Homemade Bread!

Not my most successful culinary attempt!

I was a bit annoyed when my husband went down to the village shop and came home with a loaf of bread. "I'll show him!" I said to myself and gathered all my ingredients, out of date and otherwise, and set about making a loaf in my machine. I read and re-read the instructions but the selection chart was a bit confusing (to me in my dotage) but nevertheless I got all the ingredients into the tin in the correct order, as it instructed, selected the type and size of loaf to be baked and switched on. There were fairly lengthy periods of silence followed by whirring then more silence. Eventually a delectable (?) smell pervaded the premises and I peeked in the viewing window. It was rising nicely.

Now I don't know if it was my opening the lid to push one of the paddles down properly as it was underway, as it wasn't turning to knead the dough or the fact that I had been a bit confused about the timing but if you look at the photograph (and it needs no enlarging) you'll see that it all turned out a bit of a failure. It wouldn't come out of the tin, not even with the recommended tapping, and had to be prised out, bit by bit with a plastic fish slice....and just why has it turned into soggy,brown bread when I used strong WHITE flour?

Once I buy new dried yeast and proper milk powder and not Coffeemate I shall try again. I don't give up that easily.

To-morrow the birds in this area will be flying low.