Hello!
I will keep this short and concise as possible. First bread up is the 'Italian Bread'. It's a heavily deconstructed version AKA as simple as possible, that is a mixture of two online ones that I found and ended up with the result below, that so many of you have been kind enough to compliment me on many many times!
Hopefully this is clear enough for any of you to try. Cups need to be level filled.
Honestly make sure your oven is at the correct temperature/preheated in plenty of time ready for it to go in (say 15 mins prior), and you are good to go!
*OPTIONAL WILD FOOD ADDITION NOTES ARE UNDER THE RECIPE BELOW*
Ingredients:
All purpose/plain flour 5-6 cups
1 and 1/2 tablespoons dry yeast (or two 7g packets)
1/2 cup WARM water THS IS IMPORTANT! TEPID/BODY TEMPERATURE, NOT HOT WATER.
1/2 teaspoon any sugar/honey
3 tablespoons of any sugar/honey (I've even used syrup or jam! It all mixes in just fine.
2 cups HOT NOT BOILING water
1 level tablespoon salt (always go under rather than over if you aren't sure)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Pour your 1/2 cup of warm water to a mug or glass.
Add the yeast and sugar, mix with a fork a bit.
In a mixing bowl add three cups of your flour, the two cups of hot water, the three tablespoons of sugar and your 1/2 cup of oil and the salt.
Mix this all with a spatula or spoon.
Add your yeast mix that by now should be bubblin' away.
Add two more cups of flour (you should have one cup left to add in if needed)
You can continue to 'knead' it with the spoon or, if you wish to by hand then do, I never do til the end for just a short amount of time.
If it's really sticky add as much of the extra cup as you like, just try to not over add it.
Cover with clingfilm loosely and leave sit wherever you like for an hour, on a cold winter's day I pop it near a radiator.
Turn it out onto a floured worktop, then cut it into two loaf portions.
Shape each however you wish and place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof.
PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 200c/400f
Leave for a second prove of around half an hr or until doubled in size.
Place on the middle shelf and check after fifteen minutes, rotating if necessary and cover with foil if not quite cooked after around twenty minutes baking time, checking if unsure with a thin knife or skewer to see if it comes out clean=cooked.
** For adding in wild foods etc I find this method very forgiving even when adding quite a lot of fresh greens etc. The ones below are with wild garlic, common hogweed and spent grain and contained roughly two good handfuls of these added to the original recipe at stage three.
You can make other shapes of course or use a loaf tin, I just like the rustic look of the free forms that you can do!
I've glazed many of these with some of a friend's Pinecone honey-(thanks Caroline!), just a few moments before removing from the oven.
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