Greetings from Berkshire

[number6]

Hi to all
I'm new to your forum but not to being self suffientish.Have been brewing,baking and foraging for some time now and have recently acquired an allotment.I discovered you via Waterstones and the 'ish bible.Had what I thought a great success recently while on the way home I spotted a selection of brewing equipment obviously put out for scrap on inquiry was given four barrels and eight demijons which are rapidly being put to good use.I have a question that I hope someone can answer,my bread always turns out quite edible but with a dip in the middle can anyone tell me how to prevent this happening.This is my second attempt to make this post so if I repeat myself apologies.

[Carltonian Man]

Welcome to ish fellow forager number 6

[grahamhobbs]

No.6, I think the problem with your bread is that it has 'over proved' before being baked. Might be able to help more accurately if you describe your method of making bread including quantities and times.

[number6]

No.6, I think the problem with your bread is that it has 'over proved' before being baked. Might be able to help more accurately if you describe your method of making bread including quantities and times.

Hi "grahamhobbs" I'm using a bread machine with the following ingredients. 500grammes flour, 300ml water 1tbs honey,1 tbs Olive oil,1/2 tbs salt,1 tsp yeast.the whole process takes about 3.5 hours.This a Greek bread recipe lifted from a Google search that works fine as rolls or free hand baking.In the interim I will cut back on times by 10 minutes an see what happens.

[grahamhobbs]

No.6, sorry can't help with bread machines, never used one.

[red]

welcome

[Helsbells]

Hi number 6,
Welcome to ish, I am in berkshire too, where abouts are you? I am just outside Reading.

Helen
x

[MuddyWitch]

Welcome to ISH

Are you a 'Prisoner' fan or is your house no 6?

MW

[Millymollymandy]

Hi and welcome! That strikes me as not being very much salt - or liquid - in that recipe. My basic breadmaker recipe has 1.5 tsp salt to 500g flour and 1tsp yeast. The one time I forgot to put in the salt it didn't rise much at all - yeast needs salt. Also I use 350ml water to 500g flour, white or 50:50 with wholemeal. I have a Panasonic.

Edit: DUH just read you put in 1/2 tablespoon of salt!!! What's that in teaspoons? Maybe it is TOO much!

[number6]

Hi number 6,
Welcome to ish, I am in berkshire too, where abouts are you? I am just outside Reading.

Helen
x

Hi Helsbells
I hail from the land of Mars Bars and "The Office " just outside Windsor.MuddyWitch,i most certainly am a Prisoner fan sadly still trying to escape the bubble.

[number6]

Hi and welcome! That strikes me as not being very much salt - or liquid - in that recipe. My basic breadmaker recipe has 1.5 tsp salt to 500g flour and 1tsp yeast. The one time I forgot to put in the salt it didn't rise much at all - yeast needs salt. Also I use 350ml water to 500g flour, white or 50:50 with wholemeal. I have a Panasonic.

Edit: DUH just read you put in 1/2 tablespoon of salt!!! What's that in teaspoons? Maybe it is TOO much!

Millymollymandy hi I don't believe that this problem is due to ingredients because I've had the same problem since day one when I was just follow instructions from the inclusive hand book.Reckon I'll just have to play with timing.By the way Can someone tell me how you add those little pieces of wisdom at the bottom of some posts.

[Millymollymandy]

Click on User Control Panel, top of the page under the Ish logo. then click on Profile. Then click on Edit Signature and there you go. Whilst you are in there please can you put your location in too. I guess it's Sluff - haven't been there for many a year, are all the roundabouts still there?

[Gert]

Hi Number 6 and welcome. My OH was born in the land of "the office" She took me there for the first time a couple of months ago.

For a tour of such places as the "Pied Horse" I think it was called, a now defunct pub with an interesting past and a trip round Langley where she grew up.

It was strangely foreign to a moonraker, but I was pleasantly suprised but much of it. Enjoy the allotment

[Millymollymandy]

It was strangely foreign to a moonraker, but I was pleasantly suprised but much of it.

Gert could you please translate the two parts of that sentence? I don't know what a moonraker is, and unless Slough has changed in the 25 years or so since I last went there please tell me where you come from that is so astronomically dreadful that you were pleasantly surprised by Slough!!!!! Did you visit the trading estate?

I'd love to know actually if that lovely indoor shopping 'centre' has changed since the 1970s - oh I spent many a happy Saturday in there!

[grahamhobbs]

MMM sorry I have to disagree, yeast does NOT need salt, in fact salt kills or at least inhibits yeast. Can't think of the region but an area of Italy is reknown for its bread made without salt.
Lots of recipes call for too much salt and too much yeast. Commercial bread is made FAST and has no taste so lots of salt is added to try to give it back some taste. Lots of yeast has to be used to compensate for the salt and to make it rise fast.
I have no idea how you do it in a bread machine, but if you want to make bread with real flavour cut down on the salt and yeast (almost minute quantities of yeast can be used), and let the dough prove over a long time in a cool or even cold place. Oh and forget all that about using warm water, use cold and slow things down, get real flavour in your bread.
MMM you were however correct that the amount of water was on the low side, with the high fat content, the bread should end up with lots of even little holes and a crisp crust.