Bread making for beginners

Freshly baked bread

Most people would agree that there is nothing more delicious than the aroma of freshly baked bread. It’s enough to tempt anyone! While we may sometimes succumb to the convenience of a ready sliced loaf, most of us can all call to mind occasions when this most humble and basic of foodstuffs has inveigled its way into our fondest food memories. We recall that special bread roll offered at the start of the meal, the tempting varieties of bread presented with meats or preserves at the guest house breakfast or the simple fresh-baked loaf collected from the bakery in France.

The good news is that producing delicious bread in your own home is no longer the preserve of the accomplished stay-at-home cook. Until recently, the most expensive ingredient involved was, indeed, time.   Today, however, there is a packet, machine or method to suit everyone. We all have the opportunity to enjoy the satisfaction, and taste, of home made bread. 

So, to get you all started, we have composed a simple beginners guide to bread-making. 

Instead of needing to search through innumerable articles this guide will help to answer your questions one at a time.

Your first loaf

We’ll start off by helping you to make your first loaf – as that’s what you’re probably most interested in – guiding you step-by-step through the basic techniques of mixing and shaping.  Having got one loaf under your belt, we can then help you to build on your achievements. We'll suggest a selection of tried and tested recipes so that you can try out new types of bread with confidence.

We'll look at the ingredients used in bread making - their purpose and the different varieties available. As with most cooking, the best results are more often achieved by choosing the most suitable ingredients. This is equally true whether you are producing bread by hand or by using a machine.

Then we’ll move on to a question and answer format. There are always plenty of questions from beginners looking for reliable information so we have a section which includes the most useful "beginner" questions and answers.

Or maybe you just like the idea of investing in a bread machine - throwing the ingredients in, sitting back and waiting for the finished result to be produced. It's still very useful to know the basic principles.

You’ll learn important basics like…….

-          use of packet bread mixes

-          step-by-step illustrated guide to basic techniques

-          choosing ingredients

-          bread-making equipment

-          selections of bread recipes from around the world

-          a troubleshooting guide – we all make mistakes!!

-          storing your bread

-          using up stale scraps

-          and much, much more….

And here's the best part...

If you get the basics right, making great bread is simple.

After reading this short guide you'll know enough to make bread that is as good as or better than the bread offered in your local shops.   Bread that tastes good smells good – and that has good natural ingredients – and that has been made BY YOU!!