Some more bread

I have managed six more contributions towards Challenge Number 34 (Bake 40 loaves of bread in a year):

Loaf six was a wholemeal rapid bake made for visiting in-laws, still so warm and fresh when we came to eat it that it instantly collapsed on slicing.

Loaf seven was a rapid bake white loaf, made for a soupy lunch which Charlotte enjoyed more than the photo below implies.

Loaf eight was intended to be spelt, sunflower seed and honey, a foray at last into more unusual breads. However, spelt loaves require the use of the rye blade in our breadmaker and it had been that many years since I last used it that the blade had completely vanished from our kitchen. I've become very good at accidentally throwing things away since getting pregnant. A rummage through several drawers and cupboards just resulted in a lot of strewn around freezer bags and spilled flour, and no blade. So once again, we had to make do with a rapid bake wholemeal loaf. 

Loaf nine was finally something a little more ambitious - an Italian style parmesan, olive and thyme bread made for a pasta lunch with Marsh and Sam and their children. I left this one to bake overnight on a timer setting. It was (though I say so myself) delicious.

Loaf ten was a normal speed bake multi-seed wholemeal loaf made for breakfast with two of my mother's university friends who were staying with us for a couple of days. A stressful visit since Charlotte went down with flu the moment they walked in through our front door and she then proceeded to not eat or sleep for the next 48 hours. All very fraught. But the bread was good, smeared with my dad's homemade marmalade.

Loaf eleven was a straightforward wholemeal loaf. It actually contained too much yeast as I had intended to do a rapid white loaf bake, which takes two hours. I was baking in the evening, intending the loaf to be ready around 10pm. However, I didn't have enough white flour so had to make a mixed white and wholemeal loaf, but the rapid bake wholemeal setting takes three hours, and I no longer have the energy to stay up until 11pm, so had to make the wholemeal loaf on the overnight timer instead. I had already added the yeast to the pot before I realised how little white flour was left in the bag. (A rapid bake requires a quarter of a teaspoon more yeast, you see... Hello? Are you still there? Come on, I'm nearly done, I promise.) However, the loaf seemed no more risen than usual, and it's always wonderful to get up to the smell of freshly baked bread.

Right, all for now. The rye blade never did turn up - I just ordered a replacement from Amazon.