Long life bread.

[Tommyrot]

Bread, I love the stuff, nothing better than a nice crusty loaf with cheese.

I'd wondered how I'd manage on long trips without any, then I became gluten intolerant and had to do without it anyway!

I've been trying gluten-free alternatives, none are too impressive, they do enough to keep me happy - just....

I have found a product which I thought might be of some use to both Jesters and other long-distance sailors and thought I'd pass on the info.

Ener-G (yes, I know Website) bread, it's rice flour based, has a slightly strange (maybe "malty") smell, but is reasonably palatable. Big plus point is it's shelf life. The loaf I bought last week has a "Best before" date of 30/09/10 which means it should be edible on the longest of trips.
It has instructions about using it for toast as it is, or microwaving it for a few seconds then letting it cool before using as sandwiches. I've tried it before and after zapping it in the microwave and would happily eat it straight from the bag.

It comes in a very tough sealed bag which I needed a knife to get into, and has a sachet of "Oxygen absorber" inside, which I assume won't suck the air from the saloon when it's opened!

 

[electrosys]

I once knew a guy who had a Finnish girlfriend - they introduced me to Finnish 'ring' bread - flat disks of homemade bread with a hole in the middle. Poles were run through the holes of a stack of these disks and the lot were hoisted up to the ceiling, rather like a Victorian clothes dryer. Apparently they baked bread only twice a year using this system:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_v176/ai_4189772/

Might be worth experimenting with ?

 

[Poignard]

We often carry a long-life loaf (sounds like my CV) in case we run out of fresh bread.

Last year we got storm-bound at anchor* for a few days and were glad of it. As far as far as I remember it didn't taste any different to ordinary sliced bread, i.e. vile. But we weren't complaining.

*Quite safely, thanks to our trusty genuine CQR

 

[CPD]

I did a survey in Tesco for "use by2 dates and in the end se a dark malt type bread which although was a little heavy, lasted the journey well.

 

[Black Sheep]

But what about butter?

All this talk of bread is all well and good - but what about butter? Very fond, I am, of fresh unsalted butter on my bread (and as a cooking ingredient/adddition). But without refrigeration, what do you do?

 

[electrosys]

All this talk of bread is all well and good - but what about butter? Very fond, I am, of fresh unsalted butter on my bread (and as a cooking ingredient/adddition). But without refrigeration, what do you do?

In my scuba diving days, to keep booze cool we used to hang sealed containers inside 'goodie bags' below the upper thermocline. Worked great, even on the hottest of days in the Med. Not very practical when underway, but great when at anchor.

I once saw tinned cheese for sale in Britain - the spreadable sort - in ring-pull cans. I understand that butter can also be bought like this in some countries.

If you do a Google for "preserving butter" you'll find references to storing butter in an Irish bog for years .... and an American Civil War description of how to store butter under brine. Both methods have the same rationale - to keep air away from the butter. I also found the beginning of a reference to preserving butter in India (Assam), a method which is also based on the exclusion of air.

The brine method sounds reasonably easy - apparently the brine taste isn't conveyed into the butter.
http://civilwarinteractive.com/cooking/?p=51
http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...M9oIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DjgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4233,804812

 

[Tommyrot]

Canned butter

I've seen it somewhere locally, wish my brain worked as well as Google does!

 

[Gargleblaster]

Back to bread

Of course you can make your own bread. I make 2 wholemeal loaves at a time and they last about 4 days quite well. In a big sea it's hard to nead, but on quiet days very easy. My table isn't up to the pounding so I do it in a stainless steel bowl on my lap, works quite well.

And of course for rough weather you can make what the Irish call 'soda bread' and the Australians call 'Damper'. Very easy, but scones work just as well, but I find they go a little rubbery after two days.

I don't use any form of butter or margarine as I don't believe it will keep without a fridge, I just spread my Vegemite on plain bread.

 

[Athene V30]

Refrigeration - I am hoping that the top of the encapsulated keel will be cool enough for butter and cheese. Most other things will be tinned or long life and in 2 or 3 day quantities.

Can bread be made just on the hob as I don't have an oven?

I do recall a video - maybe it was Nathan (Kudu) cooking it in a frying pan.

 

[sarabande]

you can buy rye bread in tins. Very acceptable with Gentleman's Relish on it.

 

[FullCircle]

We keep the Aldi range of part baked breads on board - shelf life of 3 months. Take6-10 minutes to bake, and a good range of choice of Ciabatta, Olive Bread etc etc.

 

[co256]

You could try Ghee instead of butter?!

It's clarified butter, what the Indians use for cooking and you can spread it on bread if you wish.

Actually far better for you than butter and it will keep at room temperature which is why the Indians use it.

Try an Asian store or make your own..... just google it!

G.

 

[Gargleblaster]

Can bread be made just on the hob as I don't have an oven?

I do recall a video - maybe it was Nathan (Kudu) cooking it in a frying pan.

This might be the sort of thing you want:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OMNIA-RECREAT...tEquipment_Accessories_SM?hash=item5ad30ad4c3

I know you can cook soda bread in a saucepan.

 

[fergie_mac66]

I once knew a guy who had a Finnish girlfriend - they introduced me to Finnish 'ring' bread - flat disks of homemade bread with a hole in the middle. Poles were run through the holes of a stack of these disks and the lot were hoisted up to the ceiling, rather like a Victorian clothes dryer. Apparently they baked bread only twice a year using this system:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_v176/ai_4189772/

Might be worth experimenting with ?

there is what was a famous pic of Susan Hiscock with a ring loaf or tin she used to bake bread on their spirit stove on wanderer III (they had the oven that fits on the top)

 

[fergie_mac66]

Refrigeration - I am hoping that the top of the encapsulated keel will be cool enough for butter and cheese. Most other things will be tinned or long life and in 2 or 3 day quantities.

Can bread be made just on the hob as I don't have an oven?

I do recall a video - maybe it was Nathan (Kudu) cooking it in a frying pan.

Ray mears on one episode of his tv series (always being repeatd) cooks some soda bread in a cast iron cooking pot with a lid ,he uses it as an oven,

Susan Hiscock Wife of Eric .. Round the world in wanderer III Cooked bread on there spirit hob in a tin box(oven) that they fastened on the hob !

 

[Wunja]

This might be the sort of thing you want:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OMNIA-RECREAT...tEquipment_Accessories_SM?hash=item5ad30ad4c3

I know you can cook soda bread in a saucepan.

Hmm, 25 centimeters diameter, is that big enough to get an FB pie in?

<edit>

Not unless I can get Fray Bentos polos

</edit>

 

[Gargleblaster]

As the world's leading expert on Fray Bentos pies and currently having a stock of 26 pies ready for JC10, I can tell you that a Fray Bentos tin is only 15.5 centimetres in diameter and 4 cm high. In terms of height you would need to leave another 4 cm for the expansion of crust when cooked.

 

[xxyyzz]

Bread can be done in a pressure cooker on the hob:-

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Bread-Anywhere:-"Baking"-bread-in-a-pressure-/

 

[080653]

Never had any luck with the pressure cooker so bought an Omnia. Brilliant!
Cooked fresh bread every 2 days, couldn't get it to last any longer. Not the bread's fault, I just love it.
Ref Glayva's post: I always mixed my bread in a washing up bowl. Keeps everything neat and tidy even in rough seas. Just imagine that the mix is 'the weather God' and neading the dough becomes quite pleasurable!!

 

[Poignard]

neading the dough becomes quite pleasurable!!

It's also a good way to get your fingernails clean.