2010 Cooking Club Week 2: Brown Bread

The Black Oil

Putting this up now as I may not get the chance tomorrow.

I'll start with something simple and something I make 2-3 times a week. This should make two loaves and the bread is suitable for freezing. The recipe is from someone my mother works with and it's based on cups rather than using a scales...It can also be adapted to make scones.

Brown Bread

Ingredients

3 cups of plain/cream flour
3 cups of whole meal flour
2 & 1/2 cups (two and half) of buttermilk
3/4 cup (three quarters) of sunflower oil
1/2 (half) cup of bran or whatever seeds you'd like to add*
3/4 (three quarters) teaspoon of bread soda
Pinch of salt**

* I blitz some sunflower and pumpkin/sesame seeds and use that instead, sometimes some cranberries or golden raisins go in as well. Your supermarket should have small packets of these. You could always throw in fennel seeds, etc, also.
** I generally don't bother with the salt.

Method

Mix the dry ingredients together. Make an O or well in the centre.
Add the sunflower oil and then the buttermilk. Bring in the dry flower from the edges. Keep the mixture loose, folding it in gently from the edges. Don't be rough with it although it may look like I have been.

Place the mixture into 2 greased baking tins. Take a knife, dip it in flour and run it through the centre of each loaf. Bake for around 40-45 minutes at 180C.



Everything you need.





Dry mix including blitzed sunflower and pumpkin seeds and some cranberries/golden raisins.



Sunflower oil



In goes the buttermilk



Bringing it all together



Ready to go.



Done



Side shot



O hai, crumbs plz? :pac:

Mr Magnolia

Well I am partial to fresh bread...

Mr Magnolia

Oh, is it 3/4 cup of Sunflower oil? Would you recommend sprinkling the pumpkin/sesame seeds on top or mix through as you do?

The Black Oil

Yeah, sorry I should have written three quarters of a cup.
I generally mix them through. Never tried sprinkling seeds on top for this recipe, but in another brown bread recipe we used pinhead oats on top (and within) and they were grand. Might give your suggestion a go.

Piste

Yummy, cats are wonderful spread on a bit of toasted brown bread :pac:

shanagarry

I like the cat the best

I will give this a go during the week, I just need to get some tins first.

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What's a cup?

The Black Oil

The cups we use hold about 160g of flour or around 280ml of liquid.

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The Black Oil wrote: »

The cups we use hold about 160g of flour or around 280ml of liquid.

Ok, thanks for that.

Would you mind terribly if I posted some rough conversions here?

The Black Oil

Fire away.

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The Black Oil wrote: »

Fire away.

Cheers, based on your recipe above, and the conversions you've given me :

480g of plain/cream flour
480g of whole meal flour
700ml (two and half) of buttermilk
210ml (three quarters) of sunflower oil
80g cup of bran or whatever seeds you'd like to add*
3/4 (three quarters) teaspoon of bread soda
Pinch of salt

BaZmO*

I think the important thing to remember about the cup measurements is that it's used as a "part" measurement, i.e.
3 "parts" of plain/cream flour
3 "parts" of whole meal flour
2 & 1/2 "parts" (two and half) of buttermilk, etc., etc......

Wouldn't be big into making bread but in the spirit of the Cooking Club I'll give this a bash during the week. :pac:

TequilaMockingBird

Sorry to butt in OP, but if those of you who don't have baking tins just put some flour on a roasting tin and make the dough into rounds instead, it should work fine.

Swampy

I love the idea of the cooking club. Brilliant idea. I'll be giving the bread a go.

Toto Wolfcastle

I'll definitely give this a go before the end of the week.

MissMotivated

oh will definitely be giving this a go this week!!

Ponster

What can I use instead of buttermilk (I can't get it).

Toto Wolfcastle

Ponster wrote: »

What can I use instead of buttermilk (I can't get it).

Milk with a bit of lemon juice in it should be ok. Or vinegar but I don't know if that tastes too strong. Either way you're only using a few drops.

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Ponster wrote: »

What can I use instead of buttermilk (I can't get it).

In Paris I see

Here's a substitute for Buttermilk from a 1990s Home Economics Book

Half a teaspoon of Bread Soda
Teaspoon of Cream of Tartare
in 250-300 ml of milk

nice1franko

I think you can add a good squeeze of lemon juice to normal whole milk.

psycho-hope

TequilaMockingBird wrote: »

Sorry to butt in OP, but if those of you who don't have baking tins just put some flour on a roasting tin and make the dough into rounds instead, it should work fine.

thanks for that tequila, saves me having to go buy tins:D

Ponster

Des wrote: »

In Paris I see

Here's a substitute for Buttermilk from a 1990s Home Economics Book

Half a teaspoon of Bread Soda
Teaspoon of Cream of Tartare
in 250-300 ml of milk

Thanks Des but I'll go with the lemon juice or else I'll be asking you for a substitute to "Cream of Tartare"

P. Breathnach

Other substitutes for buttermilk are sour milk (that is what the lemon juice does to fresh milk) or natural yoghurt. What you need is the acidity.

In France, you can seek out lait ribot, but you are more likely to find it in Brittany than in Paris.

Pembily

I always use lemon and soya / goats milk instead of buttermilk (don't take dairy) in any recipe that calls for buttermilk and it works grand :)

Khannie

Nice one. Looking forward to this.

The Black Oil

Des wrote: »

Cheers, based on your recipe above, and the conversions you've given me :

480g of plain/cream flour
480g of whole meal flour
700ml (two and half) of buttermilk
210ml (three quarters) of sunflower oil
80g cup of bran or whatever seeds you'd like to add*
3/4 (three quarters) teaspoon of bread soda
Pinch of salt

I can't see why you wouldn't get away with going up to 500g if you felt 480g is a little awkward. Sometimes I end up with a heaped cup or two so the flour parts could end up close enough to 500g. The buttermilk is a bit of a rough guide (we were told 3 originally, but found that was too much), if the mix is fairly dry don't be afraid to add a splash or two more, but don't make it too sloppy.

TechnoPool

Tiny Bit Moist in the middle but fairly Tasty.

Mr Magnolia

Jeez they look good.

Jammy

Oooo wow TechnoPool that looks really tasty

I might try this out. I'd like to get into more cooking, this seems like a good way. Will have to make a trip to the shops!

Can you use raisins and stuff instead of seeds and maybe put flaxseed in with it?

Toto Wolfcastle

I'm currently eating this bread with soup for my dinner. I'll post up a pic in awhile.

Toto Wolfcastle

Right, so I made the bread earlier. I halved the plain flour and increased the wholemeal flour instead. I was going to add seeds to it but there was a problem with them apparently and Tesco weren't allowed to sell them. I also added a heaped teaspoon of brown sugar because I like the subtle sweetness it gives to bread. I put in a bit less oil too.

After 45 minutes in the oven it was anaemic looking so I gave it at least another 15 minutes. Despite this, it was a bit moist in the middle. However, I actually like my bread like that so it worked out well.

It looks quite pale in the first picture but that's because of the lighting.





It tasted nice. I could definitely taste the oil in it though. It was lovely with loads of butter and broccoli soup. It probably wont replace my normal brown bread recipe but I enjoyed it and would probably make it again with less oil.

CombatCow

Here's my attempt, I cheated and used a stand mixer :pac:







Tasted awesome too, cheers OP

CC

Mr Magnolia

I cooked it for about 50/55 minutes and am very happy with the result. I'd add a little more salt the next time (there will be a next time), really enjoying it.

Jammy

Mmmm these all look so lovely!

I know I'm going to mess it up, I've never baked bread before!

Got all the ingrediants today, just need to wait til I'm home to bake them!

I've also organised a bread bake off with a friend for next week :pac:

The Black Oil

Oh, excellent. Sometimes they can be a little on the moist side, but not too much these days. The time for cooking does seem to vary a bit. We were having problems for ages until we realised one of the oven's elements (I think) was gone, but once it was replaced we were motoring. Sometimes the taste can be bit average, but most of the time it's very fresh.

TechnoPool, looking good.

janeybabe, interesting re reducing the plain flour, have often wondered about that..might give it a go. Definitely good with soup.

CC, no bother, although I may have had to use Google to find out what a stand mixer is..

MM, texture looks good...love the seeds.

Jammy, I've never tried raisins other than the golden ones being blitzed with pumpkin seeds, etc, but flaxseed has been known to make an appearance.

TechnoPool

Jammy wrote: »

Mmmm these all look so lovely!

I know I'm going to mess it up, I've never baked bread before!

Got all the ingrediants today, just need to wait til I'm home to bake them!

I've also organised a bread bake off with a friend for next week :pac:

haha first thing i ever baked was the flap jacks last week

Khannie

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

I cooked it for about 50/55 minutes and am very happy with the result. I'd add a little more salt the next time (there will be a next time), really enjoying it.

Why more salt next time? I always wondered why some recipes call for salt (like pancakes....what???).

BaZmO*

Khannie wrote: »

Why more salt next time? I always wondered why some recipes call for salt (like pancakes....what???).

FYI

I'd say more than anything else it increases the flavour of the other ingredients.

I've seen Chefs add a pinch of salt to melted chocolate to enhance the flavour.

Mr Magnolia

Khannie wrote: »

Why more salt next time? I always wondered why some recipes call for salt (like pancakes....what???).

The link that BaZmO* provide explains my reasoning especially the 'It also potentiates the flavor of other ingredients' comment. I'd add salt to the bread (or any dish/soup/sauce etc..) based on taste.

nice1franko

Made this last night but it didn't turn out well: when I was making it I thought 3/4 cup of oil sounded excessive but then I thought 'ah sure I'll just stick to the recipe'... anyway, it just tastes like oil to me. Maybe I messed up somewhere.

TalkingGoose

Just wondering can you use margerine or butter instead of the oil, going to try this tonight after the flapjacks. Going all out tonight!

the beer revolu

CombatCow wrote: »

Here's my attempt, I cheated and used a stand mixer :pac:



CC

Can't think why you'd use a mixer - soda bread doesn't require kneading and is only mixed such that the ingredients come together.

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the beer revolu wrote: »

Can't think why you'd use a mixer - soda bread doesn't require kneading and is only mixed such that the ingredients come together.

Heh, the reason I use a mixer is to keep my hands clean. I hate cleaning mixed flour off my hands.

I'm going to make this this evening, I got some sunflower and some pumpkin seeds to throw into it.

the beer revolu

Des wrote: »

Heh, the reason I use a mixer is to keep my hands clean. I hate cleaning mixed flour off my hands.

I'm going to make this this evening, I got some sunflower and some pumpkin seeds to throw into it.

Just use a spoon.
Apparently, it's not good to over mix a soda bread mix.

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well, it's in the oven now.

I'll post pics later, when it's done and I've had my dinner.

CombatCow

the beer revolu wrote: »

Can't think why you'd use a mixer - soda bread doesn't require kneading and is only mixed such that the ingredients come together.

Yeah as Des says, just to keep the place clean...plus I bought it so I may aswell use it :pac:

monkeyfudge

Here's mine... (I need a deeper baking tray!)



I added cherries... eh.. just because I had cherries...

Oh and say hi to my cat, Mrs. Chips. She helped!

susanroth

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

I cooked it for about 50/55 minutes and am very happy with the result. I'd add a little more salt the next time (there will be a next time), really enjoying it.

Looks great! Is that pumpkin seeds you used and how much did you put in?

did anyone try sunflower seeds? want t use em, but have to wait for the weekend as i can't get them in the shops around here!!

John Mason

OMG - des just made this, it is beautiful

thanks

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susanroth wrote: »

did anyone try sunflower seeds? want t use em, but have to wait for the weekend as i can't get them in the shops around here!!

I used pumpkin and sunflower seeds. I blitzed 80g of them and threw them in with the flour. then threw some on top as well.

Oh my god, my bread came out absolutely perfectly, and it's de-bloody-licious





Just had it with some butter and jam after my dinner.

NYOMMERS

Oh, I only baked one loaf as I hadn't enough brown flour, but I'll be making this again and again and again!

susanroth

That loaf looks divine:D I want mine to look like this!