A Toast to the New Year!
Christmas is just the best time of year. It’s a cliché, but I bloody love it. For me, Christmas Eve was spent down the pub with many friends and a lot o’ alcohol, and the next day was full of food and gifts. One of those gifts included Paul Hollywood’s How to Bake book (of course) which I’d wanted for months. So to practise my bread making skills I spent a few mornings kneading, proving and baking. The first loaf had so much potential, smooth, silky and elastic – except after an hour of proving it ‘proved’ that I had used the wrong yeast. Sod it. However, my second attempt at baking the white cob went well. The dough doubled in size and produced a delicious crust that trapped a warm, soft centre.
The fam soon devoured it for breakfast and the following day it was gone. Try it toasted with lashings of butter and your favourite spread. My choice, peanut butter and jam!
A few days later I decided to make a flavoured bread. In the festive spirit, I chose Paul’s Cranberry and Stilton loaf. Originally it was supposed to present a twirl shape, much like a snail’s shell (appetising). But for some reason, I’m not sure if it was because of the way it proved or something along those lines, but my twirl had merged into a basic cob shape. Still, it tasted divine!
So as I clearly need to keep practising, this ‘unfortunately’ means that a lot of bread will be consumed this January. So long New Year’s diet!
White Cob
Ingredients 500g/1lb 1oz strong white bread flour, plus a little extra flour for finishing 40g/1½oz soft butter 12g/2 sachets fast action dried yeast 10g/2tsp salt About 300ml tepid water (warm not cold - about body temperature) A little olive or sunflower oil Additional cold water, for creating steam in the oven
You'll also need: Large mixing bowl Flat baking tray Old roasting tin Clean tea towel Baking parchment or silicone paper (not greaseproof)
Method
1. Put the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the butter. Add the yeast to one side of the bowl and add the salt to the other - the salt will kill the yeast if they come into direct contact. Stir all the ingredients with a spoon to combine. 2. Add half of the water and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add water a little at a time, combining well, until you’ve picked up all of the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all of the water, or you may need to add a little more - you want a dough that is well combined and soft, but not sticky or soggy. Mix with your fingers to make sure all of the ingredients are combined and use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl. Keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough. 3. Use about a teaspoon of oil to lightly grease a clean work surface (using oil instead of flour will keep the texture of the dough consistent). Put your dough onto the greased work surface. 4. Fold the far edge of the dough into the middle, then turn the dough by a quarter turn and repeat. Do this several times until the dough is very lightly coated in olive oil. 5. Now use your hands to knead the dough. Push the dough out in one direction with the heel of your hand, then fold it back on itself, turn the dough a quarter turn and repeat. Kneading in this way stretches the gluten and makes the dough elastic. Do this for about 4 or 5 mins until the dough is smooth and stretchy. 6. Clean and lightly oil your mixing bowl and put the dough back into it. Cover with a damp tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and leave it on one side to prove. This gives the yeast time to work and the dough will double in size. This should take about an hour, but will vary depending on the temperature of your room. 7. Line a baking tray with baking parchment or silicone paper. Once the dough has doubled in size you can scrape it out of the bowl to shape it. The texture should be bouncy and shiny. Put it onto a lightly floured surface and knock it back - use your hand to roll the dough up, then turn by a quarter turn and roll it up again. Repeat several times. Then use your hands to gently turn and smooth it into a round loaf shape. 8. Place onto the lined baking tray, cover with a tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and leave to prove again until it’s doubled in size. This will take about an hour, but may be quicker or slower depending on how warm your kitchen is. 9. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan assisted)/425°F/gas mark 7. Put an old, empty roasting tin into the bottom of the oven. 10. After an hour the loaf should have risen again. Sprinkle some flour on top and very gently rub it in. Use a large, sharp knife to make shallow cuts about 1cm deep across the top of the loaf to create a diamond pattern. 11. Put the loaf on the baking tray into the middle of the oven. Pour hot water into the empty roasting tray at the bottom of the oven just before you shut the door - this creates steam which helps the loaf develop a crisp and shiny crust. 12. Bake the loaf for about 30 mins. 13. The loaf is cooked when it's risen and golden. To check, take it out of the oven and tap it gently underneath - it should sound hollow. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.
Cranberry & Stilton Bread
Ingredients 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting 10g salt 10g instant yeast 30g unsalted butter, softened 320ml cool water 100g dried cranberries 150g Stilton, crumbled
Method 1. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add the butter and three-quarters of the water and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add the remaining water, a little at a time, until you’ve picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all the water, or you may need to add a little more – you want dough that is soft, but not soggy. Use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl and keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough. 2. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and begin to knead. Keep kneading for five to 10 minutes. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to form a soft, smooth skin. 3. When your dough feels smooth and silky, put it into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until at least doubled in size – at least one hour, but it’s fine to leave it for two or even three hours. 4. Line a baking tray with baking parchment or silicone paper. Tip your dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Without knocking it back, flatten it out with your hands, then roll out using a rolling pin into a rectangle, about 35 x 25cm. Turn the dough 90 degrees if necessary, so you have a long edge facing you. 5. Sprinkle the cranberries and Stilton on top as evenly as you can. Roll the dough up from the closest edge into a sausage. Press along the seam to seal it. 6. Coil the sausage into a spiral and put it on the prepared baking tray. 7. Put the tray inside a clean plastic bag and leave to prove for one hour, or until the dough is at least doubled in size and springs back quickly if you prod it lightly with your finger. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 220C and put a roasting tray in the bottom to heat up. 8. When the dough is risen and feels light to the touch, fill the roasting tray with hot water and put the bread in the middle of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Cool on a wire rack.
Original Recipe Find: Paul Hollywood How to Bake, but recipes can also be found online. Click here for Paul's White Cob or Cranberry & Stilton Bread recipes.
Happy Baking!
Maisie x