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Making bread is a real joy, and one that a lot of people have turned to during this covid crisis as a way of enjoying the kitchen.
I know that when I bake bread, I feel grounded and assured. There is something unexplainable about the feeling of calmness that comes over you- perhaps its wrapped up in our ancient DNA experiencing the warm sensation of cooking bread over an open fire.
I know that when I bake bread, I feel grounded and assured. There is something unexplainable about the feeling of calmness that comes over you- perhaps its wrapped up in our ancient DNA experiencing the warm sensation of cooking bread over an open fire.
Baking bread no only relieves stress, but produces some beautiful loaves for all the family to enjoy. Sweet, savory, crusty, chewy and everything in between. Everyone has a bread they love.
But if you are thinking of getting into bread-making, it can be intimidating. That’s why I created this short read for you to get started. Once you master these easy breads, you can make your way to sourdough! One step at a time.
In this article, we will look at some easy recipes that you can try out when you are just getting started with making bread.
Simple Tin Loaf
This is the first loaf that many people will try making, and it is a very easy one to start out with.
Generally you just need around 400-500g of bread flour, a sachet of dried active yeast, a little salt, and some water – probably around 300ml, but it depends on a number of factors and you have to just see how much you need each time. Add the water slowly and mix with your hands until you form a rough dough which is not too wet. Then it’s kneading – usually for around 15 minutes – and leaving to rise. Then you need to shape it and put it in the tin to bake for around half an hour.
Pretzels
If you now want to try something a little more complex, and you have been enjoying some of the baked goods from esprovisions.com, you might want to think about trying your hand at pretzels.
These are a little trickier but nonetheless something that an average home cook can easily achieve if they set their mind to it. The most difficult part for most people is trying to shape them right, but with a little practice you should be able to do so soon enough.
The mix is flour, salt, butter and yeast, with milk and sometimes malt extract. Then you need to knead again – and when it’s ready and proved, shape and bake. Take a look at a good bread cookbook for help on the shaping.
Cob Loaf
The other main simple bread that people tend to cook is a cob loaf, which is simply a round loaf that is cooked on a baking tray rather than in a tin. See bakewithjack.co.uk for more on this.
The mixture is more or less the same as for the tin loaf, except that you might want to use more flour to create a bigger loaf. You can really play around with it however you like.
When you are shaping, you need to fold it in repeatedly into a ball and then bring both palms underneath the ball and pull the dough under itself again and again, until the top of the ball is tight and taut.
Then it is ready to rise a second time and go in the oven to bake.
In Summary
Hope you got your hands floured up with one of these recipes and start enjoying the healing powers of baking bread. There is nothing like seeing your precious loaf of bread rise and bake in the oven. Even after years of baking, it is complete joy and amazement on how it happens.
I know you will experience the joy, too, when you try one of these bread recipes.
I know you will experience the joy, too, when you try one of these bread recipes.
If you’re ready to tackle the more challenging sourdough, read here.
