Everyone loves the smell of freshly baked bread
For a lot of people, it evokes memories from their childhood
Realtors/Estate Agents even recommend baking bread just before a viewing, as it makes potential housebuyers like the place more
Below is my recipe for a 50/50 loaf
50% wholemeal flour/50% plain white flour
It still has a lot of the goodness of wholemeal bread, but holds together almaost as well as a white bread
Ingredients
250g/9oz wholemeal flour
250g/9oz plain white flour (all purpose), plus some extra for dusting while kneading
25ml/1 fl oz vegetable oil, plus a little extra for greasing
300ml/10 fl oz warm water (2:1 cold:boiling)
7g/¼oz fast acting yeast
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp table salt
Method
Place the flours, salt, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl
Add the oil, and then gradually add the water, mixing all of the time, until you have a soft dough
This dough should be tacky, rather than sticky
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes, until it is quite elastic
When you stretch it, it should try to return to its normal shape
Plase the dough into a large, greased bowl, cover with some clingfilm, or a damp tea towel, and leave to prove (rise) in a warm place for around 90 minutes
Lightly oil a 2lb loaf tin, approx 22cm x 11cm
Then turn out the dough onto a lighly floured surface and ‘knock back’ the dough
This just means knead it again for 2-3 minutes, to equalise the size of the air bubbles in the dough
Shape into a ‘log’ sort of shape, and place into the oiled loaf tin
Cover loosely with some oiled clingfilm, and allow to prove again for a further 30 minutes in a warm place
Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6
Uncover the dough and score a line down the centre with a sharp blade, such as a stanley knife or a craft knife
Place in centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown
The loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
If it doesn’t, return to the oven for a further 5 minutes
Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack