Baking a fresh loaf of bread from scratch can be tricky, but get it right and it’s very rewarding.
There are so many different variations of bread to make, some of which are harder than others, but a granary loaf is super easy.
After trying out many recipes over the years, I have found this one from Jane’s Patisserie to be the easiest and the tastiest.
It’s delicious when warm with butter or perfect the next day for a sandwich or even toasted.
What makes this recipe even easier is that it uses a 2lb loaf tin to bake in, helping to keep its shape.
Ingredients:
300g granary flour
200g strong white bread flour
7g fast-action dried yeast
One teaspoon of salt
Two tablespoons of olive oil
One tablespoon of honey
300ml warm water
Method:
To start with I put both of the bread flours into a bowl before adding the yeast to one side and the salt on the other side.
Next, the recipe said to pour the olive oil and honey into the warm water and give it a good mix.
Then I poured this into the flour mixture, using a fork to combine it together until a sticky bread dough had formed.
Once this has formed, knead it for eight to 10 minutes until it’s smooth and springing back when touched.
I used a dough hook on my KitchenAid to do this step and it took around seven minutes.
Next, I put the dough into an oiled loaf tin and left it to rise until it doubled in size. Jane said it usually takes an hour but can take longer in cold weather.
In the end, mine took around two hours to double in size. The recipe notes said: “Don’t force it to rise by putting it next to a hot heat source or in the sun as this will cause it to rise too quickly and it won’t bake properly.
“When rising the dough should be covered loosely with a food bag or clingfilm so it is airtight.”
I then preheated the oven to 200C or 180C Fan and baked it in the oven for 30 minutes, but it can take up to 35.
The top should be nicely browned and it should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
