# Bread vs. Regular Flour



## suziquzie (Nov 29, 2007)

I'm out of bread flour, my point in making bread again today is that I am cold and don't want to go outside. It's 3 this morning. degrees. 
Anyway I can just use regular flour where bread flour is called for, correct?


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## Bilby (Nov 29, 2007)

I can tell you that we ever only had SR flour and plain flour when I was growing up, and while mum's bread may never have been declared fabulous, it was nice on the first day when it was warm, etc.  Back when I'm talking, it would have been extremely difficult for bread flour to be found in the general shops.  So I would think that it would just not produce as good results as the bread flour. But that is based on the flours we get here, and not necessarily on what is available to you.

Make some damper - that doesn't need yeast or strange flours!


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## Andy M. (Nov 29, 2007)

You can use AP flour in place of bread flour but you will have to use a little more as AP flour won't absorb as much liquid as bread flour.

Also, the finished product will be softer than you are used to.


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## suziquzie (Nov 29, 2007)

Alright but what IS damper!!!!


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## Bilby (Nov 29, 2007)

Australian traditional bread.  Take a look at one of these recipes:
Search - Recipes - Taste.com.au=

I like olive damper when it is fresh out of the oven with butter that just melts as it touches it.  I find some dampers need more salt to bring out the flavour - they can be rather bland at times.  Perhaps why I like the olive ones.  And no, I don't have and TNT's cos I haven't made it since a kid.


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## suziquzie (Nov 29, 2007)

That sounds really good!
Except I am out of olives..... 
would some carmelized onion work you think?


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## Bilby (Nov 29, 2007)

From what I have seen of damper in restaurants, just about anything the chef feels with hold in the dough has gone into it at one time or another.  I am sure at certain restaurants you will find lavendar damper.  Sounds awful to me but...

Sundried tomatoes, chillis, herbs, olives, bacon pieces, had all of these at one point or another. Haven't had any fish ones though....  I guess anchovies would be alright.

At parties, they make mini dampers (like a scone) and use it to put things like smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers on.  Yummy!!


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## justplainbill (Nov 29, 2007)

suziquzie said:


> I'm out of bread flour, my point in making bread again today is that I am cold and don't want to go outside. It's 3 this morning. degrees.
> Anyway I can just use regular flour where bread flour is called for, correct?


Depends on what kind of bread you're making.  If you're makeing the equivalent of Wonder Bread , hamburger / frankfurter  buns, or a Pullman loaf, AP is ok.  For a decent Italian Bread or a sour rye you'll need bread flour, King  Arthur's Sir Lancelot high gluten, first clear flour and a few other things.  Spring for the $20 and buy a copy of George Greenstein's 'Secrets of a Jewish Baker' if you want an eye opener on how to make what I consider to be decent bread and what's wrong with most commercially available breads.  His directions are not always the easiest to follow but he makes a lot of good points.  If you you want to be more scientific about it, you might also want to read Peter Reinhardt's Bread Baker's Apprentice.


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## suziquzie (Nov 29, 2007)

I made a pumpernickel with it. It tasted great, but even after 20 extra min in the oven it turned out doughy. Might be the recipe, or operator error, I'm never quite sure how to tell when my bread is done. Thumping is not foolproof.


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## Andy M. (Nov 29, 2007)

I have a bread recipe that calls for using an instant read thermometer to check the temperature in the middle of the loaf.  It should read 210F.  I don't know if that will work for you.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Nov 29, 2007)

I learned to make bread with AP flour.  It can be amazingly good, soft, and with a great flavor.  It won't make you a prper baguet, French, or Itallian loaf, bit it will fill the belly, and be great as toast, or hot with melted butter and strawberry jam.

I believe we all get caught up in "perfect" as defined by other people.  There was no bread better than what my mother made on a cold winter's day, and gave to us as we came in from the snowy weather, hot and yummy.  It made the house smell great, and the mouth water.  I'd call that perfect bread.

I have won several bread contests with bread made from AP white flour, and AP whole wheat flour.  I've even combined AP white, barley flour, rye, and several other flours to make my own seven-grain breads, complete with sunflower seed.  It came out very good.  I've also made my own sour-dough started with whte flour that worked exceptionally well.

The secret to good bread, is the consistancy of the dough.  Too sticky means too much moisture content, and that means doughy bread.  Too dry and your bread will be like eating sawdust.  Bread dough should be smooth and elastic when needed, and slightly sticky to the touch so that you occasionally have to remove dough from your hands and between your fingers.  But it should not stick to the bowl.  Also, the amount of fat in the dough is important as it determines the "moist feel" of the finished product.

Bake at 375' F. until just a hint darker than medium brown.  The bread should sound hollow when lightly tapped on top.  Let the bread rest on a cooling rack for ten minutes or so before cutting into it to prevent all the moisture from escaping as steam.  Butter or oil the entire surface of the bread, again to keep the moisture from escaping and the crust from drying out (you should also spread butter all over the dough surface as it rises for the same reason).

Follow those simple rules and your bread should make you proud.  For a single loaf of bread (home sized bread pan), start with 3 cups flour, 1/2 tsp. salt for each cup of flour, 1 tbs. sugar per cup of flour.  Use one package of yeast added to 1 cup of warm milk and stirred in to dissolve.  Let the yeast/milk mixture sit until a foam forms on top.  This is your singal that the yeast is good and is growing.  Add to the flour, oil, and salt, and begin kneeding.  Add more flour or water as needed to get the right consistancy, let rise to double in bulk, punch down, place in a greased bread pan, let rise again until double in bulk, and bake until done.  That's all there is to great bread, seriously.  And if you want a thinner, more tender crust, cook longer at a slightly lower temperature with a pan of water in the oven.  For a heartier crust, cook at a higher temperature in a dry oven.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Dave Hutchins (Nov 30, 2007)

Good weed has it just right follow her and you won't be disapointed


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## suziquzie (Nov 30, 2007)

I may just have to get in there and try again!
I've always wanted to master bread-making. Without a machine.... ok I guess the dough hook is a machine. But I always end up kneading by hand the last few min so I can be sure the texture is right. 

I bake bagels at work, I also make the dough. Bagel dough is much stiffer, we use high gluten flour. Not a bit of stick to it really. I haven't made bread since I started my job in June, I keep worrying I will get my dough feels confused!


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## justplainbill (Nov 30, 2007)

Thanks for the tip on bagels.  Glad to hear you're aware of the importance of feel when it comes to consistecncy.


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## suziquzie (Nov 30, 2007)

Andy M. said:


> I have a bread recipe that calls for using an instant read thermometer to check the temperature in the middle of the loaf. It should read 210F. I don't know if that will work for you.


 
That might not be a bad idea. It wont ruin the loaf by any means and it would at least give me some idea where I am... Thank you!


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## suziquzie (Nov 30, 2007)

justplainbill said:


> Thanks for the tip on bagels. Glad to hear you're aware of the importance of feel when it comes to consistecncy.


 
Well with any luck I didn't give away and "trade secret" that is fiercely protected by the powers that be. How am I supposed to know... I'm just the weekend baker!
It's quite fun actually, my MIL is the "real" baker there. She does the same job mon-fri, I get sat and sun, and we leave each other notes in the extra cornmeal on the 1/2 filled boards of dough. 

Sorry, too much info. Me and my blabbermouth. 
Shutting up now.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Nov 30, 2007)

Dave Hutchins said:


> Good weed has it just right follow her and you won't be disapointed



Goodweed is a he.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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