Bread

Maybe you haven’t made your own bread because you tried once and it was a disaster. Well perhaps it’s time to try again. It’s all down to the flour really and recently I have used Whissendine Mill flour that I got from the farmers market but usually I use any breadmaking flour from Tesco. Do not use ordinary flour; it is not very good for bread. You really must look for a packet stating BREAD FLOUR or STRONG FLOUR.

In: Basic

Submitted by Christine Stocks

  Cooking temperature: 200°C

Makes/Serves: loaf

Ingredients

  • 500 g Strong White Bread Flour
  • 500 g Strong Wholemeal Bread Flour
  • 2 sachets Fast Action Dried Yeast
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 25 g Margarine
  • 500 ml Warm Water

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Method

  1. Start by mixing the two flours, the yeast and the salt together in your largest bowl.
  2. Next rub in the marg with your fingers. Add nearly all the water and mix with a big wooden spoon. The mixture should be very soft so you might have to add the remaining water and even a bit more. There should be no dry bits of floury mixture left.
  3. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave it in a warm place for about an hour.
  4. Turn the whole lot out on to a floured surface and knead it well until it is a smooth non-sticky dough.
  5. Divide the mixture into 2 and shape each half into a round flattish ball and place on a floured baking tray side by side. Make 3 cuts into the top (don't cut too deep and don't make a cross as this will open up too much). Cover with the tea towel and leave to rise for about 20 mins while the oven heats up to 200ºC. Bake for 1/2 hour until brown and sounds hollow when tapped underneath.