Bread

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I've been making my own bread for about 2 years now, mainly with the aid of a breadmaker. However, for the last month I've ditched the machine and I've been experimenting with handbaking. Suffice to say, I won't be buying a loaf of bread unless I have to and the machine is having a rest in the utility room. Handbaking is one of life's simple pleasures - I cannot believe how tasty the end product is and how very therapeutic all the kneading is!

I'm making one to two loaves per week, using an adapted recipe that I found on the back of a bread flour packet:

Mix 500g Bread flour (sometimes I use white, sometimes half white half wholemeal) in a bowl with 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp yeast - I use Dove's Farm quick yeast:

Rub in 25g butter:

Then add 300ml tepid water to form the dough:

I knead the dough on a floured surface, punching and pulling for about 10 minutes - I've found doing it while I listen to the Archers a big help while passing the time. The dough is placed back in the bowl, covered with cling film and left in a warm place to rise. After this 'first rise' the dough is knocked back and then shaped into a round batch type loaf. I then leave it to rise a second time for about half and hour. Following this the dough is placed in a preheated hot oven and baked for about 35 minutes.

The result:

Best served (at the moment anyway!) with slated butter from Swansea market and lashings and lashings of blackcurrant jam - can you believe I tasted this nectar for the first time THIS WEEK!!!

I'm hoping to branch out and experiment - at the moment I have a starter culture on the go, which hopefully will allow me to make some sourdough at somepoint next week. Exciting times!