Home Bread Making

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BENIDORM
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Home Bread Making

Postby BENIDORM » Wed May 02, 2018 1:04 pm

For a good number of years we have been using a bread machine to produce home made bread, mainly wholemeal, seeded and 'special breads', however lately we've been buying really excellent bread from Mercadona & Lidl .
The price of the more specialised breads on offer does seem very realistic and the quality and selection we find is excellent, so we are now wondering if it is really worth carrying on using the bread machine, taking into consideration cost time etc. ?
We will probably just use our machine to make a few types of bread that we've not been able to purchase at the supermarkets, and we wondered what other members think, I know Wicksey and quite a few other members are home breadmakers..?

Regards,
Gordon ...Redundant baker.. :(

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Wicksey
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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby Wicksey » Wed May 02, 2018 5:58 pm

Yes Gordon we have discovered a new range in Lidl and I must say I haven't baked my bread so regularly over the past few weeks! Lidl do a nice corn bread and a seeded loaf at a good price too although I feel my own bread is more natural with no preservatives or additives. I have just made some black olive and sundried tomato bread, and I did make a lovely hotcross bun loaf for Easter.

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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby El Cid » Wed May 02, 2018 6:34 pm

I agree, the bread available is light years ahead of what was on offer when we first came to Spain. We buy it in Lidl and Mercadona. The choice is good but many of the loaves are too high in sugar to my taste so I do still make my own bread occasionally. I like a granary 50:50 mix and slice it fairly thin for sandwiches and thicker for toast. I goes into the freezer, sliced, as soon as it has cooled down.

I use the machine mostly now for making dough for pizzas, pita bread and naans. Perfect dough and no kneading! Into the microwave to prove (it has a prove setting) and it makes them so easy to make.

I would miss it if I got rid of it.

Sid

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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby Pamela1 » Wed May 02, 2018 6:57 pm

i too think some of the bead in Lidl and Mercadona are quite good.. I used to love the Spanish stick bread but it dosen't seem as good as it was years ago....Spanish BIL agrees and he told me that not many places still cook the bread in a wood fired oven.

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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby BENIDORM » Thu May 03, 2018 12:25 pm

Seems like some of us are 'like-minded' !

And certainly the selection of bread and other products is now so much better than in the 'last century'... :D

I remember...just...when all that was available was either rock hard break your teeth and jaw barras or sweet soft Bimbo brand bread.

Now we just need some improvement in the cake department and maybe pork pies...yum yum....

Regards,
Gordon .......

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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby olive » Thu May 03, 2018 4:48 pm

Mercadona used to, until quite recently, do a very nice raspberry cheesecake. Our local manager thinks it has been withdrawn. A bit like the excellent almond cake at Lidl. He pointed us to the Blackcurrant mousse which is pretty poor but probably offers them better margins.

I agree that the breads have improved in big leaps in just a few years.

Has anyone tried pork pies on locals?

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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby El Cid » Thu May 03, 2018 5:48 pm

Try their rectangular Danish pastries with Pecan nuts - brilliant. Their Portugese style custard tarts are pretty good. The puff pastry Neapolitanos which are filled with ham and cheese are worth a try.

Sid

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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby BENIDORM » Thu May 03, 2018 7:15 pm

Olive, Yes we also tried the cheesecake...very good and I had not noticed that they no longer have them in stock.

I've tried a few pork pies on offer at boot sales etc., but wasn't impressed... :(
Have you located a good supplier in our area. ?

Sid, we've not tried any of the items that you've recommended ..but will check them out....Thank You.... :thumbup:

Mrs. B is always in the kitchen baking something..and I'm trying to lose weight !
Yesterday she made a large Almond Slice cake ..I've eaten most of it already.... :oops: I've hidden the bathroom scales.....

Regards,
Gordon...Cake Addict.....

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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby Gasman » Mon May 07, 2018 5:34 pm

Olive said ....Mercadona used to, until quite recently, do a very nice raspberry cheesecake. Our local manager thinks it has been withdrawn.

Olive - we are also quite distressed at the disappearance of the raspberry cheesecake, and the purple coated sweet concoction is no match for it! The raspberry one was nice and tangy and used a proper cheesecake mixture ... perhaps we could get a petition up to ask Mercadona to reinstate it? I wonder why they took it off?

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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby Gasman » Mon May 07, 2018 5:42 pm

Back to bread making machine - ours seemed to be having a problem with its thermostat after many years of good service and since we not only find decent bread in Mercadona and Lidl, we have also discovered that one of our local bakers, who now supplies 7 of the little shops in our local town actually produces very nice bread, soft or crispy buns, country style loaves, though even his barra is to be avoided if you want anything but powdery fluff in a cardboard crust - it is what the spanish expect I think!!! So as we get our loaf and butty buns from him, the poor machine has been deemed to have come to the end of its days ...
The other, more industrial, local baker who supplies shops for miles around is to be avoided at all costs - nothing lasts in edible-mode for more than a few hours and tastes of nothing - real old fashioned spanish style, but seems popular with the locals - cant understand why!

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Wicksey
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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby Wicksey » Tue May 08, 2018 9:37 am

I'm on my second bread maker and this one came from Lidl. Seems to be working OK up to now and I like the option to make some more specialist breads when I feel the need, especially the sweet fruited ones. I also use it like Sid does for making dough as I cannot kneed at all, and it does make a very good pizza base.

BENIDORM
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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby BENIDORM » Tue May 08, 2018 11:39 am

I agree with Wicksey and Sid, we are keeping our bread machine to use for special breads and as stated is really good for other uses.

I wonder ...does everyone use the cutting machines available in the supermarkets..?
I like to cut to different sizes and I always buy at least 1/2 dozen loaves and then freeze them...

We have 3 bakers in our 'village' and they are improving with a better range of products, they need to if they want to stay in business, I still try to support local shops..if they offer the correct products at reasonable prices and for instance we rarely buy meat from supermarkets the local butcher is so much better and not expensive...

Regards,
Gordon

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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby Manchesteral » Fri Jun 01, 2018 1:31 am

El Cid wrote:Try their rectangular Danish pastries with Pecan nuts - brilliant. Their Portugese style custard tarts are pretty good. The puff pastry Neapolitanos which are filled with ham and cheese are worth a try.

Sid
Agreed !

wollie
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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby wollie » Sat Jun 02, 2018 9:50 am

What's a bread making machine? i never heard of same.
Is it someone wearing a skirt?

El Cid
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Re: Home Bread Making

Postby El Cid » Sat Jun 02, 2018 9:56 am

It's a machine that makes bread

https://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/h ... akers.html

Sid


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