Food in Isolation

The mixing paddle on the panasonic I use is a very tight fit on the motor, in fact it’s very difficult to remove. With regards to the crust, I’ve a feeling using more olive oil makes it more crusty.

Next loaf I bake, I’m going to try your recommendation of using warm water.

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I’m in the US. All my local Pizza shops are open for take out or delivery, and of course Dunkin Donuts :doughnut:

If I may deviate away from bread making classes for a moment :grin:, yesterday around my area and ‘village’ as we locals badge ourselves, there was an unwelcome change to buying habits.

The Sainsbury’s Local was ‘cleaned-out’ of most regular foodstuffs, as were some other local traders - some not happy, as this was to the detriment of their regulars. I suspect those WFH and parties who had tried to access the larger (now often cleaned-out) supermarkets, had switched to local shopping.

I see Sainsbury’s have sent an e-mail to their on-line customers (I assume all?), which suggests they will give priority to >70s for slots and also have dedicated opening times for them, plus enhanced ‘click & collect’. One would expect other major supermarkets to follow suit.

I’m earnestly hoping the recent spate of panic-buying comes to a natural end (although no end in sight per local feedback). The thought of the small locals being cleaned-out on a regular basis through a change in shopping habits isn’t welcome.

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Great instructions Phil

I’ve got an old Panasonic bread maker with a ‘hatch’ to add dried fruit/seeds etc - I think it makes that end of the unit cooler as the bread used to rise higher at the other end.

I’ve had emails from Saisnburys and Waitrose so far.

The ‘gym’ keep saying it’s ‘business as usual’.

In theory the panic buying will slow for long-life foods I’d imagine, but it may not. Fresh produce by its nature will be replenished but only perhaps while there are workers to pick and select some of it.

Chicken seemes in very short supply - someone suggested to me lots of it cam from France - I’m not sure about that but who knows?

Sadly we are entering the ‘famine’ months where little fresh produce is available. The U.K. relies on imports at this time, and there is anecdotal evidence that suggests migrant pickers are turning up in Spain and France (perhaps also in California?).
May I suggest we consider digging up the lawn? :leafy_green::broccoli::carrot::potato::onion::garlic::tomato:

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In the past I’ve tried dried fruit, honey and grapes as a source of natural yeasts. Sadly, none of them worked for me. I now use organic dark rye flour, which is then developed with stone ground organic white flour. As I have a preference for at least 50% wholemeal breads, I confess that sourdough can be a hit and miss affair. But I persevere.

My local butcher appears a victim of the fresh chicken shortage today.

Plenty of sausages to compensate.

The Sainsbury’s Local’s (mini-store) stock of chicken looked plentiful in the delivery trolley - not long on the shelf I’ll bet.

Same here, one woman in Waitrose with 50, yes 50 packs of chicken breasts, her husband with a separate trolley appeared to have nothing more than baked beans and tinned peas, a trolley full.
Strange then that with advice that bleach is a good cleaner that those shelves were full. Mind you, the best written article I have seen about that was in the Sun…

The paradigm seems to be changing from “Hoard toilet paper!” to “Damn, I have to remember how to cook and feed all these kids three meals.” I think that’s why things like meat, milk and bananas have become scarce then shown up again. As long as people can get to the store, supplies will normalize.

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Just been looking at Yahoo News (I do it to read the inane comments posted by others!)

I see that Sainsburys are restricting purchases to 3 items of any particular product. I’m sure that doesnt’ mean that you can’t buy a multipack anymore - but you never know …d

Daughter #2 (lives in Four Oaks) delivered our grocery shop a few minutes ago. Tells me that there were no sausages left in Sainsburys (Mere Green, Birmingham branch). Nice of her, because we live in a village near Burton-On-Trent.

I really fail to understand why, in the current circumstances, a supermarket would allow such purchases - as I understand matters (in legal terms), you don’t buy anything until you’re through the till (perhaps obvious). OK, some people may get uppity…problem is I suppose there were probably more like her close-by?

The purchase limitations now in force seem a tad late for me. A bit like broadband and other akin services where ‘fair use’ applies, there should have been a ‘reasonable level of purchases control’ in place.

I think there have been instances of abuse so the checkout staff are not challenging.
I went in today, not sure whether this bit should go here or in the jokes -
I wanted paracetamol and had to walk along the stripped toilet roll aisle. The medicine shelf was almost empty, the only items there, diarrhoea relief tablets!

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My panasonic also occasionally bakes bread that is taller at on end, however, the seed trap door runs the length of the loaf, it’s not at one end. But, as you suggest it could be a problem. Must remember to close trap door after seeds have been dropped, but before baking starts.

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Our now defunct breadmaker was the same. As I said earlier, I eventually just finished up using it as a mixer/blender.

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Banana pancakes: bananas, organic oats, egg, a little salt, fried in rapeseed, with yoghurt. On a beautiful sunny morning in Oslo.

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Some ideas from the BBC:

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Old School chocolate Rice Crispy thingies.

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Need to get my daughter cooking some cakes/muffins in coming weeks I think!

She only started doing ‘cooking’ or whatever it’s called these days at school this year - she enjoys most subjects but found the teacher for this subject to be completely disinterested and unhelpful :frowning:

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