Bread

This is simple. I make this every day. My husband and kids don’t like shop bread any more. This is so quick and easy I make it daily.

I have dough hooks on my hand mixer so that makes it easy. Even easier is the KitchenAid. Just put everything in the bowl, dough hooks on and on the first setting for a few minutes, beautiful silky dough.

Get some 25g blocks of yeast (2 x 25g for 30p)

Add ½ a block of yeast (12.5g)
1 teaspoon of salt
2 dessert spoons of oil
300 mls of warm water.

Add to that 500g of flour.

Mix and prove for 1 hour.

Oil a bowl and smooth a little oil on the top, cover loosely with clingfilm, the oil means it doesn’t stick.

Knock the air out and shape, flavour if you want (some herbs, chopped sundried tomatoes, a spoon of honey, whatever you want).

Prove for another hour.

Again I lightly smooth a little oil on so it doesn’t stick to the bag/clingfilm.

Oven on 180 for 25 minutes.

 

I have a couple of small bread tins so this is enough for 2 small loaves or 1 larger hand molded loaf.

My son loves it when I put all the dough in a big silicone cake mold. He calls it giant muffin bread.

We eat on the day if we’re having it with soup, but it’s fine for a couple of days if you’re using for toast. Just make sure it’s kept in an airtight container.

If I’m using bread tins then I rub oil in them before I put the dough in for the second prove. Then after the prove when you’ve put them in the oven they tip right out when cooked. The first couple of times I made bread I didn’t oil the tins and it was a pain trying to get the loaves out wiggling a knife around the edge. Oiling the tins means you don’t have to. If you’re using a silicone mold you don’t need to do this because they don’t stick.

You can add flavours – Flavoured bread

Our basic bread made in two small tins, and ‘muffin’ bread made in a silicone mold.