We love baking fresh bread, nothing beats the smell of a baking loaf! I love weekends and school holidays when we can get busy in the kitchen baking different types of bread.
Baking Fresh Bread
I would love to invest in a breadmaker like the ones reviewed on Village Bakery. For now though, we are happily baking fresh bread by hand and have a few favourite recipes! Anyone who follows my social media accounts will no doubt have spotted our favourite loafs at some point.
Our Favourites
Our absolute favourite bread to make (and eat!) is the italian chocolate chip bread. It goes lovely with some chocolate spread.
Our second favourite is a crusty white loaf, fresh bread is simply gorgeous! You can’t beat an original recipe. We regularly use the same recipe to make this as it comes out lovely.
White Crusty Loaf Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg yolk
- 150-300 ml lukewarm water
- 500g Strong white flour plus a little extra for dusting
- 1 1/2tsp Salt
- 2tsp Sugar
- 7g of dried yeast (We use Allinsons)
- 25g of butter or sunflower oil for brushing (I love Willow butter for this!)
Method
Beat the egg and milk lightly in a jug and add lukewarm water to make 300ml stirring well.
Next, sift the flour into a bowl adding the salt, sugar and yeast. Stir until well mixed then mix in the butter using your finger tips until the mixture feels like breadcrumbs. Making a well, add the egg mixture and work into a smooth dough.
Knead well on a lightly floured surface for 10minutes or until the dough is smooth. Brush a bowl with oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour or until it is double the size. I tend to use the airing cupboard for this as the boiler creates just enough heat to help the dough rise.
Brush a 900g load time with oil. Gently knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for one minute or until smooth. Shape the dough the length of the time and 3 times the width. Fold the dough in 3 length ways and place in the tin ensuring the join is underneath. Cover with a tea towel again and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until it rises above the tin.
While your dough rises again, preheat the oven to 220°c. Once the dough has risen, place it in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until firm and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool down, smother in butter and enjoy!