An Easy Classic White Bread Recipe
Easy Bread making
Have you ever thought you would love to try baking bread but been frightened off by thinking that you need to be a good baker to achieve it?
Have you ever been told by someone that something is dead easy, then when you tried it you failed miserably?
That is what happened to me about 20 years ago. Someone told me how easy it was to make fresh bread and I failed horribly at it.
Lately however, my daughter asked me to make her a carrot cake for her birthday party. Something I had never done before and not wanting to let her down, I set about the task.
To my utter amazement I triumphed with a really light moist cake. What has this got to do with baking bread I hear you say? Well quite simply it renewed my confidence in my baking ability and made me want to attempt bread making again.
Now I know that in recent years there has been a host of new gadgets that have come on to the market and bread makers are all the rage at the moment - but I do not have one.
I just wanted to try a bread that was hand done.
So today, I baked my first loaf in about 18 or 20 years. I got the recipe off the back of the flour pack and the bread tastes lovely. It was so easy, I thought I would share it.
Ingredients
500g Strong White Bread Flour
1.5 tspn of Salt
1 tsp Sugar
15g soft butter or 15ml Vegetable Oil
7g Sachet of Easy Bake Yeast
About 300ml of Water Water 1 part boiling 2 parts cold
Hand baking bread in 4 Easy Steps
1. Add flour and Salt into a large bowl, stir in the sugar and yeast then rub in the butter (or add the vegetable oil). Add enough water and mix until you have a soft dough.
2. Knead the dough on a slightly floured surface for up to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3. Shape the dough on a baking tray or place in a tin. Cover and leave in a warm place until the dough has double in size. About 30 - 45 minutes. Pre heat the oven to 230 degrees/ gas mark 8.
4. Bake the loaf for 15 minutes then reduce the temp to 200 degrees/ gas mark 6 and bake in the oven for a further 15 - 20 minutes or until the bread has risen and is golden brown. The bread should sound hollow if tapped from underneath. Cool on a wire rack.
It really is as simple as that.
Preparation time 40 - 45 mins Cooking time 35 - 40 mins. Makes 1 loaf or 6 - 9 Rolls.
If I am honest with you I found the recipe on the side of a packet of strong bread flour. I do not know the original inventor of this recipe.
Update
You may be wondering what the results are like... well I have now used this recipe a number of times.
If I use the whole mix in one loaf it always turns out rather rustic (or medieval) in style. However it is really up to you how you want to style the dough. I do not tend to style it in any way (no fancy braiding or anything) I tend to make a long oblong shape or round loaf. The end result tends to be a lovely light with a thin crust.
I have used the same recipe for smaller bread rolls (like the ones you love to have with a nice plate of soup) When I have done this I tend to get about 8 or 9 rolls out of one batch.
My kids now love to help making bread (we don't do it all the time), they love to help knead and get the dough ready.
I know it may sound daunting to some but I would encourage anyone to give it a go. It is a great thing to teach the children and have fun....although I will warn you, the bread tastes lovely and it is a bit more ish!
