Bread Making with the Best

Celebrating Real Bread Week every February with our blog on bread making with Scotland's Best B&Bs.

The aroma of freshly baked bread takes most of us back to childhood memories that evoke a feeling of wellbeing and comfort, with a knowing they'll be plenty to go round, a shared family moment to tuck in and enjoy. We'll skip the chemistry of how the aroma comes to be, just know the combination of flour, yeast, proving, baking and the variations to form a crust combine to give us that feeling of delight when the delicious waft pervades the air that we breathe.

Bread, we all know, in all its hearty glory is a staple component of the British diet. Many of Scotland's Best B&Bs bake their own bread for their guests to enjoy at breakfast. While many use a bread maker, others prove and knead their loaves by hand. They often bake EVERY day!

The art of breadmaking at the Auld Post Office B&B in Caithness

With this wealth of knowledge and experience our members have, it seemed a good opportunity to review the various bread makers they use. And here is the surprise! Asking six members who regularly make bread, they all use a bread maker from the range of Panasonic, and all have great things to say about their bread maker.

The simplicity, speed, delicious taste and of course aroma are words they all use, while others feel the quality and brand of flour are essential to make the perfect loaf.

Watch our video to see Patti at Brae House B&B demonstrate how she uses local Aberfeldy flour for her loaves.

There are lots of possible variations - white and wholemeal are of course popular, gluten free, fruity, seedy, herby; tearing sharing loaves, plaited and brioche. A French crown, panettone, and soda bread. Breakfast muffins, cakes, fruit compote and jam also can be made using the bread maker!

Sue at Home Farm tells us how to make the French Crown... 'Take a portion of bread dough made with 500 grams of flour, after the first rise, roll the dough to a rectangle, spread lightly with pesto, add whatever comes to hand, ham, chorizo, olives etc. Add a generous coating of cheddar cheese or lumps of goats cheese for a really healthy loaf. Roll up like a Swiss roll, cut in half along the length and leave joined at the top. Twist the two lengths together to form a circle and join the ends. I sometimes add more cheese to the top. Cover and prove until double in size and bake for 25 minutes.'

Homemade French crown by Sue at Home Farm

Top tips from Carol (now retired from The Dulaig luxury B&B) - 'When baking bread in the oven, place a metal tray filled with boiling water in the bottom of the oven, the bread rises before the crust sets, and so it's like baking in a steam oven'. 
'When making poppy seed brioche, always chill otherwise it's like trying to plait something that's alive! The dough is like chewing gum and difficult to work, give it a wee egg wash, add poppy seeds and pop in the oven.'

While shop bought bread can be loaded with salt, sugar, and preservatives, making your own healthier loaf really is the most rewarding experience and an opportunity to go BIG on flavour.

You might be interested in our bread recipes blog by Naomi from 5 Star GOLD B&B Garvally House.

Many of Scotland's Best B&Bs bake their own bread so that breakfasts are even more fresh and tasty for their guests. So why not browse and book your holiday with us?