Homemade Bread

It actually snowed today.

Snow.

Completely ridiculous.  The only solution seemed to be to have a nice indoorsy day, so after taking Margot some it's-snowing-have-a-treat porridge (Margot hates the snow and was busy sulking on her perch and trying to keep her toes warm),

I donned my huge woollen jumper and an extra pair of socks and filled the largest mug in the cupboard with hot hot tea.  Everything felt better at once.

I ticked all the boring admin-y jobs off my list and set to with some much funner projects....

...which sadly, I can't show you because they are completely and utterly a secret and you will have to wait a couple of weeks before you discover what has kept me so busy and got me so excited.  I can't wait!

I then made some bread, which I can tell you all about.  This is a very fab recipe Mummy gave me; she's been using it for years, it is fantastically easy and relatively (for bread) quick.  Just the thing to counter the frankly pathetic attempt at Spring - fill the house with a fab aroma of fresh bread and scoff hot buttery slices fresh from the oven.

It is also surprisingly good exercise; probably very good for reducing bingo wings.

I usually make 3 loaves at a time, then slice them and keep them in the freezer ready for the moment we get toast cravings. (Which happens alarmingly often...)

Basic Quick Bread

(makes one loaf)

1lb/450g strong bread flour (I like half brown, half white, but you could use all white, or mix wholemeal in too)

Optional extras - seeds, chopped nuts, bran, oats

1.25 tsps quick acting dried yeast

Large pinch salt

3tbsp oil

11floz/325ml  warm water

Put flour and yeast (and extras if using) in a bowl and mix together.

Add salt, oil and water.  Stir until it comes together, then turn out onto a clean surface and knead for 10 minutes.  Kneading activates the gluten in the flour and stretches it, making the dough soft and stretchy and the bread therefore light and airy.

Really go for it, the more you bash, squash, stretch and pummel, the better the bread, and the more guilt free slices you can eat!

 Shape the dough into a loaf and place in a greased tin.  If you don't have a loaf tin, just form a loaf/blob/plait etc and place on a flat tray.

Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place (airing cupboard is perfect) until risen and doubled in size.  This will take 1-2 hours, just keep checking it.

  When it's ready, bake for 25 minutes at 220 C in a preheated oven.  Tap the loaves on the bottom when they come out, they should sound hollow when they are cooked.  Leave to cool on a cooling rack covered with a tea towel.

Apparently you shouldn't eat it straight from the overn, but that has never stopped me hacking off several slices, the crust crisp and nutty, the inside soft, hot and steaming, covering them in butter and eating them as quickly as I can.

Also for some reason it makes the best sandwiches ever if you make them while the bread is still warm.  Soft blue or cream cheese with pickle and avocado or mashed hard boiled eggs with salad cream and lettuce work particularly well.

The perfect Spring-deficit antidote!