Seeded White Loaf. Simple and Delicious.

Now I live in the deepest, darkest African countryside it is much quicker for me to bake fresh bread than to mission it to the shops.  Actually, when I come to think about it, if you take supermarket navigation and the inevitable queue into account, it probably always is easier and quicker to bake your own bread.

Not only is baking your own bread easier and quicker than going to the shops, there a sort of self satisfied joy that is unique to baking a loaf.  Both sweet-toothers and savoury lovers will be super-ly impressed when the smell of freshly baked bread wafts through the house, and unlike the shop bought stuff your bread won't be packed with alien sounding ingredients.  

This is a simple all-in-one recipe.  It uses white bread flour or 'strong' flour which has a high gluten content and can be bought in all supermarkets.  This simply means that the dough will hold its shape rather than flowing everywhere when the yeast does its business.  If you don't have the exact seed mix that I specify then improvise with whatever you have lying around, you could even throw in some nuts and/or raisins/sultanas.

Ingredients (makes 1 large loaf)

500 g strong plain flour

7 g sachet instant yeast

1 tsp salt

up to 350 ml warm water (you shouldn't be able to feel the water with your hand i.e. it should be 'blood temperature' as my old cooking teacher explained)

150g mix poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds

2 tbsp milk

sunflower oil and flour for greasing

Method

1. Mix the flour, yeast, seeds and salt in a large bowl.  

2. Gradually add the water mixing the dough with a dinner knife and then your hand until it forms a slightly sticky dough.

3. Tip the dough onto a floured work surface and knead (i.e. pummel its lights out!) for 10 minutes or until its soft and smooth.  If you are lucky enough to have a mixer then use the dough hook to do the hard work for you.

4. Lightly oil the bowl and place the dough inside, cover with oiled cling film (the oiled side on the inside) and place in a warm spot until doubled in size.  

5. Turn your oven to 220C and knock back the dough to its original size.  Shape into whatever shape you fancy - I made little balls and tucked them into a loaf tin but you could plait the dough, make buns, make a long slug like shape.  Make sure you oil and lightly flour the baking tray or loaf tin before you place the buns/loaf on top/inside.

6. Cover again with the cling film and allow to rise again.

7. Brush the top with the milk, sprinkle over extra seeds if you fancy and pop in the oven for 20 minutes (less if you are making buns) or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the base.  For an added crunch spray some water in the oven when you pop the bread in - the steam helps somehow.

Allow to cool on a rack then serve.