Nothing beats the smell of homemade bread. It is nutritious, incredibly cheap to make and stays fresh for longer than supermarket bought bread. Making bread at home is fun and it teaches the kids about baking. So why not have a go at making homemade bread? Below we share with you three of the best recipes for homemade bread. All are easy to follow and taste wonderful. Happy Baking!
Quick Bake Bread
Ingredients
500g bread flour
1 sachet dried yeast
1 tsp salt
300ml warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbs honey
Method
1. Pour the flour into a mixing bowl and stir in the yeast and salt. Next slowly add the water, honey and oil, stirring well.
2. Use a wooden spoon, or your hands if preferred, to make a rough dough.
3. Once you have a ball of dough, place onto a floured surface and knead well for around 10 minutes.
4. If the dough is sticking to your hands, add flour to your hands, not the dough, as it is important that the dough is wet.
5. Place the dough into a well oiled tin. Cover with cling film or a clean tea towel. Leave in a warm room for at least one hour, preferably two if time allows.
6. Remove the clingfilm and place the bread in the oven to cook for 30 minutes on 180C/350F.
Rustic wholemeal bread
Ingredients
1 cup rye flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, or nuts of your choosing
4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
4 cups warm water
Method
1. Mix the wholemeal and rye flour in a bowl. Then add the bread flour, sunflower seeds (or other nuts), yeast and salt.
2. Make a well and pour in the water, mixing well to form a batter consistency.
3. The dough then needs to be proved for at least 8 hours, so it is best to cover the mixture and leave overnight.
4. The next step is to remove the dough and to place it onto a floured surface. The dough should now be divided into two parts.
5. Shape each ball of dough into a loaf shape and place into a bread tin. Cover each and leave in a warm room for up to 2 hours. The mixture should double in size!
6. Preheat the oven to 230C/450F, at least half an hour before baking. Before placing in the oven, slash each loaf with a sharp knife multiple times.
7. Cook one loaf at a time, for 35 minutes until dark brown in colour. Cool completely before slicing.
Honey and Oat Bread
Ingredients
3 tablespoons rolled oats
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons salt
1 cup of low fat yogurt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1 cup of honey
1 cup of milk
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/375F and generously oil a large bread tin. Add 1 tbs of the rolled oats to the bottom of the tin. Ensure the sides and bottom of the tin are coated in the oats.
2.Now in another bowl add all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl (but leave 1 tablespoon of oats aside) and mix well. Then add the remaining oats, oil, egg, yogurt and honey. Blend well.
3. Add the milk and ensure that all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, but do so gently. Do not overmix! The dough should be a batter like consistency.
5. Pour the batter into the loaf tin and add the remaining oats to the top, sprinkling evenly.
6. The loaf should be cooked for between 40 to 50 minutes. To check that the loaf is cooked, insert a knife into the centre. If it comes out clean, then the bread is cooked. The top will appear slightly cracked but this is normal and you will need a palette knife to loosen the bread out of the tin. Cool on a wired rack.
One of my all time favourite recipes is for Banana Bread Click here for full details.
Whatever type of bread you are making, there is nothing better than the smell that comes from your kitchen when baking bread