Making Bread

The Sweeper

Why does my bread always turn out 'cakey'?

Whenever I make bread it always comes out tasting sweet. Even when I just use flour, oil, water, yeast and salt. I don't have a breadmaker so I work the dough myself, leave it to prove - and it does prove successfully, doubles in size and all that. Then I work it again briefly before shaping it and putting it in the oven, but I'm never happy with the results.

Anybody good at bread, want to pass on some tips? I seem to have trouble with oven temperature too.

Oh - I use easybake yeast as opposed to live yeast, the stuff you add as tiny granules and you don't have to feed it and leave it to one side first or anything. Is the yeast the problem?

Gordon

I've never had problems like that with similar style yeast. What flour are you using? Maybe you aren't letting it settle to rise for enough time? How long and how many times do you let it rise for?

I'm no bread expert, haven't made it in a few years unfortunately so can't help with the oven temp.

Would such a sweet bread make for a good pizza base?

The Sweeper

Strong white bread flour, or just plain flour, both work out the same way. It doesn't make great pizza base either...

I tend to let it rise once, pound it again, then let it rise a second time but only about half as much as it did the first time. Perhaps I should be letting it prove more when it's in the final shape I want it to be, before I put it in the oven...

I also may be using too much flour. I have my suspicions. That and the oven temp thing. My oven's great for roasting but I've still to find the sweet spots on time and temperature for baking.

Gordon

I can't imagine that it would be an oven thing unless it hasn't been cooked thoroughly. Or is that what you're talking about?

Does the bread sound hollow when you knock it underneath after cooking?

Also maybe the proving time needs to be longer, or are you going by the times on the yeast packet? How long do you let it rise for?

I used to love making bread, simply just the big puffy dough after proving made it worthwhile.

noby

MAJD,
With some of those 'easybake' yeasts you only need to prove once. I don't know if letting it prove twice is your problem, but I just mix the dough, put it in the tin, let it prove and place it in the oven.

There's a fail-safe recipe I use, which I can post later. My memory isn't the best when it comes to things like that.

I had a bit of trial and error with my baking times too, but have it pretty much nailed now.

The Sweeper

Well share then!

noby

Here's the bread recipe I use:

1lb strong flour
1tsp salt
1tsp sugar
1oz margarine
1 yeast sachet
1/2 pint warm water.

Sieve the flour/salt into the mixer. Add everything else. Turn on the mixer & pour in water. You may want to adjust it with more water or flour, depending on consistency.
Into a greased tin, let it prove, and into the oven. 230deg for about 40mins. does it for me.

Pizza dough:
1 yeast sachet
8 fl.oz warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
12-14 oz strong flour
drop of olive oil (about 1-2 tbs)
In to the mixer, same as before. Let it prove. Punch it back and kneed. Roll it out (freze some now if you want) and add your toppings. You could let it rise again a little before adding toppings, but I prefer mine thin.

The Sweeper

Interesting... though I don't use a mixer. STill, I'll try those - and I'll try just kneading, shaping, proving and into the oven. Cheers noby!

dundalk cailin

my mam uses this:

1lb o'neills self raising soda bread flour
1 pint buttermilk

thats it!! ive grown up on that bread..hmm

noby

Nothing wrong with soda bread. Quick and simple. But the OP was referring to yeast bread by the looks of it.