Cheesy Puns and Cheese-Free Bread

On Bread.



Bread is the food.

Bread is somewhat of a basic human right. It is one of the foods which is pretty much universal around the globe, and as such I think it is high time I devote some column inches to it. Baking my own bread is one of my favourite things to do in the kitchen, as it is always delicious and satisfying.

There's lots one can do with bread, and the recipe below outline the basic method of baking a traditional risen loaf.

Basic Bread

500g Strong White Bread Flour
20g Fresh Yeast (or 7g Dry fast-yeast)
60g Olive Oil
Pinch of Salt

1. Rub the oil and salt into the flour. If using fresh yeast, crumble it into the flour and rub through with your fingers.

2. If using dried yeast, mix with a little warm water and a pinch of sugar, then add to the dry ingredients.

3. Add about 150-200ml of warm water, and mix the ingredients to a dough. Add a little more flour if it is too wet, or a splash more water if it is too dry.

4. On a clean, floured surface, knead the dough thoroughly for about 10 minutes. Put the dough into a covered container and allow to rise for about an hour. If you're not adding anything else to the bread, you can allow it to rise on a tray or loaf tin and bake directly after it has risen.

5. Take the risen dough, and knead it once more. If you are adding something to the bread, add it now and knead it in.

6. Put the dough into your loaf tin or on a baking tray, allow to rise for roughly an hour, and bake at 200C/390F for about 35 minutes.

7. Allow it to cool , and serve warm with lots of butter (or margarine for our Vegan friend)

Possible additions to the dough are caramelised onion, olive or sundried tomato (all of which are shown below).






Happy baking!