Bread making

[teralin]

I was bought a breadmaker for Christmas and I use it all the time in the UK to make a huge variety of different breads - wholemeal, sundried tomato, onion etc. I am moving out to spain in a weeks time and I am bringing my breadmaker with me. My house is near Velez Malaga and there is an Eroski, Lidl, Mercadona, Dia and Supersol in the area - even a Carrefour at Rincon del la Victoria. Can anyone recommend a good source of bread flour, yeast, sundried tomatos, sunflower/sesame seeds etc in my area and any local/interesting recipes for making bread.

I have found that any even remotely interesting bread on the supermarket shelves is usually expensive and disappointing. Any recommendations?

Thanks to you all

[hillybilly]

LIDL sell bread mixes of all types (seeded, rye etc) ready to use in breadmakers. Mercadona sells yeast (in with the butter usually, wrapped in paper in a cube). They also sell sesame seeds (but in small jars so you'd be better off buying from a market if possible). Our local one also stocks sundried tomatoes. Carrefour is usually good for anything vaguely exotic.
Sunflower seeds are sold everywhere (supermarkets, markets, sweet shops, kiosks...) as they are the ultimate Spanish snackette but you will need to look for pipas peladas and sin sal.

[El Cid]

You will find that Spanish flour is much "harder" than English flour and is perfectly suitable for breadmaking - try Gallo Extra. Wholemeal flour - Integrale - varies a lot in strength of taste depending on the make - you will need to experiment. Alternatively your local baker will probably sell you some - ours does.

Dried yeast is easily available in the supermarkets - look for Maizena Levadura de Panaderia. You will have no trouble finding the seeds you want. Sun dried tomatoes will need a bit more hunting for.

Our favourite "shop" bread is the 5 seed bread from Mercadonna.

Sid

[silver]

Sun dried tomatoes will need a bit more hunting for. or make your own

[teralin]

Thanks very much for that advice. By the way, how does one sun dry tomatoes if that isn't a stupid question?

[Paula]

Quite easy to do.
Slice them, put them on a wiretray on a baking sheet in about 150c oven for around 10-11 hrs. Then put in jars with olive oil.
You can do it in the sunshine but I think it takes a couple of days!!

[teralin]

Thanks very much Paula, I am going to have a go at drying my own tomatoes. Do the tomatoes need to be of first quality or could I use softer ones that are past their best?

On another subject, I am also going to have a go at making paper logs for the woodburner. I understand that this is popular in the USA. Something about soaking newspapers and compressing them into brickettes. Has anyone else tried this source of free fuel?

Any information gratefully received.

[Paula]

They can be pretty soft, but not so soft that middles fall through the wiretray

[hillybilly]

Our favourite "shop" bread is the 5 seed bread from Mercadonna.Sid

Mine too! Plus the bread with nueces from there.

[pigs-might-fly]

Our favourite "shop" bread is the 5 seed bread from Mercadonna.
Sid

Yep - best bread in Spain: we use it more than any other, but as is all bread in Spain, not cheap @ about 1,25 € for a 500 gm loaf. A decent white bread is "Semilla D'oro" by BIMBO around 1.80€ for, I think, 750 gm.
BIMBO ordinary white bread is just horribly sweet!

[Sad K]

Quite easy to do.
Slice them, put them on a wiretray on a baking sheet in about 150c oven for around 10-11 hrs. Then put in jars with olive oil.
You can do it in the sunshine but I think it takes a couple of days!!

Paula, sorry to be pedantic, but isn't the point of "sun dried tomatoes" that they are dried in the sun, ps when putting them in oil add a touch of saffron!
Btw use plum tomatoes only and cut them in half, and yes they should be first quality, the more ripe the better!!

[Paula]

Yes but there isn't anything wrong with cheating when it saves time and they taste the same anyway.
I'll try the pinch of saffron.

[Sad K]

Yes but there isn't anything wrong with cheating when it saves time and they taste the same anyway.
I'll try the pinch of saffron.

I guess cheatings okay sometimes!

[oliveview01]

Bread flour (different types) at Lidle soon, not sure of the date cos the leaflet is in the bin. I think it is next Thursday 6th April.