Soft White Homemade Bread

Bread and Butter

So I know white bread isn't healthy or particulary nutritious, but it is damn tasty.

There is nothing wrong with the odd bit of homemade fresh bread with no nasty additives to make it last over a week. I personally have a 'cheat' day where I eat pretty much what I want.

Now bread, as we commonly know it- bought in paper orange packages that never re-closes making the first few slices on top stale, yes it is soft and yes it makes a good bacon sarnie but with the amount of additives and salt in one slice- you may as well have a Chinese Takeway-- Yes Warbutons I'm talking to you!

Now I know not everyone has time to sit and wait and 'prove' bread, but it's really not that tricky and means you can get on with other stuff- like watching re runs of Only Fools and Horses on a lazy Sunday afternoon :-)

I promise you this bread is worth it- and if you're going to have a cheat day it may as well be the tatiest darn bread going.

You could add garlic or herbs or even raisins to this bread.

I will make a Gluten free variation of soft white bread next week.

This bread does have salt in- but nothing compared to shop bought bread. Salt is not the enemy as long as you add to plain unsalted foods and you add organic sea salt rather than the big plastic containers of table salt that's pumped full of anti-caking chemicals. At home at the moment we have a pot of Cornish Sea Salt and I can't recommend it enough! Cornish Sea Salt is a pure, natural, unrefined salt that retains over sixty naturally occurring trace elements such as potassium, calcium and magnesium, at a balanced biological level. These retained minerals and trace elements help the body to both metabolise the sodium better and maintain a healthy balance of electrolytes in the body. It also has a lower sodium content.

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 1oz strong white bread flour, plus a little extra flour for finishing
• 40g/1½oz soft butter
• 12g/2 sachets fast-action dried yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• about 300ml/10¾fl oz tepid water (warm not cold – about body temperature)
• a little olive or sunflower oil

Basic Method

Put the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the butter. Add the yeast at one side of the bowl and add the salt at the other, otherwise the salt will kill the yeast making the bread not rise.

 Stir all the ingredients with a spoon to combine.

Add half of the water and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add water a little at a time, combining well, until you’ve picked up all of the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all of the water, or you may need to add a little more – you want a dough that is well combined and soft, but not sticky or soggy. I didn't have to add all the water with my bread but all bread will be different.

 Mix with your fingers to make sure all of the ingredients are combined and use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl. Keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough.

Use about a teaspoon of oil to lightly grease a clean work surface (using oil instead of flour will keep the texture of the dough consistent s it shouldn't be too floury). Turn out your dough onto the greased work surface (make sure you have plenty of space- I knocked over the bag of flour.....not a good move!)

Fold the far edge of the dough into the middle of the dough, then turn the dough by 45 degrees and repeat. Do this several times until the dough is very lightly coated all over in olive oil.

Now use your hands to knead the dough: push the dough out in one direction with the heel of your hand, then fold it back on itself. Turn the dough by 90 degrees and repeat. Kneading in this way stretches the gluten and makes the dough elastic. Do this for about 4 or 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy. This is a very good workout for the back of the arms, they will be burning! Work quickly so that the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands – if it does get too sticky you can add a little flour to your hands.

Clean and lightly oil your mixing bowl and put the dough back into it. Cover with a damp tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and set it aside to prove. This gives the yeast time to work: the dough should double in size. This should take around one hour, but will vary depending on the temperature of your room (don’t put the bowl in a hot place or the yeast will work too quickly). An airing cupboard or next to an on oven is fine. Yeast loves moist warm places.

Line a baking tray with baking or silicone paper.

Once the dough has doubled in size scrape it out of the bowl to shape it. The texture should be bouncy and shiny. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knock it back by kneading it firmly to 'knock' out the air. Use your hand to roll the dough up, then turn by 45 degrees and roll it up again. Repeat several times. Gently turn and smooth the dough into a round loaf shape. My shape wasn't the best- I need to perfect the 'bloomer' shape.

Place the loaf onto the lined baking tray, cover with a tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and leave to prove until it’s doubled in size. This will take about an hour, but may be quicker or slower depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan assisted)/425F/Gas 7. Put an old, empty roasting tin into the bottom of the oven

After an hour the loaf should have proved (risen again). Sprinkle some flour on top and very gently rub it in. Use a large, sharp knife to make shallow cuts (about 1cm/½in deep) across the top of the loaf to create a diamond pattern.

Put the loaf (on its baking tray) into the middle of the oven. Pour cold water into the empty roasting tray at the bottom of the oven just before you shut the door – this creates steam which helps the loaf develop a crisp and shiny crust. Stand well back, I thought I was going to blow my head off when I did this!

Bake the loaf for about 30 minutes.

The loaf is cooked when it’s risen and golden. To check, take it out of the oven and tap it gently underneath – it should sound hollow. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

mmmmmmmmmmmm the smell of freshly baked bread, I'm suprised I didn't have my neighbours banging down my flat door wanting to taste some!

Slice and enjoy with some real butter. It is true what they say ' the bread maketh the sandwich'. You could literally have any filling on this bread and it would taste great.

No stale dry sandwiches in plastic packages with the filling conveniently placed just on the edge that shows- we don't live in lighthouses here you know, we like all edges!