Recipe: Seeded Loaf
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Fact: baking your own bread isn’t as tough as you think. And it’s so very satisfying (and, more importantly, delicious) when you’ve made it.
Bread always rises to the occasion – why not give it a try?
This recipe goes a little further than the ‘back of a bag of flour’ bread, but these little add-ons make the crumb softer and the bread last a little longer. Sprinkling with lots of different seeds also gives extra flavour and texture.
You don’t need any fancy utensils or pans for this one, as you just roll the dough into balls and drop them into a cake tin. The result is a big handsome loaf that slices well for sandwiches and also makes the most excellent toast.
Ingredients
1lb 5oz/600g strong white flour
1.5tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 x 7g sachet dried yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp milk
1 egg, separated
Seeds for sprinkling: sesame, poppy, sunflower and pumpkin (don’t use pine nuts as they burn!)Method
1. For the ‘wet mix’ put an egg yolk in a jug, then add a splash of milk and a glug of olive oil, then top it up to the 350ml mark with warm water.
2. In a large bowl mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast.
3. Add the wet mix to the dry ingredients adding more water if needed to form a soft dough.
4. Knead for 10 minutes, prove in a covered bowl in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.
5. Cut into 8 pieces, shape into the balls and place in a lightly floured 20cm springform non-stick pan.
6. Prove again with a large bowl covering it for another hour.
7. Lightly whisk the egg with a pinch of salt and brush the loaf with it, then sprinkle with seeds.
8. Bake at 200ºC for 20 minutes then remove from the tin and place it directly on the oven shelf and give it another 10 minutes until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom.
So, whether you slice it up for breakfast, lunch or dinner you definitely ‘knead’ to try this recipe.
