BEGINNERS' YEASTED WHOLEMEAL BREAD FROM WATERPERRY GARDENS

67goingon50 loves quick and easy higher-fibre soda breads but sometimes yearns for soft and spongy yeasted breads.  Even supermarket white or wholemeal bread!

Beginners' wholemeal loaf: easy, tasty, budget & time friendly,
 just flour, water, yeast, salt & a bit of sugar 

However, ultra-processed foods and addditives are a concern. Cost is another factor; sourdough and gluten-free loaves are truly wonderful but are saved for payday!

However there's a delicious budget option for everyday: a home-made loaf discovered at a retreat centre at a country estate in Oxfordshire called Waterperry.    

The loaf is easy to make without too much rising/resting time and is an absolute joy.  It's perfect for beginners.

Waterperry toast with
Peanut Butter 

It has a crisp crust (if you like) and a soft interior; the flavour is great and complements cheeses beautifully. 

It makes wonderful toast. 

67 is yet to test the way it behaves after freezing and will also test plain (not bread) flour but is pretty confident it will be fine...watch this space for an update. 

Cost: not much at all

Makes: 1 large loaf or 12 rolls (original ingredients for a 3-loaf batch are below) 

Ingreds:

500 g/17.6 oz flour of your choice (67 used Duchy Organic Strong Malted Grain Bread flour)

10gm/1/3oz fresh OR 5gm/1/5oz dried yeast 

1 teaspoons salt

handful sugar

glug of olive oil

300ml (hottish) water (100ml cold, 200ml boiling)

Method:

1. If using fresh yeast, grate into flour; add salt, sugar & olive oil; if using dried yeast, mix with flour, salt, sugar & olive oil 
2. Mix both cold and boiling waters in a jug or bowl; stir it into the flour with a spurtle (or the handle of a wooden spoon) until it forms a dough
3. Knead on a lightly floured surface; flatten & stretch from time to time (it's ready when you poke a finger in it and it springs back)
4. Clean your mixing bowl, flour it and return bread 
5. Cover with damp muslim or tea-towel or rinsed j-cloth; allow to double in size (67 left it in a cold oven for 2 hours)
6. Empy the dough onto a lightly floured surface; gently punch the dough down, flattening it 
7. Loaf: Roll up tightly, folding edges under; place into a well buttered 2 pound loaf tin OR halve dough, cut in half, roll rightly and place in 2 x 1-lb well-buttered loaf tins
8. Rolls: form a long sausage, cut 12 even pieces; place close together on baking parchment in baking tray
9. Brush tops with milk, butter or oil (vegan), scatter over seeds if you like; allow to rise in tins 30mins
10. Preheat oven to 200ºc; Loaf: bake 14 mins; reduce to 180ºc for 23 mins; Rolls: bake 5 mins; reduce to 180ºc for 10 mins
11. Loaves are cooked when bottom sounds hollow when tapped; if not, turn loaf upside down in tin and return to oven for another 5 mins or so till done
12. Cool on wire racks; slice as thin or as thick as you like

Comments:

'I didn't measure my water properly and the dough was a bit dry but I cracked on with the kneading and left the dough to rise.  After 2 hours the dough was lovely and fluffy-looking.  The loaf looked appetising after shaping and resting and baked up well.  The fresh bread, if not as spongy as planned, had great texture and tasted wonderful. The toast was great.  I'm definitely trying this recipe again.' Retired writer  

Tips:

• this should work with regular (ie not bread) flour
• it's easier to measure the cold & boiling waters into a bowl before adding to the flour
• Measures for 3-loaf batch:  1500g/53oz flour; 30g fresh OR  15g/generous 1 oz dry yeast ; 3 teaspoons salt; handful sugar; glug of olive oil; 900ml water (hottish) (1/3 cold, 2/3ml boiling)
• Cheese version: add grated cheese or fennel seeds to dry mix before 1st kneading; when loaves are glazed but before baking scatter over grated cheese 

  

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This recipe has bee adapted from Waterperry House