Hi Mocha.. I haven't made Ciabatta bread.. however I just typed Ciabatta recipes into an internet search - and a number of recipes came up.. there's a wide variety.. check them out to find one that you really like.. and let us know how you get on.. hope this helps..

juliewn - 2008-07-03 22:50:00

Well I tried the baps this afternoon.... They weren't great. I threw all the ingredients in the breadmaker - on dough cycle. It came out quite thick like scone dough. Then I kneaded it (not that I knew what kneading actually is!!!) and seperated it into flat blobby balls then left it to rise for a while. Put it in the oven and they kind of looked like baps but come time to eat them they were so doughy and heavy. Hmmm what to do - think I'll have another search of recipes on this thread and try something else.

cliff609 - 2008-07-03 23:04:00

Hi Cliff.. I think it may be that it needed a bit more kneading.. and a longer time to rise.. Kneading is to stretch the dough, to give a smooth elasticity.. gradually making it into a smooth ball, either in a bowl, or on a floured bench. There are many ways to do this.. and probably everyone who makes bread does it in the way they find easiest for them.. The way I find best is to have the dough in a good sized bowl. I place that on a cloth in the sink, so the bottom of the bowl isn't coming into contact with the cold metal of the sink. I hold the bowl rim in my left hand, and use the knuckles of my right hand to lift the dough from the back (and slightly to the right - about where the 1 is on a clock - hope that makes sense!!) of the dough, lift it up slightly and curve it over and press it into the centre of the ball.

juliewn - 2008-07-05 01:51:00

Slight turn of the bowl with my left hand, and repeat.. continuing until the ball is smooth, and when pressed with a finger tip, it bounces back to a smooth surface. About 5 to 10 minutes.. you'll soon get into a rhythmical pattern as you go.. While kneading, I use my fingers to scoop up any flour on the bottom and sides of the dough as I go - there's no need to add any flour to the dough - unless it's squishy and sticking to your fingers. Once it's a smooth ball, turn it over and leave it in the bowl, covered with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Leave in a warm place for 15 minutes.

juliewn - 2008-07-05 01:51:00

Remove the cover, and use your hand to push the dough down, so most of the air is removed - it will approximately halve in size. Knead lightly till a smooth ball is reached. Shape into the size balls/rolls/bread you want, and place on a greased or baking paper lined tray(s) or in tins. Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in size. I usually place them on top of my stove, while I'm making something in the oven, so the warmth rises from that to rise the dough. Doubling in size can take from 3/4 hour to 1 & 1/2 hours, depending on the temperature of the day and where they're rising. Once ready, bake, etc.. as per your recipe.. I hope this helps.. let us know how you get on.. Have a lovely weekend..

juliewn - 2008-07-05 01:52:00

Ok, thank you so much I probably didn't knead it for nearly long enough then and I was sort of just playing with it more than anything. Thanks for the tips!

cliff609 - 2008-07-05 13:24:00

thanks from my whole family juliewn made`buns etc today and they were lovely. just making pizza bases for dinner now. yummmm can't wait. can't wait to try other types of breads ;)

waniac1 - 2008-07-05 17:53:00

Hi Cliff.. let us know how you get on when you make them again.. I hope the tips are of help.. Hi Waniac.. you're most welcome.. home made goodies.. mmmm - don't they smell fabulous too! :-) Cheers.. Julie

juliewn - 2008-07-06 05:00:00

Making Baking Powder at Home?? Hi Juliewn
Can you or any of the other awesome cooks here give me a recipe for making baking powder at home?
If anyone can help me that would be great.
Thanx for all the fantastic recipes and hints from everyone
have a great week folks!

guitarman525 - 2008-07-06 22:08:00

Bumping for guitarman's ques :o)

jenna68 - 2008-07-09 05:49:00

thanx Jenna 68 I'm hoping someone will have a recipe. I, like lots of other people am trying to cut down on buying as many things as possible on the grocery list and make my own stuff instead.
Have an awesome day!

guitarman525 - 2008-07-09 08:43:00

Here's another gentle bump for ya guitarman, fingers crossed! :o)

jenna68 - 2008-07-12 10:05:00

Hi Guitarman.. and *Waves Hi to Tracey* I've just seen your question Guitarman - I'm sorry for taking so long to answer.. Your own baking powder can be made - to replace 1 tsp baking powder, use 1/3 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar and 1/8 tsp of salt. I find it's best to keep the ingredients separate in my pantry, and mix them as I'm making a recipe. I find this gives a better result than baking powder.. I hope this is of help..

juliewn - 2008-07-14 00:41:00

Thanx Juliewn Many thanx for your reply!
I will now have a go at making some and se how i get on!
By the way your basic bread recipe is just fantastic and i have passed it on to lots of folks who want to give bread making a go...with great results!
So thanx for sharing it with everybody.Have a great night.

guitarman525 - 2008-07-14 19:13:00

Thanks Guitarman.. it's lovely to read that you enjoy the recipe.. doesn't the house smell great when it's baking.. :-)

juliewn - 2008-07-15 02:20:00

Bumping.. :-)

juliewn - 2008-07-18 04:21:00

bread dough post no.4 I notice in your bread dough that no oil or butter in recipe?

glenj - 2008-07-18 22:55:00

Hi Glen.. no.. it doesn't need any.. just the ingredients that are there.. hope you like your goodies if you try the recipe..

juliewn - 2008-07-19 01:16:00

Bumping for Dragonstar_nz .. hope this helps..

juliewn - 2008-07-20 01:30:00

and.. Bumping..

juliewn - 2008-07-22 03:57:00

quick bread base bread mix
3 cups high grade flour
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp yeast

put into breadmaker to knead and prep below(or you can knead it yourself)

savoury:
grated cheese, ham, sundried toms, basil, rosemary

sweet:
jar of nutella, 2 sliced bananas, chopped nuts

once breads knead, divide into two use one for each sav and sweet;

make a sausage 50cms long and inch wide and roll it 1cm thin and add toppings, then roll back to sausage and either coil up or bake as a (french stick or sausage)

leave 15mins in warm draft free to rise, then 35 mins in oven 210'C

enjoy!

mark86 - 2008-07-22 17:39:00

Brand of Breadmaker? Hi there, I would like to buy a breadmaker but have no idea which one. Family of five, eat over a loaf a day, eat wholegrain and would like to make pizza bases? Any ideas? The consumer report is out of date, recommends the Panasonic which you can't get in New Zealand anymore. Thanks!

sebfinals - 2008-07-23 09:40:00

Hi Mark.. that sounds delicious.. Hi Seb.. For 5 people, I would look for a breadmaker that makes the larger loaves (there seems to be two sizes of loaves according to the breadmaker.. You can make wholegrain and wholemeal loaves in all makers, and for pizza's, the breadmakers have a 'dough function' - the machine will beep when the dough reaches that stage, so you can take the dough out and continue making pizza with it.. or rolls, or hot cross buns, or... etc.. I hope this is of help.. enjoy making your own breads..

juliewn - 2008-07-26 00:46:00

Bumping for alpha, looking for bread in the crockpot, is there a recipe for that in here? :o)

jenna68 - 2008-07-26 08:30:00

Ciabatta bread recipe To save space, I am posting a link to a Ciabatta recipe that I submitted to the Vegweb site a year or two ago. It makes wonderful bread! A good chewy crust and big airy holes. Always receives very positive feedback. I tasted some recently made with half white and half freshly-stoneground organic wheat flour. It was dipped in a good extra virgin olive oil and Dukkah. It was very good. http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=5822.0

fromwhereisit - 2008-07-26 13:46:00

Ciabatta bread - postscript The recipe was translated to fit with a vegan diet. I always use cow's milk and raw sugar when making it.

fromwhereisit - 2008-07-26 13:52:00

Hi Rebecca.. thanks for posting the link.. your recipe sounds delicious.. I hope it's ok with you to copy the recipe here..

juliewn - 2008-07-28 05:05:00

Rebecca's Ciabatta bread: Ingredients (use vegan versions):

For the starter:
1/2 teaspoon granulated yeast,
150 ml hot water, (approximately 2/3 cup)
3 tablespoons warm vegan milk,
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar,
1 cup unbleached white flour,
For the dough:
1/2 teaspoon yeast,
1 cup hot water,
1/2 tablespoon olive oil,
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour,
1 1/2 teaspoons salt,

juliewn - 2008-07-28 05:07:00

Directions: **Dont be put off by the absence of whole-wheat flour. This bread is not fluffy and has a good chewy crust. Prepare the starter the night before you want to serve it. Dont be tempted to use more yeast than stated. To make starter: Dissolve vegan sugar in water. Add vegan milk and sprinkle yeast on top. Do not stir. Leave until frothy. Mix in flour to form a loose batter. Cover bowl and leave overnight. To make dough: Sprinkle yeast onto water in a small bowl. Do not stir. Leave for 5 minutes to dissolve. Add to the starter, along with the olive oil. Mix well.

juliewn - 2008-07-28 05:08:00

Continuing Rebecca's Ciabatta.. Mix in the flour to form a wet sticky dough. Beat with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes. It will be too wet to knead. Cover bowl and rise until tripled in size, approximately 3 hours. Do not stir. Generously sift more flour on 2 ungreased baking trays. Scrape half the dough out onto a tray. * Dont expect the dough to resemble regular bread dough. IT DOES NOT. Much, much softer. Using well-floured hands, or a spatula, shape carefully into a rough rectangular or oval shape. Dust loaf with sifted flour. Repeat procedure with remaining dough. Leave loaves to proof, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Bake in center of oven for approximately 30 minutes at 425 Fahrenheit. Serves: 2 loaves

juliewn - 2008-07-28 05:09:00

There sure are some delicious recipes in the site there.. thanks again.. :-)

juliewn - 2008-07-28 05:11:00

Bumpity.. :-)

juliewn - 2008-07-31 21:23:00

Pickles7 @ #175?? Did the Vogels work out at posting 175? I've been thru the whole thread (and now no time for the bread to go on for tea LOL!!) but can't see the outcome - anyone know please?

sudy - 2008-08-01 19:28:00

Hi everyone. Am looking for some advice on breadmakers. I have been using a cascade one from TWH for the last 4 years. I bake a loaf of just ordinary wholemeal bread everyday. The teflon coating is coming off it now and it's time to replace it. My Dad has a Panasonic which he swears by but they don't make them anymore. Dad did not recommend the Breville but can anyone else recommend a good quality breadmaker. I am keen to venture into uncharted breadmaking recipes so I don't neccessarily want to go back to a cheap model with no features.

rose-murray - 2008-08-01 21:22:00

Hi Sudy.. thanks for reminding me about that recipe, as I had intended to make it.. let us know how you like it if you decide to make it .. it sure sounds good..

juliewn - 2008-08-03 00:17:00

Hi Rose.. I sold the breadmakers I've tried as I prefer to make bread by hand.. hopefully someone else can help..

juliewn - 2008-08-03 00:18:00

Bumpety bump.. :-) .......

juliewn - 2008-08-05 02:14:00

..... :-)

juliewn - 2008-08-07 03:12:00

bump so I can find it tomorrow

catzwhiskaz - 2008-08-07 22:03:00

Bumping for Gardendoll and Pizza base recipes..

juliewn - 2008-08-09 20:07:00

and for Ruger2 and breadmaker recipes.. hope this helps..

juliewn - 2008-08-09 20:33:00

Breville I have a Breville Bakehouse that I bought off TM about 4 mths ago and its great

rrrg - 2008-08-09 20:37:00

bumping .

risey - 2008-08-11 13:18:00

:-) ..........

juliewn - 2008-08-12 04:04:00

Thank you Juliewn .. Your bread recipe is great,made it twice now and the bread came out perfectly.It is so easy and quick too. I bought my yeast at the Bin Inn and used high grade flour replacing a cup of white flour with a cup of wholemeal in the final mix. I cant get over how quickly it rises I start making it at 10am and have it cooked by 12.00.

vashti - 2008-08-14 09:57:00

bump .

honeybees - 2008-08-14 14:38:00

Hi Vashti :-) I'm thrilled you're enjoying making your own bread.. thanks so much for posting.. :-)

juliewn - 2008-08-14 23:19:00

This message was deleted.

jimness - 2008-08-16 09:08:00

This message was deleted.

jimness - 2008-08-17 09:04:00

Hi Jimness.. I must try Oz4uk's recipe.. I've been meaning to for a while.. isn't it great when kids eat something be a different name - like when a Miss 11 and Miss 9 I know ate cauliflower as 'white broccoli'.. they enjoyed it till they found out it had a different name! Thanks for the note about lecithin.. I've seen it in recipes and haven't used it myself.. will get some at Bin Inn and use it - though fresh bread doesn't last too long around here! Thanks :-)

juliewn - 2008-08-17 23:34:00