A loaf but with a twist

It was my friend’s birthday the other day so I thought I’d make her something. Since I’m into making bread I thought I would make her a little homemade loaf. The only thing is, a loaf is a bit of a boring way to say happy birthday. So I thought I would add a little sweetener to make it a bit more interesting. Since I’m a student I turned to my cupboard to see what interesting things I could put in my loaf and that’s when I found honey.

 

Despite the fact that it’s got honey in it, this loaf is still savoury but the honey adds a little hint of sweetness at the end so it goes great with cheese or just butter. My flatmate and I even had some with some chorizo and it was delicious!

 

This recipe makes to smallish loaves:

 

400g strong white flour

20g butter

7g yeast

1 and ½ table spoons of honey

5g salt

260ml water

 

Mix together the flour, yeast,salt,butter and honey. Gradually pour in the water. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes until it feels elastic and springy. Leave to prove in an oiled bowl for 1 hour.

Once proved, knock the dough back and divide into 2 pieces. Shape the dough into small baguette type shapes. (Or any shape you want!). Leave on a baking tray to prove for 30 minutes.

Once they have risen a little bit, place in a pre-heated oven at 220° for 20 minutes. They should look golden brown on top and be hollow sounding. Enjoy!

 

Soda bread- quick to make, quick to be eaten!

Soda Bread is such a quick and no fuss bread. The great thing is that you will almost certainly have all the ingredients in your cupboard too! Soda bread is made with just plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and milk. However I have seen recipes asking for ‘buttermilk’ but as a student buttermilk is a slight extravagance!

The recipe is as follows:
250g plain white flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
200ml milk

I love making soda bread. It’s such a different taste to normal bread. Plus when I’m in a hurry I still have time to make it.

You just need to simply add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix gently into a soft dough. Place on a floured surface and mould the dough into a ball. Place on a floured baking tray and pop in a pre heated oven for 30 minutes at 200°.

And there you have a loaf ready to be eaten! You can keep it in the freezer sliced up for up to 3 months, or eat within a couple of days.

nann bread, Order up!

Most days I walk back home from university. To do this I have to walk down the curry mile in Manchester. I love the smells down this road however it makes me crave curry so much! More specifically, it makes me crave naan bread so much! The only problem is that nann bread is quite expensive and the ones from takeaway curry houses tend to be quite unhealthy.

So I decided to make some myself. Real naan is quite difficult to make so I found a recipe that is slightly cheating but it is healthier, quicker and makes delicious bread.

Naan bread is just made up of flour, yeast, salt, oil and water. The following recipe makes 2 medium-sized naan breads.

125g strong white flour
about 3g yeast
½ tp salt
1 tsp olive oil
100ml water

Simply add all the ingredients together and knead for about 5-10 minutes. The dough is quite wet so be patient! You then just need to leave the dough to double in size, this takes about an hour. Once risen, knock the dough back and divide into 2 pieces.

Leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Pre heat your oven at 220°. Place the pieces of dough on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden on top. Once cooked you can easily freeze them and they’re keep for a good 3 months. Enjoy!