Apologies that it’s taken me quite some time to get around to creating another post on here, if I’m honest the blogs I read on here are all so interesting and pleasing to read that I don’t think anything that’s happened with me is interesting enough to share! I have however recently celebrated my birthday and my boyfriend bought me my latest kitchen gadget; a bread maker! I’m already in love with it though I’m still learning how to use it. They really are quite simple to use but perfecting the art of a tasty loaf takes a bit of practice I feel.
First ever loaf out of my bread maker, a simple white loaf. Fresh and soft, but a little doughy tasting.
Having wanted a bread maker for some time now Jack thought it best to let me choose which model and after extensive research I decided on the trusty Panasonic SD-ZB2502 (what a mouthful, why so many numbers and letters?!). This bread maker had fantastic reviews, a very handy raisin & nut dispenser as well as an automatic yeast dispenser. Though they still weigh more than I imagined a bread maker would I am pleased to report this is definitely lighter than some other bread makers, important for me as it’s currently having to be moved from the kitchen and dining room frequently as there isn’t much space in our kitchen currently to store it (I’m afraid my Kenwood K-Mix Mixer already takes pride of place in the kitchen). My Panasonic bread maker is a lovely brushed steel with a black lid, menus and buttons on this machine are easy to understand and the noisy beeping, flashing lights and highlights ensures you are completing everything as it should be. One of the best parts about this bread maker has to be the instruction manual, crazy I know, but this coloured booklet explains everything simply and also includes pages upon pages of recipes to try in the bread maker. It even has a jam and compote mode! I’ve not managed to work that out yet but I have recently been blackberry picking so perhaps a blackberry jam or compote is on the agenda this weekend.
Freshly baked white rolls; dough made in bread maker.
So far I’ve managed to make a few loaves as well as doughs (which I’ve then baked in the oven). Now I know that many people are against bread machines and prefer the old-fashioned hand made loaf – a agree, there’s nothing quite like a loaf where you’ve taken the time to mix, knead, shape and bake a loaf in the oven. I just honestly didn’t have the time to do all this after work and the bread maker is so convenient. I also got so fed up of completely dry loaves from supermarkets; Tesco being the worst! Morrisons, Asda and Waitrose all seem to take pride in their bakery departments and their breads are always fresh, so I don’t understand why Tesco seem to be the only exception. the bread maker also gives me the freedom to try newer and healthier loaves or doughs to bake in the oven, it also guarantees that any breads that include dairy products can be made totally lactose-free, perfect for a lactose-intolerant like myself!
Easy to use and good-looking too!
Having gone out and invested in some good quality flours, yeast, seeds and so on I was ready to bake my first loaf; a simple white loaf. The Panasonic allows you to choose your loaf size (medium, large or extra-large) and crust (light, medium or dark) and has 21 different programme modes to choose from depending on what you are baking. Measuring out ingredients takes a matter of minutes and these are added to the bread pan in the correct order. This is where my first “doh!” moment occurred on my second loaf when I forgot to attach the kneading blade in the bottom of the bread pan before I added my ingredients, cue bread machine happily whirring away but no kneading taking place (thankfully I’ve not had any further blonde moments like this). the bread pan is sizeable and easily carried when full of ingredients back to the bread maker to slot into place. The yeast is added into the dispenser on the top of the bread maker and this is release automatically at the optimum time to ensure efficient rising. Once the mode and options have been chosen the bread maker is all ready to start! Having peeked at various stages during the process, I love watching the magic happen! When it reaches baking stage our flat smells sooooo good, there really is no smell better than freshly baked bread – except bacon in my mind, that’s a really good smell too – combine the two and you have a tasty bacon sarnie in freshly baked bread, my idea of heaven!
Tasty lunch of ham salad rolls, loving having my own fresh bread! These were dusted with semolina before going in the oven, it gave a bit more of a crust and a nice flavour too.
So far my favourite bread I baked has to be a rustic French loaf; it combines strong white flour, wholemeal flour and rye flour to create a really textured tasty bread with a tasty crust. I’ve also enjoyed our soft white dough made in the bread maker, shaped and left to rise before being baked in the oven to create soft sub rolls or baps. I’ve tried a 100% wholemeal loaf and a 70% whole meal too. My next task is to try a seeded loaf; there’s a recipe in the booklet for an onion loaf that sounds perfect as a tasty starter/sharer when we next have friends over for dinner. I’ve had a number of requests from friends for a fresh loaf and all so far have enjoyed it so I can’t be going too wrong… I look forward to practicing more to perfect my loaves and then try experimenting a little with ingredients. Supposedly Canadian flour is best, I’m not entirely sure why but I read that online as well as it being recommended by Panasonic too. Waitrose does in fact do Canadian bread flours so I suggest having a look in there. I’m using Allinson flours for the majority of my loaves as well as their yeast. Any recipes involving dairy products are being adapted to use Lactofree milk and ‘Pure’ Dairy free butter to make the loaf kinder on my sensitive tummy and I’m sure there is absolutely no difference in taste – granted warm bread spread with dairy free butter is nowhere near as good as the real thing but I’ve adapted after years of IBS and lactose intolerance.
Home smells beautiful by the time one of these has finished baking; this is a wholemeal loaf.
I’m looking forward to trying my hand at pizza bases this weekend; the dough will be made in the bread maker and then shaped by hand (oh dear I think this will take some practice!) and baked in the oven. Homemade pizzas for a lactose-intolerant are also hugely exciting, especially since Lactofree brought out a mature cheddar a few months back, the nearest I’ll ever get to a mature cheddar again and I really enjoy it. I’m also hoping to try baking a cake in the bread maker; there are a number of recipes in the instruction manual that are making my mouth water so I hope to have time to try that too.
Good quality ingredients are key to a good loaf of bread and I highly recommend Allinson, I love the packaging colours too!
I’m definitely getting Jack’s money worth out of this fantastic kitchen appliance and haven’t bought a loaf of bread since I got it, result! We don’t eat a huge amount of bread as it is (that mustn’t increase too much either or we will have to go to the gym more!). I appreciate his verdict on the breads too and so far he seems to be a happy customer, though slightly worried that the mixer may get neglected and no cupcakes will be waiting for him on the side any time soon! Yet another task for this weekend I suppose….!
Very tasty wholemeal loaf
As a last note, I got a lovely present from Jack’s parents at the weekend; flour from a local windmill back in Cambridgeshire. Jack’s parents have a beautiful old windmill in their garden and are parting of the windmill society in the area. I’m looking forward to trying Wicken Windmill’s flour to produce a lovely loaf of bread! More photos to follow soon no doubt 🙂
Flour from Wicken Windmill
I hope to post some bread maker recipes soon for you all to enjoy!
2tort 