Am I exaggerating? Maybe not. I started making my own bed about 13 years ago shortly after I got married. I was keen to cook and bake for my husband, but my endeavours were short lived as I dropped my rising loaf into the boiler and it was a while before I tried again, years in fact. My next attempt was after we moved house, and I joined the local libray and found a wonderful book on bread making. I began my quest again, and made bread regularly, but still found my loaves not quite as good as I would have liked them to be. Then I came across the magnificent book BREAD MATTERS: The State of Modern Bread and a Definitive Guide to Baking Your Own by Andrew Whitley. It is quite a hefty book, especially if you come across the original hardback, but it is so worth reading. I am not much of a reader, but I do enjoy reading cookbooks and gardening books. I like to read books that I can learn from, books that benefit my family. Anyway, the following recipe is the only recipe I use (at the moment) as it works like a dream and has a reduced yeast content. Andrew Whitley's book is a guide through the different methods of bread making starting with the 4 hour process (which I used to use), to the overnight process (which this is) to sourdoughs. I have had one attempt at producing a sourdough and have temporarily given up on it. I am sure that I will return to it at a later date. But for now, the overnight process is the one for me. As Andrew tells us in his book, this process was originally used by bakers, before quick fermentation processes were used and bread became like it is today. If I find myself forgetting to make some bread or feel too lazy, I am always disappointed by the bread I purchase from the instore bakeries as it just isn't as good as my own. This recipe process is known as the sponge and dough method. Using a smaller amount of yeast added to flour and water, the mix is left overnight to ferment, utilising the natural yeasts within the flour. Furthermore, the recipe contains no sugar to activate the yeast as it is not necessary. One teaspoon of yeast is enough to make three large loaves, which rise beautifully.
Sponge and Dough Starter
300g Flour
1 tsp dried yeast
260mls water
In a large bowl, large enough to make your bread dough, measure out 300g of bread flour. This can be a mix of white, wholemeal, malted or spelt. The picture opposite shows loaves that are half spelt and half white. Spelt is a wonderful flour alternative. I started using spelt when my husband was attempting a wheat free diet. Spelt can be tolerated by many people who are irritated by wheat flour. It has a wonderful nutty flavour. My children do not notice any difference when I make my loaves with half spelt.
I usually begin my starter with 100g spelt or malted and 200g white. Add a teaspoon of dried yeast and 260g luke warm water. I prefer to use water warmed from the kettle to get my water to temperature rather than from the hot tap. Mix the 3 ingredients together and place plastic bag over the top of the bowl and leave on the side until morning. Do not leave your starter in a warm place. It needs to be left at ambient temperature.The starter should be left for 12 - 18 hours. If you do not have time to make your loaves the next day, you can put it in a fridge and use it the day after.
Final Bread Mix Ingredients
900g Flour
45g Olive Oil/ Butter/Margarine
1 heaped teaspoon salt
540mls Water
When you are ready to make your loaves, add 900g of bread flour to your starter (white/wholemeal/spelt/malted whatever takes your fancy) 45g of olive oil/butter/or margarine, 1 heaped teaspoon of salt and 540ml of luke warm water. Mix together to make a dough, (you may need to add extra flour) turn out and knead for 10 - 15 mins vigorously. Your dough should be fairly wet. Do not dust your work surface with flour, just sprinkle enough on to your hands to enable you to knead it without it sticking too much to you hands. When your dough is well kneaded you should feel some resistance. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with a plastic bag and leave in a warm place to rise for 11/2 - 2hours. I use a 3litre bowl, and the dough is ready when it reaches the top. While waiting grease 3 loaf tins and decide how you would like your crust. If you would like a softer crust, put some flour into a bowl to coat your 'loaves/dough' with or for a seeded finish sprinkle some seeds onto a plate. When the dough is ready, knock it back (pushing it away from the sides with your knuckles) and tip it onto the work surface. Using a bread knife, cut the dough in to three equal pieces. Take one piece and stretch/roll it in to a long sausage twice as long as your tin. Then fold the sausage in on itself. Imagine it in thirds. Fold one third on to the middle third and the last third on top of that. Flatten it with you knuckles creating a rectangle, then roll it up away from you (the opposite direction to the folding), and cover it in flour and put it in the tin with the seam at the bottom, or roll it over the seeds and place it in the tin with the seam at the bottom. Repeat this for the other two pieces of dough. Place all three tins in a large plastic bag (perhaps a swing bin liner) and blow in to it until it is nicely inflated. The warmth and moisture from your breath will help it to rise. Leave for approx. 1 hour until the dough reaches the top of the tin and is nicely domed. The loaves will be fine left on the side in the kitchen to rise. The warmer the day the quicker the rise, colder longer. If you have to go out or need to slow down this process you can put them in the fridge and take them out when you're ready to resume the process. Don't let the loaves rise too much as they won't have any energy left for the final rise in the oven. When the loaves are ready for the oven heat the oven to 230oc (Gas Mark 8), the hottest setting. I now have an electric fan oven and the highest seting is 200oc and this works fine. Bake the loaves on the hottest setting for 10 mins then turn down the temperature by 20oc (2 Gas Marks) and bake for a further 20 - 25 mins. Turn out on to a cooling rack.
In our family we usually use 1 loaf a day in the week, with packed lunches and toast for breakfast. I usually freeze one of the loaves for another day and make bread twice a week.
300g Flour
1 tsp dried yeast
260mls water
In a large bowl, large enough to make your bread dough, measure out 300g of bread flour. This can be a mix of white, wholemeal, malted or spelt. The picture opposite shows loaves that are half spelt and half white. Spelt is a wonderful flour alternative. I started using spelt when my husband was attempting a wheat free diet. Spelt can be tolerated by many people who are irritated by wheat flour. It has a wonderful nutty flavour. My children do not notice any difference when I make my loaves with half spelt.
I usually begin my starter with 100g spelt or malted and 200g white. Add a teaspoon of dried yeast and 260g luke warm water. I prefer to use water warmed from the kettle to get my water to temperature rather than from the hot tap. Mix the 3 ingredients together and place plastic bag over the top of the bowl and leave on the side until morning. Do not leave your starter in a warm place. It needs to be left at ambient temperature.The starter should be left for 12 - 18 hours. If you do not have time to make your loaves the next day, you can put it in a fridge and use it the day after.
Final Bread Mix Ingredients
900g Flour
45g Olive Oil/ Butter/Margarine
1 heaped teaspoon salt
540mls Water
When you are ready to make your loaves, add 900g of bread flour to your starter (white/wholemeal/spelt/malted whatever takes your fancy) 45g of olive oil/butter/or margarine, 1 heaped teaspoon of salt and 540ml of luke warm water. Mix together to make a dough, (you may need to add extra flour) turn out and knead for 10 - 15 mins vigorously. Your dough should be fairly wet. Do not dust your work surface with flour, just sprinkle enough on to your hands to enable you to knead it without it sticking too much to you hands. When your dough is well kneaded you should feel some resistance. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with a plastic bag and leave in a warm place to rise for 11/2 - 2hours. I use a 3litre bowl, and the dough is ready when it reaches the top. While waiting grease 3 loaf tins and decide how you would like your crust. If you would like a softer crust, put some flour into a bowl to coat your 'loaves/dough' with or for a seeded finish sprinkle some seeds onto a plate. When the dough is ready, knock it back (pushing it away from the sides with your knuckles) and tip it onto the work surface. Using a bread knife, cut the dough in to three equal pieces. Take one piece and stretch/roll it in to a long sausage twice as long as your tin. Then fold the sausage in on itself. Imagine it in thirds. Fold one third on to the middle third and the last third on top of that. Flatten it with you knuckles creating a rectangle, then roll it up away from you (the opposite direction to the folding), and cover it in flour and put it in the tin with the seam at the bottom, or roll it over the seeds and place it in the tin with the seam at the bottom. Repeat this for the other two pieces of dough. Place all three tins in a large plastic bag (perhaps a swing bin liner) and blow in to it until it is nicely inflated. The warmth and moisture from your breath will help it to rise. Leave for approx. 1 hour until the dough reaches the top of the tin and is nicely domed. The loaves will be fine left on the side in the kitchen to rise. The warmer the day the quicker the rise, colder longer. If you have to go out or need to slow down this process you can put them in the fridge and take them out when you're ready to resume the process. Don't let the loaves rise too much as they won't have any energy left for the final rise in the oven. When the loaves are ready for the oven heat the oven to 230oc (Gas Mark 8), the hottest setting. I now have an electric fan oven and the highest seting is 200oc and this works fine. Bake the loaves on the hottest setting for 10 mins then turn down the temperature by 20oc (2 Gas Marks) and bake for a further 20 - 25 mins. Turn out on to a cooling rack.
In our family we usually use 1 loaf a day in the week, with packed lunches and toast for breakfast. I usually freeze one of the loaves for another day and make bread twice a week.
The best breadcakes and bread roll recipe ever?
The sponge and dough recipe can also be used to make breadcakes or bread rolls depending on which part of the country you live in. These really are fantastic, and once made you won't want to buy them again. The above quantities makes 24 breadcakes. Again, I usually freeze half of them. Here is a step by step guide to making your homemade bread rolls.
To make the best breadcake or bread rolls ever, first separate the dough into 24 balls roughly the same size. Cup your hand over the top and of the dough ball and rotate it on the work surface until you acheive a nice round ball. If you want your roll to be topped with seeds, you should now roll the top over the seeds whilst the dough is still wet. Repeat for all 24 balls. If you want a flatter 'breadcake' for filled sandwiches or burgers, then leave the dough balls to rest for 5 mins then flatten with the palm of your hand. If you are coating with flour you should now dip each of the balls into the flour.
Place the bread cakes or rolls on to some baking trays lined with greaseproof paper, leaving approx. 1cm between each breadcake.
Place the trays in a large plastic bag (swing bin liner?) and inflate. The warmth and moisture from your breath will help them rise. Leave for approx. 11/2 - 2 hours. The breadcakes or rolls will be ready when they are touching.
Heat the oven as above. Bake for 5 mins, then reduce the temperature (as above) and bake for a further 7 - 10 mins.
Voila, the best bread cakes you have ever tasted!
Making homemade hotdog rolls
Its easy once you know how. Instead of rolling into balls, roll into thin sausages and place them about 1cm apart on a greaseproof lined tray. Bake for the same length of time as the bread rolls.
Its easy once you know how. Instead of rolling into balls, roll into thin sausages and place them about 1cm apart on a greaseproof lined tray. Bake for the same length of time as the bread rolls.
RSS Feed