At the beginning of this year, I made a list in my journal of 100 things I wanted to do and be this year. Some of them were rather big, lofty things and others were quite simple like buy a wok from Chinatown (done), watch Sleepless in Seattle (done), clean out the filing cabinet (done), go to the dentist (done!!) and have a jar of olives in the fridge at all times (ongoing, but done so far).
Another thing on the list was to make bread once a week. Not such a hard task with a breadmaker, as I used to do, but fed up with having no bench space in the kitchen I've retired my breadmaker and make it by hand now - and I much prefer both the process and the finished product. Kneading dough by hand is so therapeutic. I especially enjoy the second knead when the dough is smoother and silkier, like a little pillow.
I've come up with a a convenient way of making sure we have enough bread during the week. On Sundays - which seem to be nice peaceful days for pottering about the house doing domestic goddess activities - I make a batch of the dough in the recipe below and then after the last knead, I split it in half. One dough goes on to be shaped and baked; the other goes in a bowl, covered in clingfilm or a plastic bag, and put in the fridge until Wednesday, when it is then knocked about again briefly, shaped and baked, and has acquired a bonus sourdough-like taste and texture in the meantime.
I can't recommend baking your own bread enough. It's one of the most satisfying things to do in the kitchen.
Gluten-freers, you can find a recipe for my favourite gluten-free loaf here.
Easy home-made bread
Based on a recipe in You're All Invited by Margot Henderson
Makes 2 loaves of bread
750ml warm water
2 packets dried yeast or 20g fresh yeast
1kg strong white bread flour (see note)
250g wholemeal flour (see note)
25g sea salt (I use Maldon)
Note: you need 1.25kg of flour all up for this recipe and the quantities can be 50:50 if you want a more wholemeal loaf, or stick to the original recipe if you want a lighter loaf but still with the nuttiness and goodness of wholemeal. The one in the picture is about 40 per cent white flour, 60 per cent wholemeal (because I was almost out of white!). I use strong wholemeal flour rather than plain which is more suitable for making a loaf that is predominantly wholemeal. If you're sticking to the original recipe you can use plain wholemeal flour.
Put 100ml of the warm water in a small bowl or jug and add the yeast, stir gently to combine and set aside in a warm place to rest for at least 10 minutes. It will go frothy and bubbly.
Combine the flours and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in the yeast mixture and then rest of the warm water. Mix together with your hands - I recommend removing any rings! It helps to use the largest bowl you can, otherwise you might find it goes everywhere! It shouldn't need more water, be patient and try to work it all together. When it comes together it should be pliable and slightly sticky.
Turn the dough out on to a board that you've floured or rubbed with some olive oil and knead for approximately 10 minutes. Place the dough in a bowl, that you've also floured or oiled, cover with a tea-towel and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Take the dough out of the bowl and knead again for about 10 minutes. Divide it in half. Either shape into two loaves, or shape one dough into a loaf and put one dough into a bowl, cover with cling-film and put in the fridge for baking another day (I leave it for three days and it's fine - bring the dough back to room temperature before kneading, shaping and baking though).
Place the loaf/loaves on a lightly oiled baking tray and place again in a warm place until they have almost doubled in size again.
Preheat the oven to 180 C/160 C fan oven/ 350 F/gas 4 and bake the bread for 40 minutes. Tap the bottom of the bread after this time: it should sound hollow. If it still sounds dense give it a bit longer. Leave to cool on a rack. Don't be tempted to cut a slice straight away, it will fall apart right in your hands. Let it cool for a good half an hour before tucking in.
And then tuck in you can!
What are your favourite toppings for fresh bread? I love:
- A really lovely fruity jam - cherry or strawberry for preference
- Avocado with cracked black pepper and a bit of lemon juice, maybe a crumbling of feta cheese
- Cherry tomato and vanilla jam with goat's cheese (as per Sunday's lunch)
Have you tried making your own bread before? Do you make it regularly? If you try this recipe let me know - I think it's pretty good :)