I have been making all of my own bread for over a year now. It was the mouse found in a loaf of Hovis that did it for me! I did consider posting the pictures, but you can search them for yourself. It is also much more cost effective in the long run to bake your own bread. I did invest in a trusty Bread Maker, which always feels like cheating, but it is very convenient and I love mine.
You can not beat the smell of bread baking.
The problem is gauging how much bread you will use. Without all of the preservatives the bread can go stale if it is not used within three to four days. If I run out everyone in the house complains to the management! The birds in the back garden are so used to eating the crusts my youngest leaves that they sit on the fence waiting. If I don't feed them they wait and wait and eye me up in disgust, Hitchcocks 'Birds' have nothing on mine. There is only so much stale bread you can feed the birds as again it is not cost effective. I try to use the stale bread for breadcrumbs for making stuffings, or coating food. I also use breadcrumbs to make Meatloaf. You can make Bread and Butter pudding, or the old favourite
'Bread Pudding'. This stuff sticks to your ribs and you could go and plough a field after you have had a piece. It is very easy to make and keeps well.
Ingredients
1/2 a loaf of stale bread, soaked in water (just enough to cover it)
250g of mixed dried fruit
100g shredded vegetable suet
100g sugar
2tsp of Mixed Ground Spice
3 eggs
When the bread is well soaked fork it over until it is the consistency of porridge. Add all of the other ingredients and mix well. Turn into a baking tin and cook in a medium oven for 40 mins to an hour, until it is nicely browned and starts to smell done. (Sorry for the lack of precision). It will feel soft to the touch but will firm up as it cools. Leave the pudding to go cool, or you will not slice it very successfully.
Great recipe! Just wish I didn't hate raisins so much but the littlies and Mr TB would love it. I started making my own bread 12 years ago because of biggest littlies allergies (still using the same bread maker) but glad I did because I remember those hiddeous photos!!!!!
ReplyDeleteTickety-boo, I was very tempted to post the pictures...but thought people would have more fun searching and finding them themselves. Just type in Mouse in Hovis and Google Search images...not quite the best thing since sliced bread! Then for the divergent like myself there are all sorts of weird and wonderful websites about gross food...I will stick to 'Teatime Treats'!
ReplyDeleteMy mum once saw a little kid lick all of the tops of the french sticks in Morrisons *ewwwww*
ReplyDeleteI've not heard of this mouse. Is it something you personally found or just an internet find? I'm off to google it right now so I may answer my own question...
ps-your bread looks yummy and I really like that you put pics in your entries :)
pps - LMAO!! I had a typo and said that your BEARD looks yummy!!! *laughsnort*
whisperedpromises, Thanks for the Beard compliment, gave me a chuckle. Now I will be paranoid in Morrisons too, ewwww, little kids licking the stuff. Hope you found the mouse picture! Thankfully it was not my personal experience :)
ReplyDeleteI often make my own bread too. I don't use a bread-maker because I make 3-4 loaves at a time to save fuel, and the bread-maker I tried was a bit rubbish. It was from Freecycle and she said it was a Panasonic. We schlepped all the way there to find it most definitely was not! Grrr. Anyway, when the bread is done I cool it quickly, slice it and freeze it in bags, a few slices to a bag. I've frozen hand-baked rolls as well with no probs. again, I freeze in small bags to try and fit them all in. I'm going to make your bread pudding this week - thanks
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe, definitely am going to try it, love bread pudding! I make our own bread too but don't use a bread machine, I use my kitchen aid to do the kneading for me, so easy. I googled the mouse in the bread, YUCK! I don't think I can ever eat store bought bread again after that either. I am slowly trying to cut out store bought, processed foods and that just confirmed for me that I am doing the right thing. ♥
ReplyDeleteWhat is this like - a cake, a pudding, or does it taste like raisin bread? If a pud do you serve warm with custard? Sorry, I have not come across something so ingenious before! Oh and do you use brown or white bread?! Going from the photo it is either white bread and brown sugar or brown bread and caster. Is medium oven 180 (160 fan)? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHiya, this is a traditional and rather unique cake/ pudding. You can serve it warm with custard or cream but usually it is served/sold cold as a cake. It has an unusual texture. You can use any bread, traditionally a frugal way of using up stale bread. You can also use brown or white sugar. 180 oven will be fine and it smells divine when it is cooking. Do pop back and let me know how you get on. Best Wishes....Lucy xxx
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