This bread turned out so yumsome as well as toastableand is quite seasonal too,
so I thought I'd post it today on Hallowe'en.
You might leave it to rise
a bit longer than I did to get a taller loaf -I'm a beginner -and impatient! :-)
the bran element and seeds
slow the rising down
and you need a bit more liquid/oil
than you do making white bread
to make it softer and bouncier.
Ingredients:
12-14 ounces strong white bread flour
2-4 oz wholemeal/granary/rye flour
Sunflower oil and olive oil - a swift swirl of each
Fast-action bread yeast - 1 sachet
Sea salt to taste ( I use one level teaspoonful to 1Ib of flour)
Around half a pint of warm, boiled water in a jug
Mixed pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flax seeds, or your own favourites
A little warm milk.
Toast the seeds gently.
Cool and crush.
Resist urge to snaffle these immediately.
...Oh, go on then - just a spoonful!
Use to taste but if you add in
quite a lot of seeds, leave the bread to rise longer.
Mix yeast with a little warm water and pinch of sugar.
Even fast-action yeast works better if you do this.
Sieve and stir the flours and salt.
Add oils, yeast mixture, and begin to add in the warm water.
Mix with your index finger initially in a figure of 8 shape,
then with your whole hand when more water begins to form a dough.
Knead for a minute on floured worktop/board,
Shape into your preferred loaf shape. I tend to roll the dough into a rough
baguette shape, which grows into a good sliceable loaf.
Place on baking tray in middle of warm, low oven to plump up for a while.
Turn up heat to full power and bake, turning once.
When done it should sound hollow when you knock the base.
The bread has a great flavour and is really nice just lightly toasted.
It really doesn't take long to make your own bread and it's so much more
satisfying and tweakable to your own taste than cardboardy generic shop-bought stuff.
Your own bread tips are very welcome!
Don't skimp on the butter, now!
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