
If I were to take one positive from lockdown (apart from developing a mild obsession with basil cuttings and consequently becoming a proud parent to a basil family – more on that soon), it’s that I have rediscovered my passion for baking bread. A number of years back, The Great British Bakeoff was what inspired me to branch out of the cake world, dangerously diving head-first into an eight-stranded plaited loaf, but in recent weeks, it’s been the simplicity of baking a simple loaf on a Sunday to last through the week that I have loved. Cutting the crust off the end of the steaming hot loaf and gobbling in seconds with lashings of butter is something Nan and I have looked forward to every week!
Ingredients
- 300g strong white bread flour
- 300g wholemeal or wholegrain flour (or whatever you can find)
- 1x 7g sachet of fast-action yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- ~400ml tepid water
- A few glugs of oil to grease the bowl/loaf tin
- Extra plain flour for dusting
Method
- Lightly grease a large bowl and set to the side
- In a second bowl, mix the two flours together then add the salt and yeast
- Slowly add the water, mixing together with a knife (I find a pallet knife works well here, but a normal dinner knife will do)
- Tip the mixture onto a lightly floured, clean surface – it may not have come together fully at this point, but don’t worry! (see pic below)
- Kneed for around 10 minutes until you have a smooth, stretchy dough – to begin with it might feel a little sticky, but keep going, it will come together
- Place in the greased bowl, loosely cover with cling film, and leave to rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in size – in the summer months, outside is your best bet; a sunny window-sill will do if not
- Tip the risen dough onto a light floured surface, kneeding gently to knock the air back, shape into a loaf size, and place into a lightly greased large loaf tin. Cover loosely with your greased clingfilm, and leave to rise in a warm spot for another 30 mins
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 220 degrees celsius (200 for a fan oven)
- Remove the clingfilm, dust with flour, and bake for 25-30 mins (you’ll know it’s done if it sounds hollow when you tap the bottom of the loaf)
- Leave to cool (or slice the end off, drench in butter, consume AND THEN leave the rest to cool!)





