We went to the ‘Taste of Durban’ food fair the other week and so got our
hands on some Durban Pale Ale from Robertsons brewery – a perfect shandy base. As a result, on Sunday I made a Cottage
Loaf and went Ploughmans crazy. A
Cottage Loaf is a highly old school English loaf and is completely delicious,
doughy white bread shaped so that the only way to cut it is in hunks like a
cake.
Wonderfully the dough stays pretty
fresh for a few days which is always a bonus.
Ingredients
720 g white bread flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
10 g instant yeast
60 ml sunflower oil
500 ml warm water
milk for brushing
Method
1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl,
then add the oil and water. Stir
to form a sticky dough then tip out onto a floured work surface.
2. Knead the dough until smooth (about 10 minutes) then
place in an oiled bowl covered with oiled cling film in a warm place to double
in size.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C and oil a baking tray.
4. Knock the dough back down to size then divide it into two
pieces one being twice the size of the other.
Shape each into a smooth ball.
Place the larger dough ball on the tray, top with the smaller. Flour your index
finger and then press it into the centre of the smaller dough ball and down
into the larger.
5. Brush the dough gently with milk and pop in the oven for
35-40 minutes or until golden and the base sounds hollow when tapped.
6. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
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