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8. Basic loaf of bread
A
fter trying all the recipes with just water, flour and some sort of fat, but no leavening agent, Mouse remarked: "it must mu be my turn now. We need a good solid bread recipe recipe.” “Do you have a br bread making machine?” Nitpicker asked surprised. “Pfff, I don’t need one.” Mouse replied proudly. “I am a purist, I d do it all by hand.” Not only does she love kneading, she also als loves a crust to chew on. One she only can achieve b by baking the bread in the oven. Mouse never knows know how much bread she will need so she usually bakes two loaves. One goes into the freezer, the other one stay stays in the bread box for immediate enjoyment. When the first loaf is almost gone, she takes the other one out of the freezer and by the time it is
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needed, it will be defrosted. Sometimes she bakes three times a week! It’s not really a big deal as the dough doesn’t need much handling and Mouse can get on with other things while it rises. “I'll write down my basic recipe” Mouse said as she put pen to paper. “Once you have done a few loaves you will become more adventurous with your breads. Feel free to experiment with different flours or add linseed or sunflower seeds to the mix. I personally like caraway seeds in my bread. It helps digestion but it’s not everybody's kettle of fish.” “So what should I watch out for when altering the flour and adding extras?” asked Nitpicker, who like so many of the Dedes feels unsure when instructions are too vague. “You need to have a good amount of glutenous flour, ie. white flour or wholemeal flour, rye flour, spelt or barley. Gluten has a bad reputation but it is important for the dough to rise, and it gives it shape and a chewy texture. So don’t replace all the flour with gluten free types. This simply doesn't work! Though you can of course add some gluten free ones, for example buckwheat or rice flour."
Stages of yeast becoming active
“And then you have to give it a nice warm place and time to rise. You also need to be aware that your yeast might vary from the brand I am using and might behave slightly differently. For example, some dry yeasts can be mixed straight into the flour. The brand I use contains nothing but dried active yeast and salt and I definitely get the best results when I allow it to become active by foaming it in liquid first." "The same company that produces my yeast puts out a special yeast for breadmaking. But listen, this breadmaking yeast also contains wheat flour, emulsifiers (481, 472e), flour treatment agent (ascorbic acid), sugar, vegetable oil and enzymes, as well as yeast. Personally, I am very happy with my result and others love it too, so I don’t see the need to add all this extra stuff to it. I recommend you try the recipe by the book and if the result isn’t quite what you expect, make some slight changes next time. If the final product clearly tastes yeasty, use less yeast. If it doesn’t rise much, you might want to give it some extra time, your place might not be warm enough, or you might to want add more yeast. Just don’t give up. There is simply nothing more delicious than homemade bread."
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29 risen a decent amount (it will continue to rise although not as fast).
Ingredients 5 cups of white flour and 2 cups of wholemeal flour, 2 teaspoons of dry yeast, 3 cups of water, salt (optional). Water to brush on the loaves. Note: the proportions of the two types of flour are not important as long as they combine to 7 cups. Use more wholemeal for a heavier bread and more white flour for a lighter one.
Method Combine the two flours in a large bowl by mixing thoroughly with a fork. Make a well in the middle and add 1 cup of lukewarm water and the yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes until the yeast has turned into a pasty foam. Then mix the foamy water and flour together and mix in the rest of the water. Transfer to a flat surface and knead thoroughly for 5 to 10 minutes. Place the dough back in the bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and let it sit in a warm place. The dough will rise to double its size, so it is important you have a big enough bowl. Let it sit for roughly an hour or longer if you want. However if you leave it too long, the dough will cave in again and will not work as well when baked. If you want to leave it overnight and bake in the morning, put it in the fridge after it has
Preheat the oven to 210oC Take the dough out of the bowl and knead again. If desired, add salt and seeds at this stage. Sprinkle flour on a baking tray. Divide the dough into two loaves and place them side by side on the tray. Let the loaves rise for another 10-15 minutes until they have visibly enlarged again. The oven should have heated up to the right temperature during this time. Brush the loaves with water (this will give the bread a crust). Cut the surface diagonally with a sharp knife. I also place a water-filled ramekin on the baking tray so the steam makes the crust extra crunchy. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
To make the bread extra tasty and nutritious, add half a cup of linseeds or sunflour seeds when you knead for the last time.
“P
ity” said Devil. “I was hoping you would give us your really yummy sour dough bread recipe. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate here, as sour dough is nothing but water and flour?” “Yes,” said Mouse, “you are right, but a sour dough starter takes a few days to develop as it works with wild yeasts from the environment, therefore it is a bit more unpredictable. Also, you need to use rye flour. We'll leave that for now and take the short cut.”
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9. Soda bread
“T
hat, my dear, sounds like rather a lot work for a loaf of bread” said Snotty Nosed Prince. But Mouse waived aside his concerns “No, honestly, it isn’t that bad. I put the dough on before the movie starts and I continue in the breaks. I don’t have to watch the dough, or the adverts for that matter. Suits me well.” “But you can’t quickly whip up a loaf should you get unexpected guests, can you?” Snotty Nosed Prince pointed to a loaf that was sitting in the middle of the table. “Look, my Soda bread is ready to be consumed in 40 minutes and – even better – it doesn’t have yeast in it.” Mouse became suddenly very interested as she is aware that quite a few people try to avoid yeasts The loaf looked indeed very hearty. She came a little closer and knocked on it. It sounded hollow under the crust. “So how do you make it?” “It’s an old Irish recipe from my wet nurse” Snotty Nosed Prince said proudly. “The only draw back is you have to eat it on the day. But to be honest, who could resist!” Mouse studied the recipe “I see you use buttermilk in it” she said surprised. “What is that supposed to do?” “That is an additional leavening agent. You know it makes the bread lighter. It
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is not one of the basic ingredients you have always in the fridge, so if you don’t have any at hand, use normal milk and put lemon juice or vinegar in it. I personally prefer lemon juice.”
Ingredients 1 cup plain white flour, 2 cups wholemeal flour, plus a little extra to sprinkle, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 300 ml buttermilk or alternatively normal milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice added.
Method
Make a well in the centre and pour the liquid in. Using your index finger, stir until the flour and the liquid combine to a soft dough. Then move it to a lightly floured work surface and knead quickly and lightly to a dough that holds together. Don’t overwork the dough, otherwise the bread gets too hard. Form a ball and place on a greased baking sheet. Flatten it ever so slightly. Cut a deep cross in the top of the loaf (about half way). Sprinkle a little extra wholemeal flour over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until well risen and browned. Test by tapping on the base, if it sounds hollow, it is done. If it sounds dull and heavy, bake for a further 3–5 minutes and then test it again.
Preheat the oven to 2000C.
Cool on a wire rack and eat the same day.
Put white and wholemeal flours, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix well with a fork.
This bread goes very well with soups, for example a creamy pumpkin or carrot soup. It is also nice buttered and with honey. If you have some left over, you can toast it the next day.
“O
h yes, the bread was easy to make,” admitted Mouse, exhausted. “But it took ages to get a reasonable picture with the prince and his loaf. He just didn’t want to smile.”
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10. Best buns
“I
can’t eat any anything wholemeal” remarked Granddad Max and pointed tto his dentures. Everybody looked at him. He has this most am amazing smile. Nobody quite understood why shoul interfere with his false teeth. Witch standing wholemeal should right behind him, shook her head, and mouthed so only the others could see, “excuses, excuses” then added under her jus not used to it." In his defence, it wasn't breath, “he is just wh he grew up. Back then it was believed the done thing when the whiter, the m more refined, the better. And that is what his tun into. Old habits die hard. tastebuds are tuned Mous turned to Granddad Max “the Soda bread is a "Yeah right" Mouse t bit tough on the teeth.” She put her arm around him and asked w interested, “so what is your favourite recipe then?” cooke a thing in my life, you know, the kitchen was “I’ve never cooked doma God bless her,” he said, “though I would Grandma’s domain. love to try the buns that Witch described on the blog a while ago. They loo looked so good and sounded so simple.” “Do you have the recipe, old man? Lets have a go tog together” suggested Mouse. Granddad Max rumm rummaged through his pockets and produced a prin print-out of the recipe, smoothed it out and placed it on the table in front of Mouse. Mouse read care carefully shaking her head slightly and then said “firs rst of all, we have to make it a bit shorter than that. Witch does waffle a bit.” You should have seen the lo look Witch gave Mouse after that comment. Mou Mouse took her red editing pen and crossed out hal half the recipe, pleased with her work she started to m make the buns. It didn't take long and she rea realised the dough was too dry. Of course this di didn't faze the experienced Mouse. She just a added a little bit more water. Though she had tto ask Witch whether she actually had tried the r recipe before she published it.
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Ingredients 2½ cups of flour, 1 cup of warm water and 1 teaspoon of dry yeast. (makes approx 8 buns)
“Of course I did” said Witch. “I usually start with a drier dough and add water little by little until it feels right.” “You have to be a bit more careful with your descriptions, Witch.” Mouse scolded her. “The readers might not know what feels right! I have changed the recipe slightly, so it should work now.“ “But don't forget, with a yeast dough, it is easier to add water than to add flour” Witch defended herself. “I find, if the dough is a tad too moist, one just has to knead it longer. Generally the flour will take up the excess water” replied Mouse. "On dear," lamented Granddad Max "How shall I know what to do, when not even the experts agree." "Watch and learn" said Mouse and Witch in unison.
Method Pour flour into a bowl, make a well in the middle and add half the water and add the yeast. Let sit for 1o to 15 minutes so the yeast becomes active. Add the rest of the water and knead to a dough, first in the bowl, then on a flat surface. Knead very thoroughly for five minutes. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and put in a warm place to let it rise until it has doubled in size. In a cooler place this process will take longer, but it will happen. Preheat oven to 200 0C. While the oven is heating up, knead the dough again and divide into 8 balls. Place the balls on baking paper on a tray (or on a silicon mat as it can be reused again and again) and let it rise again. 10 minutes should be enough or until the oven is properly preheated. Brush the buns with water, then cut a cross with a sharp knife in the top of each one. Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. (Not for Granddad Max though, he added with a smile and pointed at his dentures) Bake for 20 minutes.
Make sure the water isn't too hot! Heat kills the yeast