The Perfect Wholemeal Loaf

[Angela Woodford]

(Is there a "Smiley" for Smug ?)

No, NEILL there isn't, thank goodness!

A trip to buy more flour. I have found "Allinson Premium, Wholemeal Very Strong Bread Flour - for higher rising, fuller texture wholemeal loaves. Milled from high quality wholegrains for consistantly fuller rise, richer texture and wholesome taste".

Doesn't this sound promising? According to the side of the packet, they would love to hear about my baking experiences at the Baking Mad Kitchen.com...

The next loaf! David's via-the-Guardian Dan Lepard method!

John! Your post made me remember my mother, who did everything by sight and tablespoons. Goodness, her Yorkshire pudding was brilliant! Miss Jukes made me paranoid about measuring everything exactly... but did her recipes taste better? Taking into account that at home we had lashings of real dripping and butter...

Right. The next wholemeal loaf. Hoping for success!

[sejintenej]

A trip to buy more flour. I have found "Allinson Premium, Wholemeal Very Strong Bread Flour - for higher rising, fuller texture wholemeal loaves. Milled from high quality wholegrains for consistantly fuller rise, richer texture and wholesome taste".

Doesn't this sound promising? According to the side of the packet, they would love to hear about my baking experiences at the Baking Mad Kitchen.com...

Right. The next wholemeal loaf. Hoping for success!

Sounds like they let the advertising animals out of their cage on that one.
Interestingly, on their site Allinsons themselves recommend that you mix their Very strong wholemeal bread flour with an equal amount of white v strong bread flour and they also add honey.
http://www.bakingmad.com/recipes/wholem ... meal-bread

Whomever you go to has a different idea so again it is a question of experimenting

Good luck, which ever way you go.

[J.R.]

My Bread Machine --- being of USA manufacture --- gives recipes in CUPS (!!!!)

I have managed to avoid these, and use Metric -- to my own conversion ! (Is there a "Smiley" for Smug ?)

My Maternal Grandmother, was a superb cook, and never seemed to measure anything ----- I suppose that, after years of practice, she knew how big the "Handful" or "Pinch" needed to be !

Similar to bra's then, Neill !

[Angela Woodford]

The next try!

The computer did wobbly infested things, much to my horror. It needed hours of cleaning and re-McAfeeing so Dan Lepard was out of range yesterday.

I used the proportions on the Allinson packet, and with a wave to Doris-dom, let it rise for 6 hours at room temp. Knocked it back, proved in warm place for 20 minutes (during which time it failed to rise again much) and backed in hotter steamy oven (Allinson packet + a touch of Lepard).

I was surprised by a sort of squat, dense earnest little loaf with a nice flavour. Heavy, absolutely. And yet there was something very appealing about it. The steamy oven provided a softer more friendly crust. What's more, I had got a piece of lovely ripe Camembert to eat with it.

It's not "The Perfect Wholemeal Loaf", but it's nice.

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

The Maternal Grandmother, died on her 97th Birthday, but is still remembered, throughout the extended Family, to this day, for "Granny Cakes"

I know not what the correct name for them is -----cakes conaining sultanas and presented in pleated paper cups ----- but from Studland to South Africa and from Salisbury to Switzerland --- they are "Granny Cakes " !

It was she, who, during the War, would gut, behead and tail and serve on toast MINNOWS, which they had caught, for her Grandsons
This was before we became expert Poachers --- and delivered TROUT !!!

[sejintenej]

The Maternal Grandmother, died on her 97th Birthday, but is still remembered, throughout the extended Family, to this day, for "Granny Cakes"

I know not what the correct name for them is -----cakes conaining sultanas and presented in pleated paper cups ----- but from Studland to South Africa and from Salisbury to Switzerland --- they are "Granny Cakes " !

That sounds like the "Whoosh cakes" my wife makes for the grandchildren - put them in the oven and whoosh they are finished.

It was she, who, during the War, would gut, behead and tail and serve on toast MINNOWS, which they had caught, for her Grandsons
This was before we became expert Poachers --- and delivered TROUT !!!

Used to get mainly flounders (no trout in the sea ) on 440 yard long lines I had to make myself.
Even made a seine net in my spare time at school but didn't get very much with it; waste of a lot of string.

[Fjgrogan]

Muffins?

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Muffins ---- surely, only in Drury Lane , where he lives ?


This was --- a long time ago -- one of those silly games played in Officer's Messes --

A beer was balanced on One's forehead, and the participant then sqatted, then lay flat, then rose again to standing position-----
All the while singing "Do you know the Muffin Man ?"

It CAN be done --- but a lot of beer gets spilled !!

I imagine that the Mess is far more adult these days !!

[J.R.]

Muffins ---- surely, only in Drury Lane , where he lives ?


This was --- a long time ago -- one of those silly games played in Officer's Messes --

A beer was balanced on One's forehead, and the participant then sqatted, then lay flat, then rose again to standing position-----
All the while singing "Do you know the Muffin Man ?"

It CAN be done --- but a lot of beer gets spilled !!

I imagine that the Mess is far more adult these days !!

Not according to one of my cousins !

[englishangel]

From what I hear they still make Club 18-30 holidays look adult.

[midget]

Returning to our muttons (to quote Miss Norris ) I had a go at a variation of the Doris Grant bread method. I made the dough yesterday at about 17.00 and today bashed it about a bit and put it in a tin at 10.00 I then tucked it into a plastic bag and left it until 16.00 when I baked it, with a bowl of steaming water in the oven. I followed the blessed Delia's instruction
and removed the loaf (now nearlt twice its original size) and replaced it in the oven WITHOUT the tin for 5 mins. It loojs pretty good and i'm waiting for it to coolbefore sampling it.
I only realised after it was in the oven that the recipe said quick acting yeast, and I had just ordinary dried yeast. That's what comes of going shopping without my specs. It also says in tiny print "not suitable for bread machines" and I have alredy proved that's not true.
Further information will be provided on this site at a later date.

[Mrs C.]

the only wholemeal loaf I can make with any success is a packet mix (just add water and butter) from Lakeland in my bread machine set to ordinary white loaf ! Turns out perfectly every time.
I`d previously used the wholemeal setting - WRONG!!

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

There is no substitute for Experimentation !

[Mrs C.]

[J.R.]