Homemade White Bread

A couple of weekends ago Noel and I attended a Cheese and Bread Making Course at Boatshed Cheese on the Mornington Peninsula.  It was a full day course and it was a fantastic day.  Not only to make some wonderful cheese and bread, but to eat our produce and to spend the day with people who also share our passion for good food and cooking especially Tamara, our host.

 

Yesterday, I decided to put my new found knowledge to the test and make bread.  I made a white loaf and 2 large focaccias to accompany our dinner of Slow Cooked Beef and Pancetta Ragu with Pappardelle.

 

To be honest I actually thought making bread was hard - all that kneading, rising, proving and then more kneading.  But I have to tell you it's not!!  Yes your read correctly it is not.  Thanks to Tamara.  Tamara shared with us secrets, advice and techniques that make bread making easy, interesting and inviting to undertake.

 

This recipe is a fantastic mix and leave recipe.  Not to mention the bread itself is light and airy.  Oh and the taste is so different than the preservative filled shop bread... do yourself a favour and make yourself some bread you will definitely fall in love with your own home baked produce.

Now I definitely have the bread bug I am off to experiment with this recipe and all the different flavours and fillings I can dabble with.

 

  

Basic White or Wholemeal Bread

(Recipe adapted from Tamara @ Boatshed Cheese)

5 cups unbleached bread flour

(or any combination of white or wholemeal flour to equal 5 cups)

1 tablespoon yeast

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil

2 cups warm water

Add all dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir.

Add oil, water and mix to a sticky dough. Turn out onto a well floured work surface and begin to knead. Continue kneading until the dough is soft and elastic. Shape bread into a round form and place in an oiled bowl, to rise until doubled in size. This should take about one hour.

Knock down and shape for a freestanding loaf on an oven tray, or shape to bake in a bread tin. The tin or tray should be oiled and lightly sprinkled with polenta or lined with baking paper to avoid sticking.

Allow the dough to rise until doubled, and then glaze with milk, water or beaten egg. Bake at 190c. for 40 minutes (less for smaller breads or rolls).

Remove from tin or tray immediately and check that the loaf is cooked. If not, return to the oven for about 5 minutes more cooking.

Allow the bread to cool thoroughly on a wire rack.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Incredibly Easy Pizza Dough (or Bread Dough)

Noel is normally the pizza dough maker.  In fact I have to say the patience he has had experimenting with all types of pizza dough recipes has been great - I am sure that he has cursed the fact that we brought him a pizza oven for his birthday!  LOL!

 

Anyways, we tried this recipe the last time we made pizzas and it was really yum as a pizza base. The recipe doubles as bread day also, which I must say is great also.

 

It is a very light pizza base, once cooked.  A little sticky to work with - but Noel swears by the fact that the wetter the dough the better the pizza base.

 

 

Incredibly Easy Pizza Dough (or Bread Dough)

(recipe sourced from Poh's Kitchen)

 

Makes: 4 pizza bases or 2 loaves of bread

 

600 grams plain white flour (best to use good strong baker's flour - higher in protein)

4 teaspoons dried yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

400ml water

Mix one tablespoon of flour, the sugar and yeast with a couple of tablespoons of tepid water and allow to stand for 20 minutes.

 

In a large bowl mix flour, one tablespoon of olive oil and salt.

 

Add yeast mixture and enough water to make up a firm dough and mix well.

 

Cover bowl with damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for an hour.

 

Remove dough to a floured workbench and knead for five or six minutes.

 

Divide dough into 4 and shape onto pizza trays.  Top with your favourite toppings and bake.

 

To make bread:

 

Divide dough into two, knead each into a loaf shape, put in oiled bread tin, cover with damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for an hour.

 

Before baking, sprinkle surface of each loaf with flour.

 

Bake in moderately hot oven (200°C) for about 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown and bottom is light brown. Tap the bottom, it should sound hollow.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)