SV: [Stoves] Bread Question

[Jeff Forssell]

> I have baked all the bread in my house for a decade.  In my opinion it
> is 3 X as tasty as the best store bought and 1/4 the cost, a dozen
> reasons to bake your own.
> 
> I use a bread machine for just the mixing and first rising, then put
it
> in a bread pan, punch it  down, let it rise and then bake it 35
minutes
> at 375F.

When we returned 1990 to Sweden after 2 yrs in Tanz bush my wife bought
a baking machine that I was rather sceptical about. The included recipes
were more "white bread" oriented, which is not my "cup a tea".

But belonging to the machine-oriented sex I wound up enthused when I
found it could make a good half whole wheat bread.

Whenever I see one (that has the kneading blade and OK axelgaskets) at a
fleamarket/garage sale I offer max 100SEK ($10) at the end of the day.
(When I ordered a spare part- the kneading blade after about 6 yrs of
use, I was shocked when the cost with all the fees 275SEK. I'd rather
get a whole machine, often almost unused for a third of that).

The reason that many machines are not used is that all the "set up time"
with getting out the ingredients, and cleaning up afterwards is half the
time if you just make one loaf. So I always measure up 6-7 batches (in
leftover flour bags) which only takes about 1 minute a loaf once
everythings on the table. Then when its time to bake the next loaf 2 I
just dump in the mix, add water and yeast (I usually add a dl of carrot
fiber that I freeze when making carrot juice). 

I once did an energy check on how much it used. (I was wondering if I
could justify running it on solar elect through an inverter when we were
going to Tanz again 1993. It wasn't too bad in spite of no real
insulation, but we didn't take it.) But I don't think I can find those
notes. But I might do it again.

I don't bake ALL our bread, but probably 80% since 1991. My 11 yr old
son doesn't want any other kind!

I hope to put a webpage about it (after checking if anyone else has
"been there, done that"

/Jeff