The Neglected Gadget Update

You may recall I promised to use the bread maker more. I was doing okay, I suppose a teacher would have said "satisfactory" in a report on my performance. On Sunday evenings we habitually had a homemade pizza made with dough from the bread maker. Focaccia and bread roll dough were delicious when I made the small effort of filling and turning on the machine.

The motivation:

Two weeks ago I called to a neighbour and her house was filled with the aroma of freshly baked walnut bread. They had just invested in a breadmaker and were churning out their daily bread. This prompted me to up my game, and for 2 weeks and 3 days the only bread we've eaten has been home baked from the machine.

The practicality:

The whomeal loaf I make sinks a little in the centre, but the texture and taste is lovely. The sinking is reduced by removing the bread as soon as it's finished and a change to strong wholemeal flour, has also helped. I will continue by trial and error to try and remedy that.

It is easier not to be "minding" loaves of bread in the trolley and car boot on the way home from the supermarket. A bag of flour takes up much less room.

We are using the toaster less.

Making a loaf takes about 4 hours (a large wholemeal is slow a small white loaf would be much quicker.) That means I need to think about the time it will be ready to make sure I am there to take it out promptly.

I have found yeast that doesn't come in fiddly sachets, which is less messy. I bought it in Horan's healthfood stores and it's in an orange pack, I have transferred it to a jar and keep it in the fridge.

It's simple, I just need to think ahead a little.

The economics:

The loaves are smaller but we eat less slices, I reckon I put on the bread maker about as often as I used to take a loaf out of the freezer. I bought Brennan's Wholegrain Sliced Pan for €1.78 before this baking binge.

I make a light wholemeal loaf, these are the ingredients costed, with reasonable accuracy:

(I accept no responsibility for the accuracy though and you should know I only passed maths by compensation in first year in college!)

350 ml water   free

400g Hovis strong wholemeal flour  37.6c

100g Odlum's Strong White Flour 11.6c

1 oz Lee Strand Butter 15.3c

1.5 teaspoons Doves Farm Yeast 9.25c

1.5 teaspoons salt .5c

3 teaspoons demerara sugar      3.8c

Total for ingredients: 78.05c

The bread maker was a wedding gift 5 years ago so I am not including that cost and I have no idea how to calculate how much it costs to run, if I find out I'll let you know.

I would like to find a strong wholemeal flour that's produced in Ireland.

The result:

The neglected gadget is now central to daily life! I wonder how long that'll last?

Comments

[The Kitchen Dresser]

I use my breadmaker about 5 times per week and have done for about 18 months now. When you get into the routine of it, its easy. At the weekends I prefer to make dough in the machine and then shape and bake it in the regular oven. It feels healthier to eat bread that you make yourself :)

[Cleansheets]

Thanks, Kitchen Dresser you have given me hope that I will maintain this habit, and thats all it is: a habit.

Well done to you, 18 months is impressive. Any help for me and my sinking loaf problem?