There's nothing more satisfying than a loaf of home made bread. On this occasion I used the Thermomix but the dough can easily be made in a bread machine or food mixer.
A flour I recently discovered at the supermarket is Cotswold Crunch which is a blend of strong white flour, malted wheat flakes and malt flour - I mixed this with white strong flour to ensure the loaf of bread is lovely and light.
The bread bakes and cuts well and is the perfect accompaniment to cheese.
Conventional Method in Italics
You will need:
350g white strong flour
150g Cotswold Crunch Flour
1 x sachet instant dried yeast
20g soft butter
10g salt
300ml tepid water
1. Tip the flour, instant dried yeast, butter, salt and water into the TM jug.
Place the flour, instant dried yeast, melted butter, salt and water into the bowl of the mixer.
2. Knead 6 minutes until the dough is elastic.
Place the dough hook on and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Leave the dough in the TM jug and let rise for 1 hour until double in size.
Oil a large bowl, add the dough, cover with cling film. Leave for approximately one hour until double in size.
4. Remove the dough from the jug and knock back. Shape into an oval.
5. Place the dough onto a floured tray, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave until double in size.
6. Preheat the Oven to 200°C.
7. Slash the bread three times with a very sharp knife.
8. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
