Simple bread using a bread machine

Fail-safe bread recipe

This is an absolute fail-safe bread recipe. It’s so easy and so satisfying. It’s an adaptation of a recipe given to me by my niece, Anna.

So long as you use strong bread flour, you can use any combination of grain you fancy: kamut (also known as khorasan), rye and spelt are all great, high-protein alternatives to wheat flour. I regularly use 100% kamut, 100 %rye or 100% wholemeal wheat… and I also regularly upend the remainder of multiple packets of different flour to make up the necessary quantity.

For a lighter loaf try half strong white with half kamut, rye or spelt. To be honest, when it’s homemade and you know exactly what’s in the mix, I don’t even bat an eyelid at making 100% white for the children.

I use a bread machine to mix and prove the dough, then I like to give it a bit of a knead by hand and second prove in a loaf tin, before baking in the oven.

For an even simpler recipe, you can do it all in the bread machine. (I just don’t like the tall thin loaf shape I get from my bread machine by doing it that way.) Details of both methods follow…

Ingredients

• 310ml luke-warm filtered water
• 1 heaped tsp sea salt
• 2 tblsp brown sugar
• 2 tblsp oil (I use avocado, but rice bran or good old olive are fine too)
• 1 medium organic egg
• 600g strong bread flour – a good starting mix is 300g organic kamut (I use Dove’s Farm Khorasan), 300g organic white spelt (I use Sharpham Park)
• 2 tsp quick yeast (I use Dove’s Farm)

Equipment

• Measuring spoons
• Measuring jug
• Scales
• Bread machine with dough setting
• 2 lb loaf tin
• Loaf tin liner (I use a Bake-O-Glide loaf tin liner which I have cut slightly to perfectly fit my tin)

Method – to make dough in machine and bake in oven

• Preheat oven to 160°C – If using an AGA, as I do, you’re going to use the baking oven, and there’s no need to preheat.
• Place all ingredients unceremoniously into the bread making dish in order: water, salt, sugar, oil, egg, then tip in the flour and sprinkle the yeast on top.
• Switch bread maker to dough setting. This will mean your machine mixes and kneads, then warms the dough to prove, or rise. Mine takes just over an hour to get to the point of readiness. Don’t leave it longer or it gets dry on top.
• When the dough has risen take it from the machine and place it on a very lightly floured surface.
• Knead the dough by pressing and stretching it, folding it over and over onto itself. Here’s a simple “how-to” video if you’re not sure how to knead… have a watch, give it a whirl, it’s not that tricky! Modern yeast is so stable and effective that a few minutes of first-time kneading will be fine to do the job.
• Shape your dough to fit the bread tin: roll it onto a smooth sausage shape and pat the ends so it’s about the same size as the loaf tin.
• 

  After the second prove… risen again beautifully in the tin, ready to bake…

  Fit the loaf tin liner into the tin.

• Slip the dough into the liner, in the tin.
• Cover the dough with a clean, damp tea-towel and leave in a warm place to rise again.
• After 30 minutes, it should be well risen and ready to bake.
• Gently cover the loaf tin and dough with foil, being careful not to squash or knock the air out of the dough.
• Place in oven and set timer for 30 minutes
• Check bread after 30 minutes by removing the foil and tapping lightly on the top of the bread. It should be firm to touch and make a hollow sound.
• Put bread back in over for 5-10 minutes to develop the crust.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool fully on a wire cooling rack.
• Slice and store somewhere cool and dry, or freeze for toasting.

Stripped bare loaf of bread! Ready to slice and eat…

Method – to make bread in bread machine

• Place all ingredients unceremoniously into the bread making dish in order: water, salt, sugar, oil, egg, then tip in the flour and sprinkle the yeast on top.
• Refer to the instructions for your individual machine for preparation and baking. Most have options such as loaf size (small or large), flour options (white or wholemeal), crust colour (dark or light) and then other options such as quick loaves, delayed cooking etc. For this recipe, use the large loaf and wholemeal flour settings, unless you have used anything other than 100% white flour.
• Shut the lid and leave the magic to happen.

Let me know how your loaf goes – do you like kamut? Rye? Stoneground wholemeal?  Which mix works best for you and your family? I’d love to see photo’s if you fancy sharing. Tag @stripped.bare.fashion on instagram or email me at kate@strippedbarefashion.com and I’ll add you to my story x