HM bread and the alternative......

[womble]

This is very interesting and goes some way to answering some questions
One Little Word She Knew: Nutrimill Review: Why Grind Fresh Flour?

[Hilary B]

This is very interesting and goes some way to answering some questions
One Little Word She Knew: Nutrimill Review: Why Grind Fresh Flour?

The comments about losing a large proportion of 'the nutritional value' is back to the notion that the main nutrition is the vitamins etc. It isn't, the main nutritional value of bread is the protein (a significant amount) and carbohydrate. All the vitamins present in wheat are also present in so many other things we eat on a regular basis, and minerals (also found in many other foods) DO NOT VANISH, although they may change form a little.
A change in the taste is entirely credible, and may be reason enough to do things differently, but nutrition-wise, I just don't buy it as a real issue. I would mention that 'major commercial' flour can have a modest amount of preservative in it (often Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, well known anti-oxidant) to counter the tendency to oxidation.

[womble]

The comments about losing a large proportion of 'the nutritional value' is back to the notion that the main nutrition is the vitamins etc. It isn't, the main nutritional value of bread is the protein (a significant amount) and carbohydrate. All the vitamins present in wheat are also present in so many other things we eat on a regular basis, and minerals (also found in many other foods) DO NOT VANISH, although they may change form a little.
A change in the taste is entirely credible, and may be reason enough to do things differently, but nutrition-wise, I just don't buy it as a real issue. I would mention that 'major commercial' flour can have a modest amount of preservative in it (often Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, well known anti-oxidant) to counter the tendency to oxidation.

That link I supplied questioned the very question you are answering, I'm only trying to find the truth, there is no need to be so angry seemingly.

I want to pick on the bit I highlighted and apply it to the vegetables and fruit we grow.
We are always being told and tell each other, that the fresh fruit and veggies we grow are much better for us when they are straight out of the ground. We know this, we know it's better to eat them fresh, rather than get then after a couple of days.
So, you said that vitamins and minerals in food do not vanish, so the widespread belief that home grown very fresh food is better for you than 4 day old shop bought stuff, is wrong?

Just looking at the vitamin content of freshness here, not the particular strain of item, nor the organicness of the growing.

[pigletwillie]

[QUOTE=Croila;753371]Oh no ... When I've had a hard day I just want to sit down with a cup of tea - if I had to make homemade bread because I hadn't bought any shop stuff, I'd just feel it was another pressure on me, something I "had" to do. I think it would be okay doing it in a breadmaker as that's fairly fast, but I think for me personally I wouldn't want to do it by hand.

Sharp breadknife, now there's an idea. Mine barely cuts butter [/QUOTE

A bread maker isnt fast though. I can knock up a dough mix by hand or in the Kenwood in less than 10 mins and the proving happens all by its self, it takes 2 minutes to knock it back and either put it in a tin or shape to rise before putting in the oven.

A bread maker cannot make cobs or rolls and I find these better for snap at work. Better still, a good loaf does not go stale as quickly as shop bought so you can make two at once for no real extra effort.

Claire has a panoisonic, its ok but not as good as by hand.

[Bren In Pots]

A agree with you there PW

I make all my loaves and rolls using my Kenwood, it takes 3lb of flour at a time so that will make either 26 rolls or 5 loaves like these :-

edited to say ..I bought the Hovis tins from eBay

[Two_Sheds]

Just looking at the vitamin content of freshness here

I suppose it would depend on which vitamin, whether it is oil- or water-soluble, and its preparation.
as an eg. carrots have more carotenoids if eaten cooked than raw

[womble]

I suppose it would depend on which vitamin, whether it is oil- or water-soluble, and its preparation.
as an eg. carrots have more carotenoids if eaten cooked than raw

Not even that, I think you are making it more complicated than it needs to be
Just, a bean from the garden, cooked and eaten within minutes, or a 4 day old bean, cooked in exactly the same way.
Which has more vitamins, or am I really looking at this in the wrong way?

We are always told that fresh veg is better for you, that's one of the reasons we all grow.

[Hilary B]

Vitamins do indeed change (some a lot faster than others); what we call 'minerals' are chemical elements, and those do not vanish from food until it is definitely spoiled.
My original comment however, was concerning the importance of the vitamins (and minerals) present in wheat to the typical reasonably healthy diet. If your ONLY source of a particular vitamin is the bread you eat, the difference between fresh-ground and stored might be significant, but for most people, this simply isn't the case.
What we need by way of nutrition, that is supplied by bread, is carbohydrate and protein, and these are just as present in flour ground several months ago, as long as it was stored cool and dry.

PS, I sometimes get a bit 'fussy' (not really upset or angry, but an overpowering urge to explain further) when I think I've stated something clearly and I get a reply that sounds like I have been misunderstood. It's all part of the same reaction that makes me good at proof-reading, but it can get out of hand.....

[Mrs Dobby]

A bread maker isnt fast though. I can knock up a dough mix by hand or in the Kenwood in less than 10 mins and the proving happens all by its self, it takes 2 minutes to knock it back and either put it in a tin or shape to rise before putting in the oven.

A bread maker cannot make cobs or rolls and I find these better for snap at work. Better still, a good loaf does not go stale as quickly as shop bought so you can make two at once for no real extra effort.

Claire has a panoisonic, its ok but not as good as by hand.

We have a breadmaker, but results are sporadic to say the best (sometimes wonderful light loaves, the next day a dense brick), so I've started baking our bread in the oven, using a mixer to mix the flour etc, then letting it rise in the oven (on 25C setting) before baking it.

Recently Mr D found bigbrandforless.com where they sell 3.5kg bread mixes (white, wholemeal, granary) for £1.23 (and often do BOGOF deals too), so we ordered some and tried it. Bang a lb in the mixer, mix in the water, mix for 7 mins, knock it back, prove it and bake it, end result.... wonderful homemade bread! 10 mins time is all it takes, and costs about 23p per loaf (or 12p if its on BOGOF)

1 x 1kg pack makes 7 x 1lb loaves, enough to feed us for a week!



Todays batch of homemade bread, after mixing and proving before baking!


The end results!



1lb white crusty loaves, tasty!

[Dottie]

I've moved onto what I thought was an up-grade breadmaker, from Cookworks to Morphy Richards Fast Bake. It looks more stylist, but I feels the outside of the loaf is over cooked/thick crisp all over. So I have been thinking of trying just the dough option and cooking it in the oven. But I do like the having it cook over night, and I don't have a delay timer on my cooker.

Your loaves look great, much nicer than when they come out of a machine. I only eat a loaf about once a week/fortnight, so you eat a lot of bread.