Homemade bread

Another product of my mass bake up a couple of weeks ago! This bread is delicious and freezes really well. I tend to double the recipe and freeze a loaf so that there’s some bread on standby- you could also just make one big loaf though.

I found the recipe in Nigella Lawson’s book How to be a Domestic Goddess. It’s actually a lot less hassle than I thought making bread from scratch would be and fills the house with the most delicious smell when baking!

Ingredients

• 500gms strong white or wholemeal flour, plus some extra for kneading
• 1x 7gm sachet of easy blend yeast
• 1tbsp salt
• 1tbsp caster sugar
• 300ml warm tap water
• 1tbsp butter

Method

1. In a big bowl mix together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the warm water gradually- you may not need the full amount or you might need a little more if it’s too dry (it all depends on the type of flour you use) and mix until all the flour is combined and the bowl is clean. You will now have a big shaggy mess of dough.
2. Add the butter and fold in.
3. Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and begin to knead it. This will be very messy at first but the dough will gradually begin to get smoother and more elastic as you continue (this part is very good for toning bingo wings!)
4. Once you have a nice smooth ball after about 10 mins take another big clean bowl, grease it well and put the dough inside. Cover with cling film or a tea towel and leave to rise for two hours. It will double in size.
5. Then comes the fun part- knocking back! Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and punch it very hard with the heel of your hand all over. This removes the excess air and prevents you getting great big hollow bits in your bread. The dough will shrink a little but don’t worry.
6. Flour a baking tray or 500gm loaf tin and place the dough on/in it. If it’s on a tray make it into an oblong or round loaf shape. If you want a soft loaf sprinkle the top with flour, or if you want a crusty loaf, brush the top with a little beaten egg.
7. Put the oven on to 220 degrees C or gas mark 7 to heat up and leave the dough to rise for ½ hour.
8. Bake the bread for 35mins after which time it should be golden and will sound hollow if you knock on the base of the loaf.
9. Leave to cool and either freeze or eat as appropriate.