There’s nothing like a warm slice of homemade bread covered in a layer of butter – absolute heaven. However, making your own bread isn’t always so heavenly.
Fortunately, there are some great gadgets and apps available to help you improve your bread baking skills, and I’ve tried many of them. So if your New Year’s resolution is to master the art of making perfect loaves, without a bread maker, you’re in the right place.
These devices and apps won’t turn you into a bread master overnight. It can take some time and practice to perfect the art of bread-making, and in the meantime you may end up with sunburnt tiger loaves, soft baggy pants, and baguettes dense enough to carry onto the battlefield.
However, they’ll do some of the work for you, proofing, kneading and cutting your homemade bread, as well as giving you some inspiration on what to make next. So put on your apron, it’s time to bake…
1. App inspiration
Let’s start at the beginning, okay? You want to start making bread but you need recipes to try or inspiration. There are many cooking websites and apps out there, but there are a few that really stand out when it comes to baking and bread.
3 quick tips for taking a break
1. Proof of perfection
When I use the proofer for a basic white flower, I set the minimum to 30 and the maximum to 30.1, then I put my dough (in a container covered with plastic wrap) for at least two hours. Once the dough is double in size, take it out and you can easily store the proofing chamber in a cupboard. Alternatively, you can put the cooked dough in the refrigerator overnight to enhance the flavor.
2. Knead your dough
When you knead a white flower dough on the Aucma, I turn it on for about five minutes on setting two.
3. Don’t weigh the bowl!
Make sure you place your bowl (or whatever you’re weighing ingredients in) on the scale. fir treest, then set it to zero, so that the weight of the bowl is not taken into account along with the ingredients.
First of all, there are Raisea perfect application for those who want to learn how to make bread with sourdough. While some recipes are available for free, the main features of this app are supported by a fairly reasonable subscription: $3.99 / £3.99 / AU$5.99 a month, $14.99 / £14, 99 / AU$29.99 a year, or a one-off payment of $19.99 / £19.99 / AU$22.99.
Not only does this app include many recipes for sourdough and other breads, but the paid version allows you to set reminders to feed your sourdough, access recipes from other users, and estimate how long your dough needs to rise based on factors like hydration. . salt and temperature. However, if you’re just starting out, there are free resources for creating a sourdough starter and how to fold and shape the dough.
If you’re not that worried about sourdough, take a look kneading. This is also a subscription service, but there are 50 recipes available for free, including boules, ciabattas, baguettes, and more.
Kneady Pro subscription costs are a bit confusing, but the current deal is £1 (about $1.27 / AU$1.98) per week for three months, £1.61 (about $2.05 / AU$3.18 ) per week for a month, or £0.58 ($0.74 / AU$1.15) per week for a year. This unlocks over 500 professional recipes, tons of baking guides, and even the ability to ask a recipe’s author any questions you may have.
2. Accurate kitchen scales
You already have your recipe and now you need to measure everything. This may seem very basic, but in my opinion, a good set of kitchen scales is essential for baking bread and anything else you cook.
While traditional kitchen scales can get the job done, electronic ones are usually more accurate and don’t need to be continually reset. If you have an electronic kitchen scale that’s a little shaky, it’s worth considering replacing it or checking the batteries.
Fortunately, a good set of scales don’t cost a fortune and they don’t have to be very fancy either. I recommend the Amazon Accuweight 201 Digital Kitchen Scalewhich RRP is $24.99 / £11.99 / AU$29.44 and will work fine.
Weighing ingredients incorrectly will have a huge impact on the dough, making everything else much more complicated.
3. A kitchen mixer with a dough hook
A kitchen mixer is not essential for making bread, but if you have a recipe that requires kneading dough, a mixer with a dough hook makes the task easier. a lot easier.
I recently received this Aucma 6.5 Liter Stand Mixer from Amazon (for $169.99 / £129.99 / about AU$257), which has a whisk attachment, whisk and dough hook. This isn’t a very fancy kitchen mixer, but it does its job wonderfully, is very easy to clean, and has suction cups on the bottom to ensure it doesn’t slide all over your countertop.
If you want something more professional (and expensive), I highly recommend the Baker Chef Titanium Kenwoodwhich is probably the only mixer you’ll need, but it’s quite large and sells for £529.99 (about $672 / AU$1,046).
4. A convenient fitting room
When I was a child, my mother would put a towel over the bread dough and put it in the ventilated cupboard to let it rise. While this method works, it can be temperamental, so it’s worth getting a proofing device if you want to make doughs that require proofing or proofing.
When I realized I needed a testing chamber (because it’s winter and my old Victorian house isn’t the best environment for testing), I worried about the cost, but then I found my secret weapon.
This Molgayol Versatile Dough Fermenter It’s $39.99 / £39 / AU$82 on Amazon and has been my bread-making savior. Now, it doesn’t look exactly like the pictures, but it works.
Basically, it’s a collapsible yellow box (a bit like a picnic cooler bag) that comes with a heating pad, thermometer, and temperature monitoring device. Simply place the heating pad in the bottom of the box along with the thermometer, plug it in, and then set the controller to the maximum and minimum temperature you want.
5. An electric carving knife
You’ve already made the bread and it’s cooled, so it’s time to see if your hard work was worth it.
While a standard bread knife can cut bread without any hassle, if, like me, you make a total mess with a bread knife (and everyone gets a different sized slice), you can make your life easier with an electric carving knife. .
An electric carving knife is not essential, but it can be a useful kitchen utensil, especially at Christmas. I’m a fan of this one Russell Hobbs that’s just £18.99 (about $24.16 / AU$37.57). Just make sure you take care of your fingers!
