A while ago I baked some bread. Link. It didn't go exactly to plan, it tasted ok though. I've had a few more goes since then.
The first was following a recipe on the flour packet.
The house smelt more bready than it had before. This time the dough rose and it was less dense. And it tasted great.
A work colleague told me he baked a yeast free loaf. So this second version used self raising flour and appletiser.
I expressed surprise at the inclusion of this sparkling apple drink. But went ahead the next weekend when the spelt loaf was finished.
A little burnt on top. Very crunchy, and tasty. And lighter, even if it doesn't look like it.
This did mean I had two packets of flour. I decided to do what some commercial bakers do; create a 50/50 loaf, using all the items I now had in my cupboard. They combine wholemeal and white flour, my bread was a little more "radical".
The first sign that this new "Frankenstein" loaf might be different was after the second proving stage. I had kneaded it, left it to rise. Then kneaded again and left it to rise in the bread tin. The dough was overflowing. I gathered the extra flow and scooped it back into the mix. Placing it in the oven I was not sure how this was going to turn out. Would it burst out all over? What shape would it grow into?
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| spelt and self raising flour loaf cooling |
The house had the best "bready" smell so far as it baked. So an initial win.
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| spelt and self raising flour loaf sliced |
I am really impressed with how it tastes, it's the lightest so far and still has a nice crunchy crust.
I'm going to get a bigger bread tin so that I can produce a loaf closer to shop bought size.
