Hi there!

I'd really like to learn how to make a bread myself, without using any machine except the oven of course. A good, tasty, long lasting, beautiful bread, maybe with seeds or cereals... yum yum!

Did anyone already try, and want to show me how to do it? In exchange, I could show you how to prepare a typical food from la reunion (a mix of indian and african cooking).

Looking forward to hearing from you!!

Eric

Hello there,

I am quite keen to join in as well. I would love to learn the bread loaf that is braided (or looks like a braid).
Would love if some one could teach simple cakes and maybe black forest (yum yum)
I am the the OP above I willing to teach something Indian or even pay.
Do I see a good potential for baking classes/get togethers???

Cheers
Bindu

You can have a look at this thread: how to make zopf
Or directly to our blog to read/watch our video: how to make zopf from Laughing Lemon

Good Luck

Thank you Jack, my husband who does not step into the kitchen was quite keen to learn...hence the request. We will try this soon and let you know how it goes

I may upset the apple cart here somewhat, but the time involved in baking a single loaf generally puts me off doing it regularly. I can visit my Organic bakery around the corner and pay CHF4.00 for fabulously perfect, large fullcorn bread, knowing it's going to be rinkidink yummy every time. Can't say that for each home made loaf

Admittedly, this is somewhat missing the point. If I'm in the mood to bake, I'll make several, freezing what I don't use and passing on to friends a couple. It's always appreciated more than a bottle.

Where baking at home does make sense - for me at least - is for pita bread, which needs to be oven fresh and seems well suited to accompany any meal. I particularly enjoy making an Ethiopean style crispy flatbread, with loads of herbs and chili. It makes perfect apèro fodder.

Apologies to Jack for the obvious philistinism... (his pasta course is a rather good way of overcoming dough fears )

No problems, but are your recipes for the Ethiopian flat bread?

For those averse to kneading, this bread works well:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

Send me CHF14.95 and I'll share it with you

These are all rough quantities:

100ml tepid water
Tiniest pinch of dried yeast
Two cupped hands worth of good quality flour (pay for the best)
Pinch of seasalt
Splash of Olive Oil
Chopped fresh chilis
Sprig of Rosemary
Pinch of Tyme
Pepper
A few ground cardammon pods, if you're feeling kinky


Finely chop / grind all herbs / spices. Incorporate everything in a bowl, a little of each at a time. Add the oil once everything's nicely mixed. Leave for around 20mins, mix / beat / knead again. Level out with a pin / bottle / severed skinny leg, stick in very hot oven until it's sticky-crispy (if that makes sense. It'll be sloppy, so use a baking sheet). Maybe 10mins?

It shouldn't be like chips, but slightly maleable before it snaps.

Or thrash it in a pan of sunflower / peanut oil for a minute or so.

Allow to cool, serve with icy prosecco / beer / tea

please share (your recipe ;-) )

(i've been coming home to freshly baked sausage rolls lately, mmmmm)

I know it's not the same as yeast bread but Irish soda bread is fab and very quick 'n' easy to make. It's particularly lovely here because Swiss fresh butter milk is rich and delicious

450 g whole wheat flour with added grains (you could also do 225g each of white and whole flour)
1 level teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
400 mls of butter milk

Mix all the dry ingredients, add the buttermilk; knead but never for too long and not with a heavy hand - lightly for about 3 minutes if that. Put a cross through the dough and bake 220 degrees for 30 minutes.

Lovely with just butter also jam, cheese and goes great with soup

Yep, it's true that there are a lot of resources on internet about baking, but i really enjoy learning directly from someone. reaaaaaaaaaal people in reaaaaaaaaal life!

Also, the purpose is not to bake my bread everyday, but to do it from time to time, for the pleasure of eating a good bread, the pleasure of baking it, and the satisfaction to have baked it (that's different from the previous one).

sooooooooo, anyone wanna teach me in my/his kitchen?

From Migros, buy the "Vollkornbrot-Mischung" (flour mixture for whole bread) and follow the instructions which comes with the package carefully. It makes a typical Swiss "farmer's bread". Enjoy!

I tried this recipe at the weekend using 90% wheat and 10% rye, also fresh yeast. I left the dough for 24 hours for its first fermentation.

It's a great recipe. Very simple and the results are better than I've had from most commercial bakers. I recommend it highly.

Buoyed by the bread success I also made an off-the-cuff cheese and tomato tart. Who says you need an exact recipe for pastry? I just guessed and it was fine.

Yesterday I made Dolly's crisp toffee bars (which are nothing like Toffeecrisp) using dark Muscovado and 64% Venezualan Maracaibo from Chocomotion. They seem to go down well with my colleagues this morning.

Bread secrets
1) Sift, sift, sift
2) fresh yeast
3) Kneed, kneed, kneed (10-15mins)
4) over at right temperature

Bobs your uncle!

I'm trying to find strong white flour. It doesn't seem to be in my local Coop.

Any ideas?

For strong white flour, look for one with a high durum (Hartweizen) wheat content. I can't remember exactly, as I got interested in these things many moons ago, but I think the durum flour has a higher gluten count, which gives more elasticity to the bread fibres. Something like that anyway.

You could try the Pasta/Knopfli flour, or try a mix of "zopfmehl", which has a higher durum wheat content than the usual white flour and can be found in all grocery shops here, together with the "Knopfli" flour.

Have fun with your bread baking.

Thanks.

Zopfmehl as spelt in it . . . not really what I'm looking for as I'm making brioche. I'm not really looking to Durum wheat as a solution either.

High gluten flour can be acheived by slow milling, like with Doves Farm and Churchill's stoneground flours. Many bakers in the UK also use Canadian flour, which is high in gluten.

A local stoneground product would be ideal.

I'm surprised that Coop doesn't simply sell a 100% wheat Brot Mehl.

As you are obviously very keen, it might make sense to invest in something from somewhere like here. No affiliation whatsoever.
Stoneground flour is the brilliant of course and fresh from your own mill, is just the bees knees.
I just have the stone grinder attachment to my Kenwood mixer, so only good for small amounts, but even so, makes an amazing difference to the end result.

Thanks for the link . . . looks like hard work though! I wonder if I can do something with my KitchenAid?