Potato and Rosemary Bread
(pictured above)
375g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
160g wholemeal bread flour
55g instant potato mash flakes
10g salt
11g fresh yeast
3g dried rosemary
365g tepid water
Makes two loaves
Method:
1. Place your flour, potato flakes, salt, yeast and rosemary in the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook attached. Add your water and start mixing at slow speed for approx four minutes. Now turn your speed to fast and mix eight minutes. Your dough should feel smooth and soft.
2. Tip your dough onto a lightly floured work surface shape to a ball and put into a large clean bowl. Cover this with a tea towel and leave to rest for approx one hour. The dough should double in size.
3. Place your dough on your lightly floured work surface again, knock it back and start to knead it by stretching the dough from its centre away from you and folding it over backwards towards you. Keep doing this until you have a fairly tight dough ball at which point all the air has been squeezed out which will ensure an even crumb in your finished loaf.
4. Divide your dough into half and gently form two round loaves.
5. Prepare a baking tray by lining it with baking parchment and place your loaves five to six inches apart on the tray.
6. Give your loaves a dusting of flour and cover the whole tray with a plastic sheet or clean plastic bag. Place your tray somewhere warm and allow your loaves to rise until they have doubled in size. Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
7. Once your loaves have doubled in size, uncover them and using a sharp paring knife, make some shallow cuts on top and bake them for 35 minutes or until golden brown. You can check that the loaves are baked through by tapping the bottom of the loaves. It should sound hollow!
8. Transfer loaves onto a wire rack to cool.
Multi Grain Wholemeal Bread
(pictured above)
Ingredients:
635g wholemeal bread flour
65g cracked wheat (soak in 65ml water overnight)
250g seed mixture (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower in equal amounts) plus extra for topping
12g salt
14g fresh yeast
520ml tepid water
Before you start or the day before, roast your seeds in the oven at 170 degrees for a few minutes and let them cool. This will make them more aromatic and flavorsome.
Makes two 20cm x 10cm loaf tins.
Method:
1. Place your flour, cracked wheat, seed mixture, salt and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook attached. Add your water and start mixing at slow speed for approx four minutes. Now turn your speed to fast and mix eight minutes. Your dough should feel smooth and soft.
2. Tip your dough onto a lightly floured work surface shape to a ball and put into a large clean bowl. Cover this with a tea towel and leave to rest for approx one hour. The dough should double in size.
3. Place your dough on your lightly floured work surface, knock it back and start to knead it by stretching the dough from its centre away from you and folding it over backwards towards you. Keep doing this until you have a fairly tight dough ball at which point all the air has been squeezed out which will ensure an even crumb in your finished loaf.
4. Divide your dough into half and form two cylinder-shaped pieces, big enough to fit into your tins.
5. Place some of your spare seed mixture on a plate and spray your dough pieces with a little bit of water. Now roll your dough pieces through the seeds. The water will make them stick. Then place your dough in your well-greased tins and set aside, covering them with a tea towel again for your final prove. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
6. Once doubled in size place your tins on the middle shelf in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
7. Once they are baked, using oven gloves, carefully take them out of the tins and cool on a wire rack.
Brioche
(pictured above)
460g white bread flour
9g salt
46g caster sugar
16g fresh yeast
6 medium sized eggs
185g soft butter
For the glaze: one egg yolk mixed with a little water
Makes two 20cm x 10cm tins
Method:
1. Place your flour, salt, caster sugar and yeast and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer that has a dough hook attached. Mix together on slow speed for five minutes, then switch to a medium/fast speed for another eight minutes. Your dough should be elastic and smooth.
2. Now add your soft butter and incorporate into the dough by using a medium speed for about three minutes until the butter is fully incorporated and evenly distributed. Your dough will feel soft and woolly.
3. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or cling film and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This rest in the refrigerator will give you that wonderful intense brioche flavor.
4. The next day, take the dough from the fridge and let it recover back to room temperature. Then knock the dough back and tip it on to a lightly floured work surface.
5. Divide your dough into two pieces, shape both into cylinders and place these in your well greased tins.
6. Brush the egg yolk/water mixture thinly on top of the dough, cover both tins with a tea towel and allow to prove until the dough has doubled in size.
7. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius and once your loaves have risen to double the original size, place your tins in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 25-30 minutes.
8. Cool on a wire rack