Barm Cakes

Thanks again JCB   Are you a professional baker? 

 

That was in another life many many years ago!   !

So you were a professional baker then   Thought so ....

Not for the last 50years but you don't forget things you were taught during a 'Proper Apprenticeship' they should try bringing them back IMO.

Lynnruby - have you ever used the 'Sourdough Method' to make ‘Sourbread’? If not you will find, as the name suggests the bread has a mildly sour taste, which some prefer and tends to keep a little better due to the 'Lactic Acid' produced during the fermentation process.

I have made my own bread for years and years, by hand not by machine, and now my eldest son (who teaches four days for a living) makes and sells bread in his 'spare time'.  He uses sourdough, and his bread was second in the World Bread Awards 2016.  He also makes pastries (croissants, pain au raisin, pain au chocolat) and specialist  breads using a different recipe each week.  When he comes home he uses my home grown fruit to make amazing fruit tarts!

He'd be interested to know how your 'Barm cakes' turn out if you do use the traditional 'barm' as a leven.  

Just worked out, I started making bread in late 1988 when my ex-husband left me, and I had very little money.  I worked out that one two kilo bag of flour would make bread for us for a week, for just a few pence, so made four loaves and froze them.  I've been doing it ever since except when we're in France, because some of the bread is so much nicer there!!!)

Thanks JCB and Val   I did have a go at the sourdough method some years ago, but it seemed an awful faff at the time.  Now I have a bit more time, I should give it another try.  

I just need OH to make some beer (goodness knows when that will be) to try making 'proper' barm cakes.  In the meantime, having now been able to find fresh yeast I'll try the old recipe I found.

Somewhere on the BBC Victorian Bakers series they showed barm being used, I saw it recently so it's probably on i player.

If you want fresh yeast, try asking at your local supermarket bakery counter. I often go into ASDA and they actually give me some if I ask.  I make my own bread using Carr's flour which is fairly local to me in the north west of England.

Thanks brue, I'll see if I can find that.

Jill, I use Carr's flour as well, although the only place I can get it is Booths.  Non of the bigger supermarkets stock it here!  I had tried Morrisons for fresh yeast with no luck, I'll check with our local Asda, but I did manage to get some from good old Booths 

If you want fresh yeast, try asking at your local supermarket bakery counter. I often go into ASDA and they actually give me some if I ask.  I make my own bread using Carr's flour which is fairly local to me in the north west of England.

 

Write your comments here...  Carr's had mills in Fife and Essex as well as Silloth but just a few months ago they sold the lot to Whitworth's . Hope they keep the Cumbrian mill running. It's ugly but it provides a few jobs. Whatever happens I'm sure it won't affect the taste of your buns.