Simple: White Loaf

Inspired by The Skint Foodie (one of my new favourite blogs), i decide to tackle a simple loaf of bread… actually I had reservations about how good the bread would turn out, as baking bread.. I am pretty out of practice… but wow did my expectations exceed me!

I adapted a classic recipe from Delia for my loaf, I hunted high and low for my bread tin, but nowhere to be found so instead I decided to go rustic and shape mine in to an oval folding the corners in underneath to create my shape. For my recipe I substituted the sugar for honey and used much less salt than advised 🙂

Bread Baking Sunday: Wholemeal Loaf

There is nothing more yummy than a house full with the smell of freshly baked bread. The best thing about your own bread is that you have created it yourself, you know what’s in it and a feeling of accomplishment.  Bread is one of my biggest vices, I remember when I was a student in Manchester there was a really great German bakery nearby and I would go there a buy a different type of bread each time and make a big chunky soup. However the bread was so delicious on many occasions I would seem to eat the whole loaf in one sitting (^-^)

What You need:

15g yeast, 570g wholemeal flour, 600ml warm water, 2 tablespoons of sea salt, 1 tablespoon of caster sugar.

First place your flour in a container in the oven on a low heat for 5 minutes and let it warm up. Prepare your yeast if it is a dried yeast at this time. Now take the warm flour and add it to a mixing bowl, stir in the sugar and the salt evenly and then the yeast, followed by the water. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined well and transfer onto a floured surface. Spread the dough into a rectangle and then fold one side into the centre and the other side over. Now in a lightly oiled loaf tin place the dough inside and press down around the edges and then dust with flour. Cover over the loaf with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 40mins.

Preheat the oven to 200c.

Once the dough has risen, place the loaf tin on the middle tray of the oven and bake for 40mins. Then turn out the bread and place back into the oven for 5 minutes upside down to crisp up the bottom and the sides. Cool on a rack and the serve.

Lashings of butter.

Café Mocha Walnut Cake

Chocolate and coffee are always a great mix, especially when it comes to cake. This cake combines walnuts and coffee with a thick chocolate frosting top, dusted with cocoa. Perfect to slice  and share with friends.

What you need:

175g light brown sugar, 175g, self raising flour, 175g soft unsalted butter, 3 eggs, 50g of chopped walnuts, two heaped tsp of coffee diluted or one espresso shot, 1 tsp baking powder. On Top: chocolate frosting (melted chocolate, butter and icing sugar creamed together), half walnuts.

Preheat the oven to 180c

Simply cream together the sugar and butter until combined well, add in the flour and baking powder, sieved, the eggs,  chopped walnuts and coffee. Mix together until you form a light brown cake batter. Spoon into a cake tin. For this one I chose a loaf tin for easy slicing. Place in the oven for 30mins or until the cake is springy. Let it cool and top with chocolate frosting and half walnuts.

Nice to share.