Bake your own bread.....

Baking bread has been done for thousands of years. It remains one of the most-satisfying human endeavours. It is magical and never loses its' fascination.

Wholemeal loaf with pumpkin
and sunflower seeds

I began baking our own bread during a bakers strike in 1978. Been baking since.

This bread dough recipe will make loaves, rolls (cobs), flatbreads ...

Here's what to do:

750g strong plain flour (organic is always best)

2 teaspoons fast-action yeast

2 teaspoons salt

500ml warm water

1. Combine all ingredients and mix to form dough.

2. Then knead for 20 minutes until dough is soft and stretchy

..unless you have a slow-speed mixer or bread machine - in which 10 minutes will do.

Mixed flour rolls (cobs)

3. Put dough into covered bowl and leave somewhere gently warm until doubles in bulk.

4. When doubled, squash dough down and put into bread or cake tins and leave to rise again until doubled.

5. Bake at 200C for around 25 minutes.

6. Bread is ready to cool on drying rack when removed from tin and when tapped on base sounds hollow.

7. Leave to cool and then eat.

Flatbreads

When cooled, bread may be sliced and frozen if you wish.

That is the end of today's lesson. Enjoy!

Delicious doesn't do it justice!!!

Send photos of successes (and failures!).