Making Bread

Take 750gm brown bread flour and warm for 1 minute in microwave.
Add 14gm dry yeast on one side of bowl 15 gm yeast the opposite side of bowl.
Now add 30 gm olive oil and 2 mug fulls of warm water. Use a spatula and turn until you have a dough. You may need more or less water but the dough should be quite wet.
Now do 3 more turns at 10 minute intervals.
Leave covered for 1 hour until nearly double in size.
Now divide into 2 and shape, place in loaf tins cover and leave for apps 45 minutes.
Bake in a very hot oven 22 minutes.
This is my failsafe bread recipe from a bread making course I attended.
To make white bread well you really need to make a sponge and leave overnight.

I got the old bread maker out of the back of the cupboard during lockdown and made a lot of bread . I hadn’t used it for about 10 years. Guess what ? Now we are not in lockdown here it’s gone back to the back of the cupboard. Sheer laziness I know.

Excellent Sparkling, enjoy your bread ?

I can't believe it. After your comments and suggestions I gave my bread making one more go. I used half wholemeal and half white bread flour, reduced the sugar to 1 tablespoon and upped the water, just finger warm, it came together beautifully, I could actually stretch the dough, I covered the bowl it's an oiled shower cap and put it into the airing cupboard, barely warm, until it doubled. It is lovely. So thank you everyone for nudging me on. I hope it's not a one off wonder but will give it another go when I've eaten this batch.?

Sparkling... please don't give up!!
Have a look at the Real Bread Campaign website... loads of information ..the easy overnight white bread is great.... and easy!! Don't get bogged down in the technicalities.
Just relax and don't beat yourself up if you have setbacks... loads of recipes online to use up bread - and hide the evidence of less than perfection...
Have fun..

When I lived in a very cold house I used to fill a hot water bottle and put it in the oven - and then the bread to rise. It worked very well.

Don’t give up Sparkling. My first few efforts were like bricks but now I’m a dab hand according to MrA
I use powdered yeast too, tend to put more rather than less liquid in the mix so dough is quite sticky, & plenty of time for the second proving.

I love the easy powdered yeast. I usually use a bit more than is recommended. Flawless bread everytime that way.

Sparkling Don't give up. Buy new yeast instead. When it gets old it loses its power, and the bread is solid and tastes of raw yeast - sounds exactly like the problem with yours.

The last two two loaves have resembled house bricks and tasted yeasty, so I am giving up. I do however have a full bag of wholemeal bread flour and about 750g white bread flour. I do not want to build a wall, so is there any other uses for it, I don't have a problem with pastry and cakes but don't suppose I can use it in those.

Daisymae

You could always get a bread maker. Just pop everything in, set the timer and wake up to a perfect loaf with no hassle. Works for me ?

That’s the only way I make bread, ever since DH had to ask me to stop baking my own back in the 80s. My bread buns were the talk of the office when he took them to work. I understand that doorstops, bricks and broken teeth were mentioned. To be fair, they were right.

Thank you all. I did the slow rise, but also after mixing put it on to an oiled surface not floured to knead. I was doubtful when I came to the second kneading as it was like ready roll pastry and not too pliable. However, it’s the best bread I have ever made. From now on I will leave it to rise in a cool room. The texture is perfect.

I do what SueDonim does & pop it in the oven with just the light on.
I also learned from Jamie Oliver that the second proving is just as important as the first and to leave plenty of time for that.

And finally if you’re still there, MiniMoon I tried your suggestion of making a Tangzhong first and have been really pleased with the results

Mine proves in the top oven with the light on. The heat from the bulb alone creates the perfect temperature.

A slower rise gives a better texture. imo. Fast rise produces more holes.

Another idea is to pop it in the oven with just the light on. That provided enough warmth and is out of draughts.

The time for dough to prove changes noticeably between summer and winter!

Oh MissChateline please please post a phot of your loaf in ‘spa mode’!!!??

You could always get a bread maker. Just pop everything in, set the timer and wake up to a perfect loaf with no hassle. Works for me ?

I'm going to try that too Elegran. Thank you.

I too have a draughty old house. Only heating is from log burner and cooker.

I love sourdough and am attempting today to make my own but making process seems to take days! I've just started the sourdough starter and one recipe I found said it could prove in the fridge but I've got it close to the log burner. My worry is recipe says temp needs to be constant and our house is never that.
Any way - fingers are crossed. Good luck with yours Sparkling

Not cough! Autocorrect.
could

MissChateline

I have underfloor heating in my bathroom and often take the bowl with a shower cap on it and leave it on the floor to rise. It works wonderfully!

I never thought of that, we have underfloor heating in the conservatory.

I used the bread maker and the loaf was good but I think it was a bit more close-crumbed than when made the conventional way in the oven.
I cough bring it to risen dough stage then carry on by hand, I think.

Sparkling - make sure you use warm water to mix, not cold, otherwise it will take a very long time to rise in a cold house. Many of the suggestions above are excellent. When I had an electric oven I used to use shysal's suggestion of turned off oven to make yogurt. (Doesn't work with gas oven as cools down too quickly).

That is a great idea Elegran! I'm stealing it. Thank you!

Another idea - a sunny windowsill.
You can freeze unrisen bread dough overnight. Thaw it out in the morning and then leave to rise and it still works.
I've tried that a few times and it works, but not as springy as doing it all the same day.

If I want it a bit faster, I sometimes fill the kitchen sink with very hot water, lay an oven shelf across the top and put the dough on that, with cling film over it and a clean towel draped right over the lot. After it has risen and been shaped and put into tins, it get the same treatment, with fresh hot water. This only works if you know you won't be needing the sink for a while!