Magic Bread Dough

Since I embarked upon my quest to make better food bread has been a big focus.  I started looking at ingredients in shop bought bread and before I had done much research at all I decided action was needed.  This is the second bread recipie I have tried so far and I love it... but this one is magic.

As much as I love making sourdough it takes it's own precious time and I know that finding the time to do all that's needed to make it can be a challenge.  To this end I decided to stretch my skills and this felt like a sensible way to stretch them.

This is Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall's Magic Bread Dough recipe and I bloody love it.  I am experimenting with different things to do to it and I will keep you updated.

This dough can be used for:

pizza bases,
flat breads,
rolls, (see below)
bread,  (see below)
bread sticks,
stuffed bread sticks (work in progress here), and,
pitta breads.

You can also freeze it (according to Hugh), I have some in the freezer at the moment so I will report back...

Enough waffle, let's make bread.  These are the shortest instructions ever...

Take 250g of plain flour, 250g of string white flour, 10g of salt, 5g of fast action yeast and 325ml of warm water.  Put all of these things in a bowl and combine them together.  Then knead till it comes together, it will be stciky but try not to add too much flour, just stick with it.  Once it's come together and you have put 10 or so minutes kneading into it leave it to prove in a warm, dry place for up to two hours, till it's doubled in size.  Knock it back and it's ready do do stuff to!  How easy was that?

For a loaf or rolls shape it now and leave to prove again till it's doubled in size and then bake.  For rolls take a squash ball sized lump and round it off, it will be a tennis ball size when it's proved.  Then bake them in the oven at 220 degrees C for up to 12 minutes till they sound hollow.  For a loaf shape it and prove it, then tip it onto a hot floured oven tray and put it in the 220 degrees Celsius oven for 25 minutes to start, and bake for longer if needed till it sounds hollow.

This is my new quick bread recipe.  You could make up the mixture at the start of the day, prove all day and then knock back and bake in the evening.  Easy!  Coming later on this week I will have an even quicker bread recipe for emergency eatings (but I need to decided which recipe I prefer, oh no!  I need to make more bread!) so keep your eyes peeled for that!  Enjoy!