Here is a few quick tips for baking a good loaf. Actually time will be less than walking to the shops. (Your milage may vary. etc)

First tip: measure the water not the flour. This will give you a base point to work from. A little over two pints (or a litre) of water will make you three medium or two large loaves.

Tip two: Brown or white , you need strong flour. This means it has more gluten in it which will make it hold together. The other flour type, often called plain or self-raising is for cakes and pastries. It will make a kind of bread but it will tend to be crumbly and fall apart. Not what you want.

Bonus tip: Get your bread tins brushed with oil first.

My easy peasy method:

• Brush two large bread tins with olive oil. Use a  pastry brush.
• Pour one third of a litre of boiling water into a pyrex (heat proof) one litre measuring jug.
• Add two teaspoons of sugar to dissolve.
• Fill up the jug with cold water.
• Add three teaspoons of quick yeast from a packet, mix in.
• Tip two thirds of a large bag of flour into a large mixing bowl.
• Mix contents of jug into flour with a large wooden spoon. Should make a runny batter.
• Mix well for a couple of minutes with the spoon.
• Add a desert spoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
• Gradually add handfulls of flour* until the batter starts to get stiff.
• When you think it’s ready, tip it out onto a clean floured surface.
• Kneed your dough with both hands using your body weight. Watch out for the dough to get more stretchy. If you look out you will see the point where the doughyness kicks in. (5-10 minutes max)
• Cut the dough in three (or in half obviously if you have two large tins).
• Put the dough in the tins. They should be just over half full.
• Cover with a clean tea towel and let it rise for fourty minutes of or so.

* I actually add fennel, buckweat and sunflour seeds, and pinhead oatmeal as I feel the urge at this point.

At the forty minute mark light the oven or switch it on and heat to 200ºc or gas mark 6 after five to ten minutes carefully put the loaves in and leave the door shut for forty minutes.

Turn the loves out and listen, yes with your ears to the bottom of the loaf. If it is hissing it is not  baked so put it back in the oven for another ten minutes upside down without the tin.

When they are done the bottom should sound hollow when tapped with your finger.

Wait for them to cool if you can before eating!

Good luck!

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