[Food] Bread

[nicko31]

Our bread in the UK is just so crap, for most decent fresh bread is pretty inaccessible or expensive. Most of the slice stuff of full of stuff additives and preservatives

Lidl bread isn't bad, I buy it fresh and chuck it in the freezer. Quite cheap too

There is one place that is worse, the USA. Almost everything has added sugar and the population seem unaware of it

 

[BNthree]

Used to make my own bread, its very time consuming and you have to think ahead for when you need it. Not brilliant energy wise either as you have to "Proove " your dough for several hours in a warm place/oven. You have to keep your yeast fresh or you will end up with flatbread, many a time I had to throw a lump of dough out as it wouldn't rise and.....half a dozen Granary rolls are only £1.25 in Morrisons and saves hours of work and Gas.

Different recipes can mean it’s quick like I said in my post you quoted. If you’re baking regularly the yeast isn’t an issue. Get a bundle of 7g pouches from Lidl and use 1 a week. Never had a problem with yeast not working. Also have never proved my bread in a warm oven in the decades I’ve been baking. As many obstacles/excuses as there are there’s also solutions and ways round them. If it’s not for you that fine but none of those things should put someone off.

 

[albionalba]

Like many things I think NSC has been around the block on bread before but it is worth saying that mass produced bread will one day be shown to have been the cause for many ills and a scandal akin to those biggies we are all familiar with. It is easy to say make your own but it isn't practical for many folk. There needs to be a UK supply chain for decent bread and a shift of mind by gov, retailers and consumers. All highly complex problems.

 

[jessiejames]

Deliver to Hovis Mitcham. One of the workers normally come out with a box containing a variety breads and rolls from Hovis Kingmill Sainsburyl M&S etc.
M&S super seeded and Lidl super seeded look and taste exactly the only difference is the bag the bread is wrapped in and price. All made at same plant

 

[Professor Plum]

Used to make my own bread, its very time consuming and you have to think ahead for when you need it. Not brilliant energy wise either as you have to "Proove " your dough for several hours in a warm place/oven. You have to keep your yeast fresh or you will end up with flatbread, many a time I had to throw a lump of dough out as it wouldn't rise and.....half a dozen Granary rolls are only £1.25 in Morrisons and saves hours of work and Gas.

Use a bread machine. If money is tight, you often see new-looking machines in charity shops for £20 or so. Time consuming? No. Takes 5 minutes to put the ingredients in. Certainly no need to prove dough in the oven, or anywhere else. The machine does it all. Yes, you do need to anticipate need. I sometimes get ours ready at night and set the timer so it’s ready and waiting in the morning. Two loaves a week. It just becomes a habit. Once we’re down to the last quarter of a loaf I know it’s time to think about putting another on. Apart from being delicious to eat it’s also much cheaper per loaf than shop-bought. Someone mentioned 60p per loaf. I haven’t worked it out but that sounds about right.

As for yeast, buy it in small packs and keep in the fridge. Never has the chance to go off if you’re using it regularly.

 

[jcdenton08]

Is a bread maker not wasting energy, especially an older one from a charity shop which is bound to be less energy efficient.

Surely it’s better for the environment to buy an existing product than to expend resources creating a new one?

 

[The Clamp]

Very easy to buy decent bread.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Why is it that all loaves of regular sliced bread (we get Warburtons) are so short date nowadays?

On delivery from any of the supermarkets, it’s usually next day best before, and green within 4-5 days. I don’t remember this being the case in the past… Now I keep it in the freezer and just defrost as needed.

It’s kept where it’s always been kept (cool dark, dry place in kitchen)

Just to confirm that the dates the supermarkets get are much better than you are getting delivered, here is the Warburtons delivered to Tesco Bishop Auckland this morning.

 

[jcdenton08]

Just to confirm that the dates the supermarkets get are much better than you are getting delivered, here is the Warburtons delivered to Tesco Bishop Auckland this morning.

View attachment 190336

Thanks

 

[KZNSeagull]

Thanks

OK! Next time you do an online order can you try asking for a better date? Some of the pickers do ask me for fresher stuff sometimes as some customers do specify a minimum date on their order. Just a thought.

 

[jcdenton08]

OK! Next time you do an online order can you try asking for a better date? Some of the pickers do ask me for fresher stuff sometimes as some customers do specify a minimum date on their order. Just a thought.

Cheers, worth a go. Thanks for the helpful reply!

 

[Titanic]

Our bread in the UK is just so crap, for most decent fresh bread is pretty inaccessible or expensive. Most of the slice stuff of full of stuff additives and preservatives

why does it have such a short expiry date then??

 

[Albion in the north]

Like many things I think NSC has been around the block on bread before but it is worth saying that mass produced bread will one day be shown to have been the cause for many ills and a scandal akin to those biggies we are all familiar with. It is easy to say make your own but it isn't practical for many folk. There needs to be a UK supply chain for decent bread and a shift of mind by gov, retailers and consumers. All highly complex problems.

I dont think its a particularly complex problem. Its all down to money. We'd rather eat cheap food than good food. I know there is a section of society that couldnt afford anything more expensive but there is also a large proportion of those that will tell you they are in that bracket that will be sat on their sofa ordering their Maccie Ds on UberEats, those that will go from the foodbank to the pub. For those its a question of priorities.

 

[vegster]

Is a bread maker not wasting energy, especially an older one from a charity shop which is bound to be less energy efficient.

Surely it’s better for the environment to buy an existing product than to expend resources creating a new one?

I did use a breadmaker and they are not always what they are cracked up to be, the programme does take some time and electricity and you end up with a big chunk missing from your loaf after it has baked and you take it off the paddle. Worst cas scenario is you forget to add something and you get a brick or sometimes used to get huge holes baked in the loaf. The Wrights range of Bread Mixes were pretty good and very reliable but unfortunately come with additive's and " Flour Improvers " thus defeating the object.

 

[nicko31]

why does it have such a short expiry date then??

Probably want you to buy another loaf, unless its gone green its good for toasting in my book.

 

[Professor Plum]

Is a bread maker not wasting energy, especially an older one from a charity shop which is bound to be less energy efficient.

Surely it’s better for the environment to buy an existing product than to expend resources creating a new one?

Am I going nuts or do those two statements contradict each other?

I did use a breadmaker and they are not always what they are cracked up to be, the programme does take some time and electricity and you end up with a big chunk missing from your loaf after it has baked and you take it off the paddle. Worst cas scenario is you forget to add something and you get a brick or sometimes used to get huge holes baked in the loaf. The Wrights range of Bread Mixes were pretty good and very reliable but unfortunately come with additive's and " Flour Improvers " thus defeating the object.

Yes of course the programme takes time (3-5 hours typically) but you don’t stand and watch it for that period. You load up the ingredients which takes 5 minutes then you get on with your life for a while.

There is no ‘big chunk’ missing from the bread when it’s finished. I’ve heard this before and it mystifies me. There’s a sort of narrow slot in the middle at the base of the loaf where the paddle was but you don’t lose any actual bread. ‘Huge holes’ indeed!

If you forget to add something crucial, yes, that is a problem. That goes not just for bread but anything you cook or bake, surely? And there’s a simple remedy for it which I don’t need to spell out.

I don’t think a bread machine uses a lot of energy. A lot of the time the dough is resting or rising, and doing nothing. The cost of ingredients must surely be lower than the electricity cost but in any case, economics is not why most people make bread. It tastes ten times better than that limp cardboardy UPF-filled supermarket product.

 

[jcdenton08]

Am I going nuts or do those two statements contradict each other?

I mean, if unsold bread from supermarkets is being thrown out/sold to food banks due to excess, surely it’s better to buy that, than expend resources (ingredients, electricity) making something new at home.

 

[Professor Plum]

I mean, if unsold bread from supermarkets is being thrown out/sold to food banks due to excess, surely it’s better to buy that, than expend resources (ingredients, electricity) making something new at home.

People are free to buy the chemically supermarket stuff if they want. Not sure what that has to do with someone preferring to make something healthier and cheaper at home?

 

[jcdenton08]

People are free to buy the chemically supermarket stuff if they want. Not sure what that has to do with someone preferring to make something healthier and cheaper at home?

It was addressing the points made about food waste and cost.

 

[burnee54]

I always assume Kingsmill is full of preservatives and other crap. Could be wrong.

Kingsmill is Halal certified. Personally I won't buy it on pricipal, although saying that isn't all bread Halal?