Where can I get decent (real) bread?

We buy a low GI bread from our independent baker.

It is over £3 for a large loaf, but we like it, freezes well and all gets eaten, crust etc.

Their little cupcakes, flapjack, brownies etc sell for nearing £2 each, but don’t buy them.

Yes, expensive stuff, but good quality.

Aely I absolutely know where you are coming from.

As a child I loved bread and butter, but as the 1960s and 70s came I went off bread completely. It was only a decade or so later that I realised my going off bread exactly followed the introduction of a new industrial bread making process called the 'Chorley Wood process, which means that the ingredients of a loaf changed to make it prove more quickly and cook more quickly using steam rather than baking.

The ingredients of a Tesco white sliced loaf are as follows:
^ Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Yeast, Salt, Soya Flour, Preservative (Calcium Propionate), Emulsifier (Mono- and Di-Acetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono- and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid)^ Rather different to a traditional or home made loaf - flour yeast, water, salt -

Like you Aely I now find industrial bread difficult to swallow, it sticks in my throat. No other food does.

I have done a bit of experimenting and found that the best search terms to us in google are Artisan bakery county I experimented with my own county and a random selection of counties around the UK, and that was quite effective. Of course it does not automatically follow that you will find a baker locally, but you will at least know where to find one. And real bread is not cheap.

I was forunate to discover real bread again when I moved to my current home and there was a 'real' baker in the village. Sadly, COVID finished his business and he retired, but one of his staff set up in a local small town and now I go there.

InnocentBystander

A Panasonic breadmaker and Carr's Strong white/wholemeal flour. You choose which type but is the most reliable in my experience. Panasonic is recognised among experienced users as being the best brand.

Doesn't 'strong' used as a descriptor of flour mean that it has a relatively high protein content – i.e. higher gluten than ordinary flour?

Make your own. Wholemeal is the easiest I find. Water, sugar, salt, oil or butter, yeast and flour. Wholemal flour is the easiest to knead. There are lots of variations and recipes but good breadnwith nothing added is always the outcome. There is resting time and cooking time but hands on work is less than fifteen minutes.

Aely has said that she used to make her own, and explained why she can’t now.

InnocentBystander

A Panasonic breadmaker and Carr's Strong white/wholemeal flour. You choose which type but is the most reliable in my experience. Panasonic is recognised among experienced users as being the best brand.

If you did want to go down that way, it takes less than 5 minutes with a simple recipe of 3 ingredients[I think] to put the ingredients together for the bread. No heavy work at all, either..

Make your own

last week, organic wholegrain malted organic

Next week, organic wholemeal/rye

I make XL, slice into even slices with electric slicer, bag and freeze

I use a modern panasonic these days after a lifetime of making bread by hand, including sourdough

The chorleywood method should put anyone off cheap commercial bread

Making your own with organic flour and butter or olive oil is relaitively cheap and far superior to shop bought

"Strong" is flour from hard wheat varieties.

It generally contains more gluten - but there's no "extra" added.

There are plenty of no-kneed ways to still make "real" bread... If you can lift the flour bag I think that much strength is enough.

Could you use a bread-maker with an extension cable, Aely – so you can place it in your hall or wherever? You'd only have to carry the loaded 'bucket' to and from it.

Anyway, good luck with finding something that works for you.

I cannot eat processed bread it makes me feel ill so I make all my own.
I make sourdough and wholemeal then freeze.
It is something I have just made fit in around my schedule but I appreciate for many people particularly those living alone or arthritic it’s not practical.

Isn’t it so sad that a bakery is a now such a rare thing?

I really feel for you Aely so I’ve done a bit of research on your behalf.
If you click the link you will find an artisan bread maker that delivers nationwide, it’s not cheap but worth a try, you could get a monthly deliver and freeze.

www.petercooksbread.co.uk/shop/f23dztwfsv4xudvq8izgz9hjvzsfmr

If you try it and it’s good please let us know.

The OP has explained she can’t knead due to shoulder problems and has no room for a bread maker to all those suggesting either option.

Jaxjacky

The OP has explained she can’t knead due to shoulder problems and has no room for a bread maker to all those suggesting either option.

Make no-knead bread, or use a stand mixer.

I've no bread maker, I make bread many times a week.

Norah

Jaxjacky

The OP has explained she can’t knead due to shoulder problems and has no room for a bread maker to all those suggesting either option.

Make no-knead bread, or use a stand mixer.

I've no bread maker, I make bread many times a week.

The OP hasn’t room for a bread maker so a stand mixer is out of the question.

InnocentBystander

Here's a typical wholemeal

I can never get such a smooth top! How do you achieve that? Mine tastes good but has a lumpy surface - white comes out OK just problems with wholemeal.

No knead, one bowl artisan bread cookbook
I make bread from this book. The dough keeps for up to 9 days in the fridge, so you can bake portions as and when needed.

InnocentBystander

A Panasonic breadmaker and Carr's Strong white/wholemeal flour. You choose which type but is the most reliable in my experience. Panasonic is recognised among experienced users as being the best brand.

I was going to write the exact same thing. Panasonic bread maker is excellent and Carr’s strong white or wholemeal flour. Dh said it was totally different to shop bought wholemeal being lighter and tasty. We don’t often eat white bread.

Sago

Norah

Jaxjacky

The OP has explained she can’t knead due to shoulder problems and has no room for a bread maker to all those suggesting either option.

Make no-knead bread, or use a stand mixer.

I've no bread maker, I make bread many times a week.

The OP hasn’t room for a bread maker so a stand mixer is out of the question.

I understood OP had no room for a bread maker, I assumed a stand mixer was smaller. However, no-knead bread is an option.

When making my own, I use ancient grains mixed with organic stoneground whole meal.

But if you don’t or can’t make your own do try a baker who uses ancient grains.

Ok, so many lovely people trying to help me. I've taken a look at Paul's Organics. I would be in zone 2. An extra £5 delivery for a small loaf would be mentally painful... If I get to the stage where I can't do my own shopping, I'll keep Paul's in mind as a purveyor of not just good bread. I have never seen Paul's Organic sold in this area.

The Dove No-Knead bread mix looks hopeful. As I mentioned, I have a loss of mobility in both shoulders and kneading is difficult and painful. I wonder how warm it has to be to rise? Worth trying.

Warburtons breads are not for me, unfortunately. They may have nought taken out, but perhaps the added Soya flour or the Palm Oil is the problem? I don't want Gluten free unless I have to medically. Gluten free cake and pastry are not bad, but bread is awful (and my daughter, who has to eat, it agrees!).

Sainsbury Ancient Grains sounds good. I have just looked at it online. I have never seen it in our local Sainsbury but can inquire if they stock it. Fine with soup or a bit of butter. Shame it's a Parva. I also need something fit for a lunchtime sandwich and a Parva is the wrong shape.

(I have never tried an airfryer. I don't want to lose my microwave to make room for one.)

This week I have been using a loaf I found in Aldi. It is a mixture of mostly Wheat, Rye, Spelt and no added gluten. My gut is happy with it, although I wish it were unsliced rather than very thick sliced and it is very soft. Still, perfection is rare. I have never seen it in there before and my concern is that I will never see it again. Aldi is a bit like that - it's how they keep prices down. Like me, they grab the bargains.

Anyway, thank you all for your suggestions. I now have a couple of sign posts to follow in my quest for a reliable source of real bread.

No doubt you will see me popping up in the Forums. I am a refugee from the friendship site Midsummerseve which sadly died nearly two years ago and I have been looking for a new "home".

Aely

Ok, so many lovely people trying to help me. I've taken a look at Paul's Organics. I would be in zone 2. An extra £5 delivery for a small loaf would be mentally painful... If I get to the stage where I can't do my own shopping, I'll keep Paul's in mind as a purveyor of not just good bread. I have never seen Paul's Organic sold in this area.

The Dove No-Knead bread mix looks hopeful. As I mentioned, I have a loss of mobility in both shoulders and kneading is difficult and painful. I wonder how warm it has to be to rise? Worth trying.

Warburtons breads are not for me, unfortunately. They may have nought taken out, but perhaps the added Soya flour or the Palm Oil is the problem? I don't want Gluten free unless I have to medically. Gluten free cake and pastry are not bad, but bread is awful (and my daughter, who has to eat, it agrees!).

Sainsbury Ancient Grains sounds good. I have just looked at it online. I have never seen it in our local Sainsbury but can inquire if they stock it. Fine with soup or a bit of butter. Shame it's a Parva. I also need something fit for a lunchtime sandwich and a Parva is the wrong shape.

(I have never tried an airfryer. I don't want to lose my microwave to make room for one.)

This week I have been using a loaf I found in Aldi. It is a mixture of mostly Wheat, Rye, Spelt and no added gluten. My gut is happy with it, although I wish it were unsliced rather than very thick sliced and it is very soft. Still, perfection is rare. I have never seen it in there before and my concern is that I will never see it again. Aldi is a bit like that - it's how they keep prices down. Like me, they grab the bargains.

Anyway, thank you all for your suggestions. I now have a couple of sign posts to follow in my quest for a reliable source of real bread.

No doubt you will see me popping up in the Forums. I am a refugee from the friendship site Midsummerseve which sadly died nearly two years ago and I have been looking for a new "home".

I posted a link for Peter Cooks bread, did you not see it?

I think the Paul's link was mine, (earlier) Sago

Welcome Aely - I hope you'll find a new home here.

Look up Hambledon Bakery . They sell their bread in different shops .
It's not cheap but it's made the night before so all fresh.

NotSpaghetti

I think the Paul's link was mine, (earlier) Sago

Welcome Aely - I hope you'll find a new home here.

Not Pauls! Another company called Peter Cooks.

Gluten free cake and pastry are not bad, but bread is awful (and my daughter, who has to eat, it agrees!).

I've never found gf readymade pastry that is much good although M&S mince pies weren't too bad, apparently. My own attempt was like lead.

If your DD is looking for a reasonable gf loaf then the M&S unsliced loaf (I think it's a Tiger loaf) is ok.

I get a decent organic wholemeal seeded bloomer from Waitrose, but their unseeded version unfortunately seems to have been discontinued. Also, good bread is available from a small local bakery which supplies village shops.