Monday 3 October 2011

Bread




So I have baked three loaves of bread in the last three weeks! So good is this recipe that even I, as someone who is not big on bread, have eaten far too much. As you can see they all look a little different and I'm not sure why that is, but the taste is good and it is so simple. I wanted to share the recipe, it is from the Autumn 2010 3191 Quarterly (by the way did you see there will be another year, so great I've already signed up!)

Ingredients
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup whole meal flour (I've been using the callington mill flour)
1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons honey
1 cup tepid water
1/2 cup of beer (I've been using cascade pale ale but was talking to my stepbrother and he suggested coopers could be nicer - I tend to agree)
1 teaspoon white vinegar

for the seed crust:
1 egg beaten
anything you like really but I've been using a mix of poppy, sesame and pumpkin seeds.

Combine the flours, yeast, salt and whisk together in a large bowl. Mix in the water, beer, honey and vinegar until the dough comes together. Cover with cling wrap and leave overnight.

The next day turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth (not too many times). Line a pan with baking paper sprayed with vegetable oil (the same size or as close in size to a cast iron pot- that has a lid). Cover with cling wrap and let sit for another few hours (2 or so).

About half an hour before you are ready to bake turn the oven onto 260 celcius and place your cast iron pot and lid in the oven to warm (not the one with the dough). Brush the top of the dough with the egg mix and sprinkle with seeds and score the dough. Take the cast iron out of the oven remove the lid and carefully move the dough on the baking paper into the hot pot. Place the lid back on and place it back in the oven. Lower the temperature to 220 celcius and cook for 30 minutes, after this time carefully remove the lid and continue to cook for another 20 minutes. Once cooked remove from the pan and allow to cool completely on a rack. The bread should sound hollow when you knock it on the bottom.

that's it, eat with butter or toasted with butter and vegemite!

12 comments:

Jacquie said...

yummmm thanks for sharing!

KERRY said...

Looks AMAZING! Shall definitely passing that recipe onto my husband (the bread baker)!

Sarah B said...

It looks beautiful Catherine. Thanks for the recipe :)

Anonymous said...

It looks sooooo yummy! I have to try this recipe!


Camila Faria

Amanda said...

Nothing beats fresh bread with butter and a spread of Vegemite :) Yours looks great! x

Unknown said...

Yum, looks fantastic. I have to say one of my recent Freecycle scores was a breadmaker. I used to make loaves by hand but the machine does make it a little easier. Less romantic though... maybe I'll have a crack at making a nice seedy one like this.

Sasha said...

i certainly have my eye on this bread and i look forward to making it!

Jayne said...

Mmm looks delicious- I'm a huge fan of bread :) especially with heaps of seeds! Thanks for sharing ;)

Ellen said...

Hello!

Can you show us a picture of inside the loaf please? It looks so lovely from the outside that I'm curious :-)

Also, what size cast-iron pot do you need? These are expensive and hard to come by so I was wondering what type you use.

Thanks so much. Your blog is super lovely.

Sara/Matchbox Kitchen said...

I love all the seeds on top! Can't wait for the weather to cool down over here so I can bake some bread again.

Victoria said...

Love the top photo, it makes me really want to make bread and that is a task I never planned to attempt:)

Anonymous said...

love your blog soooo relaxing... it change´s my moods... that bread... yum yum...