Easy Recipe For Home-made Bread

Sometimes you need to feed the soul (whatever that might be), but at other times you need to feed the body.  I can't remember where I originally got this recipe from, or stole, but it's been well adapted and well-used since.  It really is dead easy, and it works every time - never had a bad loaf yet.  it's also a good stress-buster, although there's virtually no kneading involved.  Most of this recipe involves just waiting for things to happen!  Please try it - you won't be disappointed.

Recipe for: BREAD (with many easy variations)

Ingredients:

• 400g strong white (or other) flour + extra for shaping
• 1 tsp instant yeast, from a sachet
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 300ml warm water
• oil for kneading
• optional extras: cubed cheddar, drained & chopped olives, any kind of herbs, seeds – use your imagination

Method:

1. put the flour, yeast, salt & any optional extras into a bowl
2. pour in the water & stir into a sticky mess
3. cover the bowl with a clean cloth & leave for 10 minutes
4. lightly oil your worktop & your hands.  Knead the dough for just 10 seconds & then return to the bowl & cover again.
5. do this twice more at 10-minute intervals, then leave in the bowl for 45 minutes.  During this time the dough should rise a fair bit.
6. clean the worktop, then dust it with flour.  Flour your hands, then pat the dough into a rough oblong
7. roll the oblong up tightly & pinch each end to keep it neat
8. place the loaf seam-side down either on a floured baking-sheet, or in a floured loaf-tin
9. cover with a cloth & leave to rise again for another 45 minutes.  You can leave it longer, just as long as the dough has risen
10. flour the top of the dough, then slash down the middle with a sharp knife
11. bake at 220C/ fan 200C/ 425F for 30-35 minutes.  The top should brown a little & the loaf should sound hollow if tapped on the bottom
12. turn onto a wire rack to cool.

What else you need to know:

1. I’ve found that this basic recipe works with almost any kind of decent bread flour, and virtually any variation of flavourings
2. the timings are approximate – longer gaps won’t do any harm at all
3. when the bread is cool, wrap in grease-proof paper & store in the bread bin
4. it won’t keep for ever.  Eat it quickly, for it will gradually dry out & get stale in about 3-4 days.