Techniques

Shelf Life and Storage

Here's a couple of questions we're often asked: "How long can I keep flour for and how should I store it?"

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A Guide to a Better Crust

There are a number of different ways to improve your crust, this guide looks at the how and why for a crustier loaf

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Helpful Hints for Pastry

Ever wondered how to prevent shrinkage when using pastry lined tart cases? Here's some helpful tips.

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How Do I Keep My Starter Happy?

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Why Doesn’t My Spelt Recipe Work Anymore?

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How do I get a bigger loaf when using Bran?

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Do you have any tips for using Spelt?

I can get a pretty decent loaf with spelt but I find it doesn't handle exactly like normal flour, do you have any advice?

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How can I encourage light malthouse flour to rise?

I am having trouble getting your organic light malthouse flour to rise, do you know any reasons why this could be, can you offer any help?

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Dough needs a rest

The important function of resting a dough when making bread explained.

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Why are some of my cookies cracked when others aren't

We are experiencing a difference in the baked cookie appearance even within the same batch, some have a crackled top

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How do you stop loaves sticking to a proving basket

My loaves have started to stick, what am I doing wrong? I liberally dust them with flour. Am I leaving them in too long, is the dough too wet?

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Is Shipton Mill flour fortified?

I was just wondering is the flour you use in your bread fortified at all? If so what things have been added?

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Leaven - I'm trying to put a gap in the process.

I have only made and used a leaven once before and I am interested in putting a gap in the process.

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Help me identify the flour to meet my requirements?

I am interested in buying strong white flour to use for both the cultures (leaven starters) and doughs for sourdoughs.

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What do you mean by long fermentation process?

I have been reading the descriptions of your flours and on one it says "suited for breads which have a long fermentation process".

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Can you over-knead dough?

All of a sudden the dough seemed to lose structure and revert to a wet sticky state.

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How can I adapt my recipe for Chestnut loaf?

The recipe I used was basically 1 tsp yeast, 320 g of strong white flour, 80g of chestnut flour, 15g of butter, 1 tsp salt, 290 ml of water.

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Any tips on using coarser wholemeal flours?

Using your coarse flour I've got a very tasty loaf using my bread machine, but it didn't rise very well - any hints?

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Do you have any tips on the actual baking process?

I have heard difference ideas on how to set you oven and run the actual baking process; what do you recommend.

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German numbering ...

Where I can find the equivalence between the German numbering system for flours and the Shipton Mill values?

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Which flour for Sourdough and White bread

Please recommend a flour for Sourdough and White Bread as you have many on offer and I just want to be sure I have the best one

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How can I get a lighter pizza dough?

I found some Vitamin C which claims to make dough lighter. Do you have any suggestions?

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Does a mixer make dough more quickly?

I would like to improve my efficiency in kneading & stretching dough - would a mixer help?

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Any hints for making rye in a bread machine?

Do I need to make any changes to my Panasonic bread machine recipe for Rye bread - I'm using your 'light rye' flour?

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Can you make ciabatta in a bread machine

Can your organic ciabatta flour be used in bread machines? Would I just add water and oil?

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Problems moving proved loaves without damage

I am leaving the loaves to prove on tea towels in a warm place, but finding when I need to move them to the oven they have formed a dry skin and tend to split/crack.

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Can I bake soda bread in a bread machine

I realise no yeast, but what other ingredients?

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What flour for Panettone?

I used to use Molina Quaglia from Italy, is there a Shipton Mill flour you would recommend as an alternative

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Best flour for Tuscan bread for bruschetta

The big, oblong/oval/flatish chewy loaf that has large bubbles in it; the type that goes hard before you've got it back from the bakers.

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How can you keep sourdough lively?

When I don't use my sourdough for a while it has no volume.

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What is your best chapati flour?

701 and 704 are too fine and 703 and 706 too coarse. Please help.

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Do you need sugar to activate the yeast?

Does it play any other role, or should you leave it out altogether?

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How to "develop" dough

Does develop mean need and is it important?

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Ideas for Chestnut flour

I bought a stock of chestnut flour, which I am looking forward to using, but how do I get the best out of it?

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Part-bake and freezing

How do I go about part-baking and freezing part of my batch?

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Which flour for traditional British breads?

I would be interested in your opinion about the relative merits of your white and wholemeal flours.

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Soggy dough that won't rise

We have now had several attempts baking our own sourdough loaves with your mother recipe and each time end up with such a soggy dough that it flatly refuses to rise much at all. Please help!

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