A few months ago, gripped by baking fever, I purchased Mary Berry's Baking Bible. I quickly decided to embark upon a mission to bake everything in the book, and turn myself from an occasional baker into a bit of an expert. My Grandad Ern was a Master Baker by trade; the man responsible for introducing Danish Pastries to England in fact, and I wish it had occurred to me to spend more time learning from him, rather than simply enjoying the fruits of his effortless labours. This project is almost a way of making amends for that; I'd like to follow in his footsteps (if not in my career, at least as a hobby) and continue the proud heritage of baking in my family.
I credit my friend Rachel with the idea to write a blog about my baking exploits, hoping that there will be more successes than failures as I attempt all 213 of the Queen of Baking's recipes.
So as not to bore the husband with a monotonous diet of sponges, followed by weeks of biscuits, I've decided to tackle the recipes by selecting the first bake from each chapter, followed by the second recipe and so on. I'm not going to pick and choose; I'm determined to face my baking demons and learn how to do everything baking-related, even if the consequences are disastrous!
Everything will be photographed, with comment about how I found baking it, and a husband rating (to be taken with a pinch of salt as he has a very selective cake-tooth).


Sunday 18 January 2015

68. White Cottage Loaf

Here follows a lesson on how not to approach making bread...the first point being that you need to make sure you have all the right equipment and a decent space somewhere warm for it to prove. This loaf never really stood a chance, and the process of making it involved much frustration and pent-up anger! Entirely my fault, and I've now decided not to make any more bread until I have the right stuff and a good kitchen in which to do it.
Issue #1: wrestling with cling film when I should've had a large plastic bag, suitable for covering food. This was the best I could do, but it was next to useless.
Issue #2: a proving place. I decided on the airing cupboard, only the airing cupboard wasn't tidy enough for a baking tray to perch in. An almighty clatter heard from downstairs, a sickening feeling in my gut and yes, there it was: a heap of bread dough unceremoniously plopped on the floor. Totally unsalvageable owing to the grotty condition of the airing cupboard, so into the bin it went. A shame really, as all the processes up to that point had been easy and gone well. I was looking forward to some freshly baked bread.
Of course I will attempt this again, so watch this space...
UPDATE! SECOND ATTEMPT!
So I made this way back in September (it's now March) and have only just got round to blogging about it! Unfortunately I only just manage to find time to bake, nevermind get to this stage as well, and now there's another little person in the family to thwart my efforts!
Anyway, this attempt was much more successful, and although it did its proving in the airing cupboard, it didn't meet the messy end of its predecessor. I made sure I had the right equipment (including a big plastic bag for proving) and it turned out really well. The only thing I wouldn't do another time is bake the load on the baking parchment, as it stuck and was virtually impossible to peel off. It also needed bit less time baking in our oven, which I'm gradually becoming more confident at 'reading'.
It was such a tasty loaf that I made it again the next weekend, but it didn't turn out as well. I think I rushed it, because I was preparing Sunday dinner at the same time, so I'll be more careful next time.
Baker's verdict: easy to make and I was really impressed with how it turned out - I made proper bread!
Husband rating: he denies all knowledge of this loaf but I know he thoroughly enjoyed it!

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