Bread

Mark Alexander

I'm having a problem with my diet. I don't mean that I'm on a diet, but I eat way too much bread. It's too easy to make a sarnie

Can anyone help me find an altrnative to the easy way out? Please don't make it too difficult though.

Mike Willcox

You could try making your snack an open sandwich. This will have the effect of halving your bread intake.

redddraggon

Mark Alexander wrote:

I'm having a problem with my diet. I don't mean that I'm on a diet, but I eat way too much bread. It's too easy to make a sarnie

How much bread is too much? I normally have 4 slices a day for my sandwiches at work, it's really hard to judge whats too much.

Mark Alexander

I would say that it varies, sometimes (rarely) 2 pieces of toast, 4 slices for lunch and sometimes a sarnie in the evening.
It's rarely all 3 three inn the same day though.

if i have a snack, it's usually fruit. generally an aple or banana. weetabix for breakfast with fruit and nuts if poss. I try to make meals to take to work, frozen from a large batch. I don't eat processes foods.

ut_och_cykla

Bread is ok - especially if you buy good quality - not just white fluff!
Mike's suggestion is brilliant in its simplicity. You could also get the habit of eating the open sandwich with a knife and fork whichslows down the gobble factor and makes it more of a meal less of a snack (even tho' its the same food.)

You could also just not buy more than you need? Buy rolls/buns and take out what you need from the freezer?

try different breads, look for fibre, low fat mixed grain.

Bread is almost pure carbs and as such good food if you're exercising a lot, just make sure its the best quality you can afford.

Shadowduck

Mark Alexander wrote:

I don't eat processes foods.

If you buy mass-produced bread you do.

It won't reduce the amount of bread you eat, but I'd definitely recommend getting a breadmaker. Fantastic things, just chuck all the ingredients in and switch it on, a few hours lately you've got a lovely fresh loaf that's not full of enzymes and preservatives like the factory bread. Plus you can play with the recipe to get it exactly how you want it and make the loaves whatever size you need. Lovely. 8)

TheGreatGatsby

Try getting hold of some 'Nimble' bread. Lower in calories than most out there but tastes just as good.

www.nimblebread.co.uk

Gats

Mark Alexander

I buy the freshly baked, wholemeal/granary stuff from the bakers. I do eat some processed foods (it's almost impossible not to) but what I mean is i don't buy ready meals and convenience meals. I try to make them from scratch.

BeaconRuth

I don't think you can go far wrong with bread. At one point in my student life when I was out for long days and doing a great deal of physical exercise I remember I used to make up sandwiches with 14 slices of bread each day to keep me going until late evening. That typically fuelled me for a day in the lab, circuit training, squash training, a squash match and cycling everywhere inbetween. (I get tired even thinking about how much I used to do now!)

AND, I'm glad you mentioned a breadmaker, Shadowduck, because that was my best Christmas present this year. The only trouble is that the bread it makes seems to be very sweet and to have rather thick, crispy crusts. Got any good recipes? I did try to find a breadmakers' forum but I'm sure Bikeradar Training could diversify a bit!

Ruth

320DMsport

Know what you mean about the thick crusts!

I've tried diff settings to soften the crusts but i find the loaf to be quite dense and heavy in it's consistancy.

There is a good article on 'Bread' on the Bikeradar home page.

Shadowduck

BeaconRuth wrote:

Got any good recipes?

A lot of recipes do come out quite sweet, but I've found you can halve the sugar in most of then without losing the proving action of the yeast - that helps! Another thing is to avoid the recipes that involve powdered milk. I like crusty bread so I haven't tried much to reduce that, but I think it boils down to "real bread is crusty" in the same way as "real bread doesn't keep for a week"!

My personal faves would be;*

1 cup water 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 sachet yeast 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup wholemeal bread flour 2 cups white bread flour 1 teaspoon salt

or, for a more "farmhousey" loaf;

1 large egg 1 cup water 1/8 cup white sugar 1 sachet yeast 1/8 cup vegetable oil 1 cup wholemeal bread flour 2 cups white bread flour 1 teaspoon salt

You'll have to play around to figure out what recipe to use. I use "1.5lb loaf" and "light brown" with everything else on default on a Morphy Richards if that's any help! Just throw everything in, any order and press start.

*These are my variations on other people's recipes so don't reduce the sugar!

BeaconRuth

320DMsport wrote:

Know what you mean about the thick crusts!

I've tried diff settings to soften the crusts but i find the loaf to be quite dense and heavy in it's consistancy.

That's exactly what I find too! It's nice to eat but it's almost like cake in its consistency. I know my machine can make nice bread because I've tried a couple of bread mixes and they come out lovely - so it must all be in the recipe.

Shadowduck - thanks for that advice about the sugar and the recipes. I was worried about reducing the sugar because I thought it might affect how the yeast worked. Also, I visited friends at the weekend and their recipes all said add butter instead of oil - any ideas whether this might help?

Ruth

Johnpwr

Bread machine recipes seem to be rather specific to each machine, but you could take a look at http://allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes.aspx?WithTerm=bread+maker&SearchIn=All

Shadowduck

BeaconRuth wrote:

Shadowduck - thanks for that advice about the sugar and the recipes. I was worried about reducing the sugar because I thought it might affect how the yeast worked. Also, I visited friends at the weekend and their recipes all said add butter instead of oil - any ideas whether this might help?

So long as you don't go below a tablespoon of sugar, the yeast seems to do it's stuff no bother. I haven't tried butter, but there are so many different recipes out there it's impossible to try them all! I tried a few until I found a couple I liked then tweaked them to my own satisfaction.

It's all about experimenting - give the butter a go and let us know what happens!

ut_och_cykla

fat is for moist taste - can't imagine taht butter or oil will make much difference to consistency - but oil might mix in easier - but then what do I know - she that never bakes - at all!!
I have a bakery 50m from my house, they have lovely rolls & loaves and a full declaration of what's in them. My big fave is a Danish Rye teacake.. but I bet you can't get it in England

320DMsport

Danish rye tea cakes....i'm always making them!

I'll give think it's time to get the bread maker out of the attic and try making bread again instead of cake!!

I think i could insulate houses with my loafs!

scapaslow

I recommend Panasonic breadmakers. We're on our third one now and use it every day. There are 3 crust settings:light,dark and medium. I always use the light setting.

If you use the 'rapid bake' options on these machines the bread can be a bit dense.

I always use butter and reduce the salt/sugar by a third. Never use powdered milk.

The most important variable IMO is the quality and freshness of the flour and yeast. Don't buy cheap 'own label' stuff. Make sure you use yeast sachets.

My preferred mix is a 50/50 wholemeal/white which almost always turns out very well. However, even quality labels occasionally produce bad batches of flour, so its never that exact.

BeaconRuth

Well, I've halved the sugar and the oil in the basic recipe in the book and the bread didn't seem a whole lot different to me. A bit less sweet, but with just as thick crusts.

I haven't tried switching to fresh milk yet because all the recipes in my book say powdered milk. What difference do you experts think it's going to make - Shadowduck, Scapaslow? Do I just replace the water and powder for the same amount of milk as the water?

Made some lovely granary with a breadmix, but I'm sure that's got loads of salt and preservatives in it - I'd much rather know exactly what's going into my daily bread!

Ruth

Shadowduck

BeaconRuth wrote:

I haven't tried switching to fresh milk yet because all the recipes in my book say powdered milk. What difference do you experts think it's going to make - Shadowduck, Scapaslow? Do I just replace the water and powder for the same amount of milk as the water?

I've never tried powdered milk so I have no idea!

This thread has inspired me to start experimenting again though! I'm currently trying a recipe using margarine, semi-skimmed milk and honey instead of sugar - seems pretty nice off the first couple of loaves (I didn't get more than a slice or two of it, which is always a good sign), I might stick the recipe on here if I decide to switch full production over to it.

scapaslow

BeaconRuth here is the failsafe recipe i use. You must make sure that the quantities are as exact as possible. Do not add extra milk this will affect the outcome. Make sure you use proper measuring spoons etc...

Large 50/50 Wholemeal/White loaf

1 tsp yeast from sachet
250g of wholemeal flour currently using Allison premium v. strong wholemeal
250g of white flour again v.strong currently using Hovis
1 tsp sugar/salt
25g unsalted butter
optional 1.5 tbsp of powdered milk - never use personally
360ml water

put in dry ingredients first in order listed the butter and finally water
selct light crust and wholemeal bake option, set timer if req'd and away you go. 5 hours baking program. The less time you bake it for the poorer the result will be with wholemeal.

What machine are you using? If not Panasonic, consider switching. I've tasted bread from other makes in the past and they don't come close.

The fresh bread smell wafting through the house first thing is fantastic!

Good luck.

SteveR_100Milers

Back to mark's OP....what about wholeameal pitta breads? I use them quite oftne instead of bread and very tasty too stuffed full of ham or chicken salad, or tuna etc etc. That saud, I always eat wholemean bread, rarely white, and oftne Burgen linseed and soya bread. Low GI so 4 slices at lunchtime is usually enough till teatime with an apple or babana at 3 ish to keep me going.

BeaconRuth

scapaslow wrote:

1 tsp yeast from sachet
250g of wholemeal flour currently using Allison premium v. strong wholemeal
250g of white flour again v.strong currently using Hovis
1 tsp sugar/salt
25g unsalted butter
optional 1.5 tbsp of powdered milk - never use personally
360ml water

Are you saying you leave out the powdered milk and only put in water - no fresh milk then?

What machine are you using? If not Panasonic, consider switching. I've tasted bread from other makes in the past and they don't come close.

Santa brought me a Morphy Richards compact one. I'm not sure l like it because the shape of the bread is oriented differently to normal loaves - the baking tin is square in horizontal x-section and so the bread rises up to give the 'length' of the loaf. So I always wonder how best to cut it. In order to get square slices you have to cut the top off and work down the loaf. If you cut from the top to the bottom you end up with very few, very tall thin slices

Not sure what I'll make today. Haven't got any wholemeal flour so Scapalow's recipe will have to wait. I've got tons of left over bits of flour of different types that I've tried. Maybe I'll chuck them all in and see what happens.

Ruth

scapaslow

No fresh milk! On no account.

Put in the powdered milk if you want to, otherwise leave it out.

Change your breadmaker :!:

BeaconRuth

scapaslow wrote:

Change your breadmaker :!:

I can't just change it - not until I've given it a proper go. My Mum thought long and hard about which one to give me, so I can't just go and change it!

Anyway, granary loaf made yesterday, without milk powder and with a lot less sugar than the recipe says and that was pretty good. I've got wholemeal flour now so the next attempt will be Scapaslow's fool-proof half white/half wholemeal.

Ruth

DavidBelcher

BeaconRuth wrote:

Santa brought me a Morphy Richards compact one. I'm not sure l like it because the shape of the bread is oriented differently to normal loaves - the baking tin is square in horizontal x-section and so the bread rises up to give the 'length' of the loaf.

I think my parents have one made by Hinari - the bread itself is very good, and seems to keep better than shop-bought loaves (surprisingly - I'd have expected the stuff from "production line" bakeries to outlast a home-made loaf containing few or no additives). One downside - every loaf has a hole in the bottom, as there's a cylindrical spigot that sticks up into the dough to 'hold' it during the various stages, so at some point you're guaranteed to cut a very odd-looking slice! Dad sometimes cheats and goes for breadmaker-specific mixes rather than down the 100% home-made route, and reckons that the stuff from Wright's (http://www.wrightsflour.co.uk) is pretty good. Just thought I'd drop that in as a suggestion.

David

Shadowduck

scapaslow wrote:

No fresh milk! On no account.

Any particular reason for that, scapaslow? Just this recipe, or do you not use milk at all?

BeaconRuth wrote:

I'm not sure l like it because the shape of the bread is oriented differently to normal loaves - the baking tin is square in horizontal x-section and so the bread rises up to give the 'length' of the loaf. So I always wonder how best to cut it. In order to get square slices you have to cut the top off and work down the loaf. If you cut from the top to the bottom you end up with very few, very tall thin slices

Mine's the same, I just turn the bread on it's side and start in from one end.

BeaconRuth wrote:

Maybe I'll chuck them all in and see what happens.

That's the spirit!

DavidBelcher wrote:

One downside - every loaf has a hole in the bottom, as there's a cylindrical spigot that sticks up into the dough to 'hold' it during the various stages, so at some point you're guaranteed to cut a very odd-looking slice!

So far as I know, "they all do that, sir". My Morphy Richards has a mixing paddle that folds flat at the end of the kneading so you just end up with one slice with a keyhole in it.

New favourite recipe, as approved by the family...

1 1/3 cups semi-skimmed milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons margarine
1 cup wholewheat flour
3 cups white flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 sachet yeast

Don't think it matters in the slightest what order you add the ingredients, unless you're using the timer - in which case add the wet ingredients first and the yeast last, so the yeast doesn't get activated until the mix cycle starts.

Enjoy!

scapaslow

Shadowduck

None of the recipes i have ever used call for fresh milk. I suppose you could add it if you wanted but you'd need to cut down the added water so that no extra overall liquid is added to the mix. Most of the recipes call for powdered milk but i much prefer the taste without.

I just cut the bread down the middle after it cools and stick one half in the freezer. Then i lay the cut half on its back and cut 'half' slices which is perfect size for sandwiches/toast. So the hole in the middle is never a problem.

What i find is that after a few years of daily use the bread becomes difficult to remove from the tin and its usually time to replace the breadmaker soon after.

The panasonic models consistently win 'best buy' etc... in reviews and the one i have has a little 'tray' at the top where you can add nuts/seeds anything you fancy to the mix.
It drops down as part of the baking program. I particularly like to add chopped walnuts.
Its also handy for making dough for rolls/pizza and fruit loaves. It also has a 'gluten free' program which i've never tried.

Agreed, if you are not using the timer, just chuck in the ingredients any old way.

I still think that its the quality of the ingredients and the breadmaker that determine the outcome more than any other varaible. And of course putting in the correct quantities :!:

One thing for sure is that i will never buy shop made loaves again. It really is no hassle to do. 5 mins max preparation before going to bed.

Blonde

I no longer eat ordinary bread. i| do have soda bread (but not as sandwiches) but for a long while did without any bread at all. It's not that hard actually. It depends what else youn usually eat. If you rely on butties for lunch you'll need t think of carb rich salads instead, like taboule (cous cous) or pasta based ones, or have a proper hot meal instead. You can replace bread with rice cakes or oat cakes but they're not quite the same as they are quite dry so dont really replace sandwiches, although they go well with cheese. You could make butties using corn tortillas for a change.

nicknick

Hi,

after seeing this post the other day i went and bought myself a breadmaker!
I got the morphy richards comapct one like Ruth, £40 as im on a bit of a budget but anyway the first attempt was an absolute disaster! But just finished one loaf and its quite good if a little small @ 1.5 lb . The hole in the bottom from the blade is also a bit annoying!

Third loaf is on already. Does taste much better than a sliced 'hovis' loaf or equivelant.

Any tips on trying to make it rise more for a larger loaf?
Im using the given recipe:

1 cup water
2 1/2 tbsp skimmed milk powder
2 1/2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 cups strong brown bread flower
1 1/4 tsp yeast

I put it in in that order. Any tips much appreciated
Thanks, Nick

BeaconRuth

Right, I've got my ingredients and I was just about to try Scapaslow's recipe, but now I'm wondering what size loaf it produces - the quantities look too great for the size of my breadmaker. The max size of loaves my machine makes is 1.5lb - I'm guessing the recipe is a 2lb loaf? And I'm guessing that Shadowduck's recipe with 4 cups of flour is the same........... so maybe I'm just going to scale it down................ here goes............... give me a few hours and I'll let you know the result.

Ruth

scapaslow

Yes sorry BeaconRuth - its a 2lb loaf.

Hope it turns out ok.