Bread Recipe

Making Bread is great fun and is done in many of my sessions. This bread dough can be used in many ways including our Spanish bread, Greek Pitas or as a rip and share plaited loaf.

Ingredients

250g                         Stong White Flour (I use Walk Mill Flour check out the mill on my local supplier tab).

1 teaspoon   (7g)    Yeast (fast action)

Table spoon            Olive Oil

½ teaspoon            Honey

½ teaspoon            Sea salt

150 ml                      Hand hot water (use boiled water mixed with cold not from the hot tap).

Note

The liquid you add may differ slightly depending on your flour. All flour absorbs different amounts of liquid. Some times you may need a little extra water or less to create your perfect dough.

If you want to flavour bread this may change again.  Addition bits and pieces such as olives, onions, cheese, and continental sausage etc. can also be added to create your own flavoured breads but they may all make you dough a little sticky. Just ad a little more flour if this is the case. My favorite is cheese & Marmite!

Method

1. Mix the yeast, honey and water in a small jug and leave for 10 minutes. ( you will see bubbles of gas, Carbon Dioxide & smell the alcohol).
2. Place the flour in a bowl and add the olive oil, sea salt and any of your own additional bits if you are flavouring the bread.
3. Mix in your yeast solution (remember if it looks too sticky add some more flour and if it is too dry a little more water.
4. Mix in to a dough, as this is formed in to a big ball take it out of the bowl and knead the dough on a table or work top.
5. Kneed for 15 – 20 minutes until smooth & elastic (You’re stretching the gluten).
6. Leave in a bowl covered with cling film for about an hour or until it doubles in size.
7. Knock back your dough (fancy name for pushing the gas out of it) and form in to the shapes you want (loaves, rolls or rustic tray bakes). Place in or on lightly floured tins or trays.
8. Once your breads have doubled in size again you can bake it in the oven at 220’C.
9. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your breads. Rolls will take about 10-15 minutes, pita braeds about 10 minutes and plaites 15 to 20 minutes. You will know when they are ready as when you tap the bottom of you bread it will echo. The top should be nicely browned.

Spanish Bread

If you are making the Spanish bread then when you get to stage 7 top your rustic breads with diced red peppers, red onion, fresh sprigs of rosemary and black olives. drizzle the top with olive oil before baking in the oven.