Fat in bread

Originally Posted by Mr_love_monkey

That's a nasty cough you've got there

No it was a STAGE cough.Don't you know anything?

[danielf]

Originally Posted by Nugget

My God

My girlfriend has told me, in no uncertain terms, that if I ever bought her anything like that, she'd have my (how can I put this) bits and pieces nailed to the wall

Fancy a swap

Well, in fact, she brought up the bread maker, in since we're always struggling to think of birthday presents for each other, I got her the bread maker for her birthday. Actually, she repaid the compliment by getting me a nice Le Creuset casserole for my birthday, which I was very pleased with. (We both like to cook).

I think I'll hang on to her, but thanks for the offer

Originally Posted by gary_580

No window on mine

None of the Panasonics have a window, but some other brands do. I stayed with some friends at the weekend whose machine's entire top lid is transparent. It was quite interesting to be able to glance at it from time to time and see what it's getting up to, because my own machine leaves you guessing. The only clues are nice yeasty smells and the occasional hum, or when it starts wobbling about during a spell of frenetic kneading. I started thinking that it would be nice to have a window, then I realised that the raisin/nut dispenser was right where the window would have to be, and I decided I'd rather have the dispenser than a window.

Clearly I spend far too much time thinking about my bread machine.

[greencreeper]

Originally Posted by Incognitas

AHEM!!!

The occasional rose among thorns


On the subject of bacon butties - I prefer BBQ sauce to ketchup or brown. Yummy.

[Ramrod]

On the subject of baking your own bread......we have an AGA



............and if someone could show us how to use it properly we would be very grateful

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by Chris T

None of the Panasonics have a window, but some other brands do. I stayed with some friends at the weekend whose machine's entire top lid is transparent. It was quite interesting to be able to glance at it from time to time and see what it's getting up to, because my own machine leaves you guessing. The only clues are nice yeasty smells and the occasional hum, or when it starts wobbling about during a spell of frenetic kneading. I started thinking that it would be nice to have a window, then I realised that the raisin/nut dispenser was right where the window would have to be, and I decided I'd rather have the dispenser than a window.

Clearly I spend far too much time thinking about my bread machine.

you need to get out a bit more my mate

Originally Posted by Ramrod

On the subject of baking your own bread......we have an AGA



............and if someone could show me how to use it properly we would be very grateful

Our new house has a WOOD-BURNING Aga (well, a Raeburn, actually, but essentially the same thing)

After we move in, look out for Chris T starting threads on the best way to swing a two-handed axe

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

you need to get out a bit more my mate

I need to get out of my head more often, it gets cramped in there sometimes.

[Xaccers]

Originally Posted by Chris T

Our new house has a WOOD-BURNING Aga (well, a Raeburn, actually, but essentially the same thing)

After we move in, look out for Chris T starting threads on the best way to swing a two-handed axe

Best way is with about 8 inches between your hands, and remember to follow through and slice that Orc's head off....um, sorry, bit of a flashback...

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by Chris T

Our new house has a WOOD-BURNING Aga (well, a Raeburn, actually, but essentially the same thing)

omfg...how old is that then?
It's going to be a real pain in the butt keeping that thing going properly.........and we thought that we had problems wih ours

[Mr_love_monkey]

Originally Posted by Chris T

After we move in, look out for Chris T starting threads on the best way to swing a two-handed axe

You should speak to me, I've got lots of experience of handling a large 'tool' that require both hands to grip it.


Edit - My own tool, I must point out, no one elses....

Originally Posted by Ramrod

omfg...how old is that then?
It's going to be a real pain in the butt keeping that thing going properly.........and we thought that we had problems wih ours

It's an old Forestry Commission labourer's cottage, built 1952. The whole house is timber built and the heating is solid fuel (i.e. wood). The fireplace in the lounge heats the water and the radiators, the Raeburn heats water only. Other houses on the plot have since converted to gas or oil tanks but this one is 'original' as the current owners are in to the whole ecological lifestyle thing ... they have an organic veg garden too.

There is a modern kitchen in the extension which is all-electric (and there is an electric immersion heater on the radiators too, just in case) but we're really looking forward to making use of wood for fuel as far as possible. The raeburn is in what is now a small additional sitting room.

Raeburn/Aga ovens are quite clever at heat regulation - ours has a built in heat exchanger which is plumbed into the heated towel rail in the bathroom. You don't have to worry what temperature it is, provided the fuel supply is constant, the temperature is constant. Each oven compartment is a different temperature - goodness only knows how they manage that - the only trick is knowing which is which. An Aga dealer might be able to tell you, or failing that just buy an oven thermometer and test it yourself. A trip to your local second-hand bookshop to find a very old cookbook would be a good idea, as what you really need, if oven baking (whether bread or anything else) are recipes that describe oven temperatures as 'cool', 'hot', 'very hot' etc rather than as gas marks or degrees.

And to come nicely back on topic, AFAIK you bake bread in the 'very hot' oven compartment, and man am I looking forward to it. I may have to give up work and bake things to sell to passing hikers on the West Highland Way instead.

[Nugget]

Originally Posted by Mr_love_monkey

You should speak to me, I've got lots of experience of handling a large 'tool' that require both hands to grip it.


Edit - My own tool, I must point out, no one elses....

So you're well-practised with using your 'chopper' then, eh

Now gentlemen, this is a family forum

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by Chris T

It's an old Forestry Commission labourer's cottage, built 1952. The whole house is timber built and the heating is solid fuel (i.e. wood). The fireplace in the lounge heats the water and the radiators, the Raeburn heats water only. Other houses on the plot have since converted to gas or oil tanks but this one is 'original' as the current owners are in to the whole ecological lifestyle thing ... they have an organic veg garden too.

There is a modern kitchen in the extension which is all-electric (and there is an electric immersion heater on the radiators too, just in case) but we're really looking forward to making use of wood for fuel as far as possible. The raeburn is in what is now a small additional sitting room.

Raeburn/Aga ovens are quite clever at heat regulation - ours has a built in heat exchanger which is plumbed into the heated towel rail in the bathroom. You don't have to worry what temperature it is, provided the fuel supply is constant, the temperature is constant. Each oven compartment is a different temperature - goodness only knows how they manage that - the only trick is knowing which is which. An Aga dealer might be able to tell you, or failing that just buy an oven thermometer and test it yourself. A trip to your local second-hand bookshop to find a very old cookbook would be a good idea, as what you really need, if oven baking (whether bread or anything else) are recipes that describe oven temperatures as 'cool', 'hot', 'very hot' etc rather than as gas marks or degrees.

And to come nicely back on topic, AFAIK you bake bread in the 'very hot' oven compartment, and man am I looking forward to it. I may have to give up work and bake things to sell to passing hikers on the West Highland Way instead.

We have aga cookbooks. You will also need to buy aga cookware (pots/pans) as anything else wont really give you the propper heat transmission between the hotplate and bottom of the cookware. The problem with that is that aga cookware is very expensive. If you use 'inferior' stuff it takes longer to heat up and you consequently loose more heat from the agas store of heat.....then you need more fuel.....