white

Nothing beats the smell of a fresh loaf baking in the oven. In my opinion you cannot beat a soft white loaf covered with poppy seeds, slathered in butter and jam or toasted as big doorsteps the day after making it.

My first childhood memory of baking was with my dad. I was probably around 7-8 years old and he had decided to start bread making. As this was well before the internet, I to this day have no idea where he got the recipe from. I would guess by the outcome it was from the local brick maker! The loaf that came out of the tin had the same density of lead. We decided to offer it to the birds, even they struggled to break through the impenetrable crust. Our dawn chorus for weeks after was birds tweeting with lisps whilst their poor little beaks recovered!

A good few years later I am glad to say we can now bake a lovely soft and light loaf.

Makes: 1 small loaf
Oven Temp: Gas 6, 400F, 200C (180C Fan)

Ingredients
225g white bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fast acting yeast
1 teaspoon caster sugar (or honey)
150 ml luke warm water
30g butter (melted) or olive oil
A little extra flour for dusting
A little oil for greasing the loaf tin
1 egg to glaze
Poppy seeds optional
1 loaf tin

Instructions
1.Sift flour into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached.
2.Add the yeast and sugar to one side of the bowl. Add the salt to the other side of the bowl. This helps stop the yeast being retarded by the salt.
3.Make a well in the centre and add in the water and cooled melted butter.
4.Mix together well and bring to a ball. You do not want an over dry dough or it will not rise well. I prefer my dough on the slightly wetter side at this point as when you start kneading you can add a little flour to bring it to a smooth and silky consistency.
5. Knead for 10 minutes by hand or 7 minutes in a stand mixer with a dough hook.
6. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, gather into a ball and put it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a bag and leave it to rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size.
7. Once doubled in size it is time to ‘knock it back’ Basically just punch all the air out of it and knead for 30 seconds.
8. Shape the dough to fit your loaf tin. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and leave to rise until doubled again.
9. Preheat oven to 200C/180C Fan.
10. Carefully egg wash the top of the loaf and sprinkle with a little salt (or poppy seeds if using). Do not let the egg wash touch the tin as that will make removing it very hard.
11. Bake for around 30 mins until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe adapted from Leiths Baking Bible.