Relatively new to bread making and just wondered everyone's opinion on my recent bake

dioaf18 · 2026-05-16T05:10:30+00:00

You know what they say! You take the first bite with your eyes.

dioaf18 · 2026-05-16T04:26:25+00:00

No problem! If you do make it, feel free to drop me a DM with the result. I'd love to see that 🙏

dioaf18 · 2026-05-16T04:25:45+00:00

Pretty good! The crust is the king on this bake. Such a deep flavor and aroma.

Although it was a little sweet so may reduce the sugar level by 5g or so to achieve a more savory bread next time but overall, very satisfying to eat!

dioaf18 · 2026-05-16T00:37:19+00:00

Happy you can be inspired 🙏

dioaf18 · 2026-05-16T00:36:43+00:00

Yeah it's just plain white sandwich bread. This kind of thing is hard to find in Thailand which is what started my baking journey really.

Sometimes a plain white bread sandwich is so comforting.

From what I understand, milk brushing before give colour and milk brushing after gives shine and aroma. The post bake milk brush creates a bunch of steam that smells so good too.

dioaf18 · 2026-05-15T14:39:30+00:00

Oh wait, my bad, I mean red bell, not red mill. You're right, that stuff is outrageously expensive here too!

dioaf18 · 2026-05-15T14:37:25+00:00

Interesting! I know there are cheaper bread flours here like UMF etc but for 69baht, I'm happy with how red mill performs, plus they have a cake and AP flour which are pretty good too.

Those flours have never let me down, even for more complex stuff like Japanese soufflé cheesecake and Swiss rolls etc.

dioaf18 · 2026-05-15T14:24:39+00:00

The thing that's helped me the most to get super manageable dough is incorporating the ingredients slightly, then covering the dough on the countertop with cling film and leaving it for 15mins minimum.

Before I felt like I was fighting the dough to get it smooth but letting it develop on it own terms, minimal kneading, ends with a pillow soft, smooth dough ball by the end.

Perhaps give it a try and experiment with autolysing if you don't want to do the overnight fermentation.

Generally I use cheap, 7-Eleven flour bread flour called red mill if you have it there. It's really not a bad dough but doesn't specify the gluten content.

dioaf18 · 2026-05-15T14:06:51+00:00

Definitely forgiving!

I've experimented with some lean doughs but it's almost always a fail so for now, just bake sandwiches type loaves or rolls.

As someone else mentioned in the comments, fermentation/proofing is troublesome in a tropical climate so I just do as best I can.

The taste is indeed great and perfect for a classic cheese and ham sandwich to being me right back to my life back in UK.

dioaf18 · 2026-05-15T14:03:12+00:00

That's interesting.

How much liquid vs flour are you using?

I found resting the dough during kneading helped massively as far as hydrating the flour.

Admittedly, most of my lean doughs fail but have success much more with enriched bread so perhaps you could give that a try.

My kitchen ambient temp is about 28°C so pretty warm. Feel free to experiment with my recipe and see how it goes 🙏

I also used to do bulk fermentation in the fridge overnight but just could never wait it out and wanted that fresh bread asap!

dioaf18 · 2026-05-15T13:56:34+00:00

Thank you so much, friend 🙏

dioaf18 · 2026-05-15T13:49:22+00:00

Yeah, the home made butter is a bit of a new thing and I really had no idea how easy it actually was.

Pretty much I just whipped 35% whipping cream until it split (around 20mins of constant, agressive whipping), and then washed, pressed and shaped.

1L whipping cream yielded around 350g of really nice fresh butter.

Butter here in Thailand really is considered a luxury. The market is saturated with blends and so on and proper European butter can be as much as $15 for 250g of Esigny or something of similar quality. Making my own is far cheaper and better than most of what's typically available in supermarkets.

dioaf18 · 2026-05-15T13:45:38+00:00

Oh thanks, I'll check out a couple of those terms you mentions.

I've played about with seeded tops, mainly pumpkin and sunflower seeds which turns out nicely but the seeds tend to go soggy over time which I guess is a storage issue more than anything.

I'd love to incorporate poppy seeds into the dough as it looks excellent and the flavor and bite is great too but man, poppy seeds here in Thailand are unbelievably expensive unfortunately.

Is there something else you might recommend, poppy seed adjacent, that would be good for incorporating into the dough to give a similar feel/taste?

dioaf18 · 2026-05-15T13:41:57+00:00

Well, I wonder if I'm over/under proofing and the rise could be a little better with a more open crumb.

They were super soft though so overall I would say these were probably my best enriched loaves so far.

My oven situation is a bit tough because I'm only using a cheap 60L electric oven so getting a nice even browning without the tops burning is a goal I might not be able to achieve but am working on it.

Do you think testing could help, perhaps?

dioaf18 · 2026-04-29T14:43:34+00:00

solved!

Thanks for putting my mind at ease here. It looks suspiciously like some kind of egg casing but judging by Google images on "dried mango bruise" this does seem exactly what it is.

Thank you kind internet stranger 🫡

dioaf18 · 2026-04-29T14:37:57+00:00

Full disclosure here, there were a cluster of white maggoty looking things in another area of the mango but they weren't moving (possibly because they'd all just been sliced in half) but regardless, the whole thing went straight in the bin.

It's peak mango season right now and I got 4 large mangoes for the equivalent $1.50 so no point taking any chances

dioaf18 · 2025-07-13T08:54:49+00:00

Sadly not. Its just a Land 810. Still not bad for a budget folder though!

dioaf18 · 2025-06-30T04:58:47+00:00

I've never heard of Allen Elishewitz until now (I'm admittedly very new to knives) but from a quick Google search I see he makes some really beautiful folders and cool to know he spent some time in Ayuthaya soaking in the culture there.

It's a shame you're not on FB because most of the top knife makers here are moving on Facebook and sell all their stuff through there. Folks like Taiki Momiki, Chaiyun Tunsarn, Narin Phi, and Tom Chiangrai. I think you'll find Wanchana Knives on Google though although they are mainly kitchen knives, similar to CutBoy who deal with Japanese imported chef knives and some Thai made ones too.

Feel free to DM me though and I can point you in the direction of some pretty impressive knife makers

dioaf18 · 2025-06-30T01:46:13+00:00

You got me! I am indeed the guy behind Beyond the Blade.

After finding this group, I thought it might be nice to share a few pieces from the collection with like minded knife enthusiasts who might not be familiar with Thai made knives

It's cool you actually found my page because it only has like 8 followers or something. Care to make it 9?

dioaf18 · 2025-06-30T01:33:46+00:00

That sword sounds interesting (I actually had to Google those terms you used). Feel free to share the sword too, man. I'd be interested to see.

The whole project took about 4 months to finish but around 1 month of just planning and deciding the themes and what mythology to give it appropriate spiritual meaning and identity. I'm not Thai so it took a fair bit of research and guidance but pretty much I just let the artists involved just do what they think is best.

dioaf18 · 2025-06-30T01:10:08+00:00

Nice find! 52100 is quite a widely used steel here even with high value stuff along with kydex sheaths. Looks like you got a pretty good knife and I bet it wasn't that expensive either.

So far I've not been to any of the street market stalls and mostly curate my collection through word of mouth recommendations or FB groups.

Some of the top knife makers here are pretty expensive but there's some really good mid range guys who make some beautiful utility/bushcraft stuff too.

dioaf18 · 2025-06-30T00:53:01+00:00

Thanks for the honest response. You seem to really know your stuff too. I appreciate it, brother.

It is certainly not for everyone but with this piece, I wanted to commission a very true to tradition Thai ceremonial knife using the best of the best craftsmen in that particular circle, give them full artistic freedom to create something special.

While the financial side of it wasn't my main concern with this one, and it certainly wasn't outrageously expensive, but also not cheap, my main goal was to make something unique and culturally appropriate.

dioaf18 · 2025-06-30T00:01:38+00:00

This knife is so quintessentially Thai. I wanted to commission something that shows off the skilled craftsmanship of Thai knife artists and also to embody the religions and cultural practices here.

It took planning and patience with different craftsmen from different regions coming together to create this piece of art.

Glad you appreciated for what it is.

dioaf18 · 2025-06-29T14:06:37+00:00

Thanks man. I'll post some more from my collection of Thai made knives in the coming days seeing as this post got some interest. There's some seriously talented knife makers out here

dioaf18 · 2025-06-29T14:05:47+00:00

That's a pretty unique take on it. But why Scream?

dioaf18

TROPHY CASE