I LOVE BREAD!!! It is very much a staple in our household.
I should probably give it up to get a smaller backside, but I like bread, more than the idea of a smaller backside, so I continue to eat it daily… toasted, fresh, slathered in butter. It brings me a lot of joy, therefore I will NEVER give it up!
This recipe makes 2 small loaves, I have 1lb loaf tins, the same size as a Banana Bread loaf that you might find in a coffee shop… I’ll share my recipe for that too.
Ingredients
- 1 7g sachet of fast action yeast
- 85ml warm water plus 305ml warm water
- 30g sugar
- 10g salt
- 25g butter, softened/ room temperature, plus extra for brushing
- 700g strong white flour
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 sachet of fast action yeast and 85ml of warm water. Leave that to dissolve for 5 minutes.
- Add the 30g sugar, 10g salt, 305ml of warm water, 25g of softened butter and 700g of strong white flour. Gently combine the ingredients until they start to come together and then leave for 5 minutes.
- Ideally you would have a mixer with a dough hook, if you do, knead your dough on a medium to high speed for 8-10 minutes.
If you do not have a mixer, you can knead the dough old school! It will take longer, probably around 20 minutes, but it will give those bingo wings a workout and it’s a good stress reliever.
When you pull your dough, it should be stretchy and smooth. If it breaks when you pull it, you will have to knead it for longer to build up the elasticity.Tip: To hand knead dough: dust your surface with a little flour, tip your dough out on to the surface and with one hand, hold one side of the dough and with the other, push the dough from the middle away from you with the heel of your hand, lift your dough that you have pushed away and bring it back into the middle. Squash down with the heel of your hand and repeat the process – pushing and folding back. If that doesn’t make sense, watch a ‘How to knead dough’ tutorial on YouTube. - Lightly oil a large bowl and put your dough into the bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and put it somewhere warm for around an hour to prove.
I usually pre-heat my oven to the lowest heat for 10 minutes, then turn the oven off and put my bowl of dough into the oven and shut the door. MAKE SURE THE OVEN IS OFF BEFORE YOU PUT YOUR DOUGH IN THERE TO PROVE. - Whilst your dough is proving, grease your loaf tins with some butter.
- After an hour proving, your dough should have doubled in size. Tip out your dough and split in half.
- Smooth your dough, by bringing all the sides round and tucking them underneath and then pinching them together to close the seam. You should have a smooth ball of dough.
- Roll your smooth ball of dough into a sausage and then place it into your greased loaf tin. Repeat with the other ball of dough.
- Now that you’ve filled both loaf tins, cover with a damp tea towel and put them back into the oven to prove again for another 40 minutes.
- They should have risen again and filled their tins. Take them out of the oven and set your oven to 190c/ Gas Mark 5.
- Leaving your loaves in their tins, brush the top of them with melted butter. I like to use a pastry brush for this but if you don’t have one, just gently spread some melted butter on the top of the loaf with your hands.
- Bake the loaves in the oven at 190c/ Gas Mark 5 for around 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Tip: When the loaves are baked you should be able to tap the bottom of your loaves and they should sound hollow.
- Tip your loaves out of the tin and put them on to a wire rack to cool.
- Once they have cooled, you can slice them and slather them in salted butter or whatever you fancy.
We usually have one loaf to enjoy fresh, then I cover the other in clingfilm or a wax sheet and pop it into the freezer, to enjoy at a later date. The loaf will freeze for up to 3 months. When you take it out of the freezer, wrap in a tea towel and allow it to defrost at room temperature for a few hours.
Happy Baking!
Love, Keeley x
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