em... but old English basic staple methinks ...wiv pickled onions and Guinness maybe..mmmm?

Then there is the great cold weather food Oxtail stew..lots of lovely fat and potatoes ,onions and other root veggies etc....not sure tropical fare though.

..wife makes a pretty fair rib pork soup as she calls it.... not quite though

Lost my Brit Roses flour Co. cook book boxing day 2004..f...k!

Edited December 13, 2012 by David006

[Humbugged]

How can you eat lard on toast...that is disgusting.....pure liquid fat and grease.....

Bread and dripping built the UK mate.

That explains the UK then.

[transam]

How can you eat lard on toast...that is disgusting.....pure liquid fat and grease.....

Bread and dripping built the UK mate.

That explains the UK then.

Yep, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. True grit if your an old native. ...........

[onionluke]

Here's a bread making tip .

I take a handful of dried flowers from the huge basil bush out the back and add as an aromatic grain to the mix . Useful if there is no wholewheat flour left .

[NeverSure]

I see Kitchenaid counter top convection ovens in LOS for about 3,000 baht. For a little more, it can be a combo microwave or oven. They will hold two 9" pizza or pies, so they should hold a couple of rectangular loaves of bread with a shelf removed. It takes about 45 minutes to bake a loaf in a conventional oven, so it's reasonable to guess that it would take about 30 - 35 minutes in a convection oven. For anyone who might not know, a convection oven just has fans inside to blow the air and even and speed of the heating. Think of putting one ice cube in a glass of water, and holding another under running water. The movement of the air or water heats faster.

[David48]

How can you eat lard on toast...that is disgusting.....pure liquid fat and grease.....

Bread and dripping built the UK mate.

I tried it once when I was traveling and had nothing else to eat ... I had a bite, a second just to make sure it did taste that bad ... stayed hungry that night ...

[David48]

Liking where you guys have taken this thread ...

[villagefarang]

With an oven there are many more options besides bread.

[SantiSuk]

When I first started working in the UK 40 years ago, one of my first audit assignments was to Burtons menswear factory in Leeds (long since outsourced to Thailand et al). The tea lady used to come round twice in the morning with dripping balm cakes (for those not privileged to have livedin Yorkshire, balm cales are enormous flat boring bread rolls).

Still turns my stomach at the thought. Now making chips using beef lard - that's an entirely different matter.

My Dad eating tripe (raw cows stomach) and onions was another - he'd be right at home, munching on internal body parts, here in Isaan

[billd766]

I can't get the old fashioned dripping to go with it.

Render a pig's head. Takes a good 12-14 hours but you get enough dripping (lard) for a year.

Ain't that head cheese?...yum..cholesterol city..what about using a rice cooker ...or maybe a slow cooker ...same same ???

Any one ever do pigs trotters ?....no idea what ya supposed to do/cook cook 'em... but old English basic staple methinks ...wiv pickled onions and Guinness maybe..mmmm?

Then there is the great cold weather food Oxtail stew..lots of lovely fat and potatoes ,onions and other root veggies etc....not sure tropical fare though.

..wife makes a pretty fair rib pork soup as she calls it.... not quite though

Lost my Brit Roses flour Co. cook book boxing day 2004..f...k!

David, have a look here it may be the same one.

http://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/five-roses-cook-book/page-1/

[billd766]

How can you eat lard on toast...that is disgusting.....pure liquid fat and grease.....

Bread and dripping built the UK mate.

That explains the UK then.

That does explain the UK then but not the wimpy country it is now. Far to PC for me. I quit and left years ago.

[billd766]

With an oven there are many more options besides bread.

How did you make those cakes? They look absolutely yummy.

[MeMock]

Village farang, you have almost convinced me. The wife wants one but I am being to stingy because we are only in Thailand a few months of the year but that photo of the chicken..... mmmmmmm.

[villagefarang]

Turkey my dear man, that is a Turkey though only a 14 pounder, and I am looking forward to my wife preparing one again this year for the New Year. We already have plans for a Christmas Day outing so no cooking that day.

Not sure where my wife found the recipe for those cinnamon rolls but they were delicious. She has stopped baking such things for me as my self-control wanes and my waistline suffers with my appreciation of her baked goods. I can’t stop myself and one is never enough.

Thailand does have Turkeys. This one lives in a neighboring village.

Edited December 14, 2012 by villagefarang