Making bread the easy way

Regular readers will know that the other hat I wear that’s not The Ordinary Cook one is my Veg Patch Kitchen Cookery School hat. I teach people how to make bread in my lovely little kitchen we built in an outbuilding in our garden. Of course, my classes came to a grinding halt on 20th March this year and, because the kitchen is small, social distancing will not be easy. The school will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, but this has meant that I have had to think of different ways to help people with their bread making in the meantime. I created a YouTube channel three years ago with the intention of filming bread making videos but a combination of lack of time and huge fear of committing myself to camera meant that I successfully put it off, until now. I have finally forced myself to learn the technical skills of filming and editing and, more importantly, gritted my teeth to commit my face and voice to camera. I uploaded the first two videos this week. It took many hours of listening to my own voice before I was happy with the editing!

The first video shows you how to mix and develop a basic white dough using the stretch and fold method. This is the method we use in all of my classes because it makes bread making so wonderfully easy and you can make it fit into your routine really easily. The second video shows you how to shape, slash and bake your loaf and how to check that it is baked properly. If you have a spare 20 minutes (each video is about 10 minutes), make yourself a cup of tea and have a watch. I hope they inspire you to give bread making a go or if you already make your own bread I hope it will provide you with a few new tips. More videos will be coming soon.

How to mix and develop a simple white dough
Shaping, slashing and baking your loaf
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9 thoughts on “Making bread the easy way”

  1. I’ll have a look at these later. Although I reckon I can make bread, there’s always something to learn, so thank you. And we have been seduced by the local baker nearby who produces sourdough loaves way better than anything I could dream of making. Do you make sourdough too?

    1. I am really glad you have a good local baker, they are, thankfully, growing in number. Yes, I teach sourdough and during lockdown have been doing a weekly bake for a group of friends. I hope you are keeping well. x

  2. Just taken my first loaf out of the oven and I am well chuffed with myself – strutting around like a peacock. 😀 My “slash” went a little flat in the baking but I may have left the dough a little too long before baking – can’t wait for round no. 2. Will be feeding Pete bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner to get this loaf finished.
    Thanks again for the fab tutorials for this recipe.
    Have a wonderful day.
    🙂 Mandy xo

    1. Bread flour works best but you can use any flour. All purpose/plain will have slightly less volume as the protein level is lower, so the gluten strength is less. But in the UK our plain flour/ AP is similar strength to what the French use for a baguette. If you are using wholewheat you will need to increase the water a little. I hope this helps. x

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