Easy Bread and a cuppa for a cause

If you are like me the thought of making bread seems like too big of a chore and either use the bread machine or just don't bother all together.

Well there has been alot of bread talk around of late and it is getting a little chilly here at the moment, so freshly baked bread was a must.

It is only a basic white bread recipe, but it's a good starting point and once you are confident enough you can experiment and add things to it.

Basic White Bread
from Maggie's Table
(makes 2 loaves)
conversions

ingredients

• 25g fresh or 2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar
• warm water
• 1 kg unbleached baker's flour
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 45ml extra virgin olive oil

method

• combine yeast, sugar and a little warm water in a bowl, dissolve and set aside for 5-10 minutes. dry yeast should become frothy when active, if it doesn't froth up, don't use it as it will not be active
• combine flour, salt and olive oil in a bowl, add yeast and then add 600ml of warm water and mix to combine. If you have an electric mixer with a dough hook use that and set it on low for about 3 minutes.
• turn dough onto a floured surface an knead for a further 5 minutes or until the dough feels tight and the surface appears slightly broken
• spray the bowl with olive oil and place the dough back in it and cover loosely with plastic

• leave in a warm place to double in size, around 35-45 minutes
• turn dough onto floured surface and knead lightly for a few minutes, divide mixture and shape into 2 large loaves
• spray tins with olive oil spray and sprinkle a little flour and place loaves in tins and leave in a warm place for a second rise, around 15-20 minutes
  
  

• preheat oven at 220 C
  
• put loaves in and bake for 10 minutes, reduce temperature to 180 C and bake for a further 20-25 minutes, remove bread from tins and place on oven rack and bake for a further 5-10 minutes to crisp the crusts. If you tap on the bottom of the loaf it should sound hollow.
• turn out onto wire racks and allow to cool

If you are in Melbourne and free on Thursday, why don't you join Gina for a cuppa at Australia's biggest morning tea.

I'll be there showing support and quietly shedding a tear...or two.
♥
✗ ♥