I love cooking and baking, albeit my presentation style may not win me any prizes, but I pride myself in trying lots of new recipes, creating my own and adapting from others. Making bread however has always made me feel a little scared. It seems so complicated, different flours, the temperatures needed to proof, the knock back and the time. Due to the timings, you always have to be ‘around’ to tend to the beloved yeast rising in the bread ready for the precise moment to knock it back, knead again, and proof a second time. And then, wait around for the baking (although that’s always the best bit!).
So, in my current situation of Friday’s off from my proper job, when I should be taking groups of lovely people out in the Peak District to teach them all about the wonderful things Mother Nature created; I found myself with a lot of time in the house. Perfect for making bread!
I have probably baked bread 3-4 times in my entire life. My mam wasn’t a bread maker (although a great traditional cook) so I wasn’t introduced to it from a young age, but with the likes of Paul Hollywood, bread makers and the availability of the perfect ingredients, there was no reason for me not to give it another go.
So, using a easy to make homemade bread recipe from an old Tesco magazine – yes, I was drawn in by the pretty flower shape – I began. I followed the recipe exactly as I’m no where near confident to deviate from the written recipe (yet).
Total Time 2 hours
10 minutes kneading, 45 minutes 1st proof, 10 minutes knock back, kneading, cutting and shaping, 30 minutes 2nd proof, 20 minutes baking.
Ingredients
- 250g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
- 250g strong wholemeal flour
- 1 x 7g sachet dried yeast
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
- 325ml warm water
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ tsp poppy seeds
Method
- Combine the flours, yeast and salt in a large bowl.
- Make a well in the centre and add the oil. Stir in the water until you have a dough.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes.
- Return to the bowl, cover with greased cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for ~45 minutes. I asked my experienced baking friend if an airing cupboard would be suitable since the house was pretty cold at this time of year. She said it would be fine – thanks Katie!
- Knock back the dough by punching it in the middle. Remove from the bowl and knead again on a floured surface for 2-4 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Roll into a long sausage shape. Mine was about 40 cm long, but I think one ~60 cm would be better.
- Cut a large piece off from the flower center. I had to make mine bigger than I initially thought; remember it has to have a big enough circumference to get all the petals around.
- Cut the remaining roll into 11 pieces and shape into petals pinching out the points. You’ll notice mine has 10 and I used a petal to make the center bit bigger 😊
- Arrange on a baking tray on a large piece of baking parchment making sure that the petals are just touching each other around the center circle.
- Mark each petal with a knife to give it some markings and textures. Pinch the center piece too to give a bit of texture.
- Cover with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 230C or 210C for a fan assisted.
- Brush the bread with the beaten egg and sprinkle the poppy seeds over the center circle.
- Bake for 20 minutes pot until golden brown.
You’ll obviously have to try the freshly baked bread as soon as it comes out the oven, so have a bit of slightly softened butter at hand. We later had some ‘petals’ for our lunch and then again as an afternoon treat with some homemade jam (thanks Tammy).
This was a perfect example of an in-house adventure – do something which scares you a little but excites you a lot! 😊
Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy making this easy to make homemade bread recipe. Follow me on social to keep up to date for easy and healthy homemade recipes from foraging to camping as well as my usual outdoor antics and guided walking tours (when we’re allowed to do so!).
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