Basic White Bread

Oh this bread is lovely - trust me.  Mine turned out great, so much so I am making it again as I type.  I use my mix master with the kneading attachments to do the kneading - takes about 8 mins or so.  I usually cover, first the yeast, then the dough with cling film and leave it on the floor in our spare room which is always warm.  (On hot humid days here in Cairns I tend to leave the yeast/dough to do its thing outside.)

*Taken from the Women's Weekly publication, 'Cook', published 2006, page 480*

Ingredients 

3 tsp dried yeast (7g packet)

1/2 cup (125ml) warm water

2 tsp caster sugar

2 1/2 cups (375g) plain flour (I use 00 flour)

1 tsp salt

30g butter, melted

1/2 cup (125ml) warm milk

Method

Whisk yeast, the water and sugar in a small bowl until yeast dissolves, cover; stand in warm place for about 10 minutes or until mixture is frothy.

Sift flour and salt into large bowl; stir in butter, milk and yeast mixture.  Turn dough onto floured surface; knead about 10 minutes or until dough is elastic.  Place dough into greased bowl, cover; stand in warm place for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to moderately hot (200C/180C fan-forced).  Grease oven tray.

Turn dough onto floured surface; knead until smooth.  Roll dough to 18cm x 35cm rectangle; roll up from short side like a swiss roll

  Place on tray; cut four diagonal slashes across the top.  Cover; stand in warm place for about 20 minutes or until risen.  Bake, uncovered, 45 minutes.  Turn onto wire rack to cool.

Mini Baguettes

Once upon a time, making bread, without the use of a bread maker, used to scare me. Not anymore. It is rather easy, but I don't knead the dough by hand, my mixmaster does that part, which I guess why bread making doesn't scare me anymore! If the recipe states to knead the dough for 2 minutes then yes, I do it by hand then.

This recipe is delicious and is very crusty. The bread freshness doesn't last too long (an afternoon), so don't expect to make this with the aspect of keeping it for another day, as it won't last. It'll all be gone anyway, so no need to worry.

*Taken from the Murdoch Book 'The Essential Baking Cookbook' published 2000*

Ingredients

7g sachet dried yeast

1 tsp sugar

3/4 cup (90g) plain flour

3 cups (375g) white bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs polenta, to sprinkle

Method

Place the yeast, sugar and 1 1/4 cups (315ml) warm water in a small bowl and mix well. Leave in a warm place for 10 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface. The mixture should be frothy and slightly increased in volume. If your yeast doesn't foam it is dead and you will have to discard it and start again.

Mix together the flours and salt and transfer half the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture. Using a large metal spoon fold the flour into the yeast mixture. This should form a soft dough. This forms the 'sponge'. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and set aside for 30-35 minutes, or until frothy and risen by about one third of its original size.

Mix in the remaining dry ingredients and add up to 1/4 cup (60ml) warm water, enough to form a soft, but slightly sticky dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. If the dough sticks to the work surface while kneading, flour the surface sparingly, but try to avoid adding too much flour. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size.

Lightly grease two large baking trays and sprinkle with polenta. Punch down the dough and knead for 2-3 minutes. Divide the dough into 3 portions and press or roll each into a rectangle about 20 x 40 cm. Roll each up firmly into a long sausage shape and place seam-side down, well spaced on the prepared trays. Cover loosely with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to a hot 220C. Lightly brush the loaves with water and make diagonal slashes across the top at 6 cm intervals using a safety blade. Place the trays in the oven ans spray the oven with water. Bake the bread for 20 minutes (I baked for 15) spraying the oven with water twice during this time. Lower the temperature to moderate 180C and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and firm and the base sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

Baguettes are best eaten within a few hours of baking.

Turkish Bread

I love fresh bread. I especially love fresh homemade bread, fresh from the oven (or bread maker). Unfortunately when we moved to Cairns, I had given my Mother-In-Law my breadmaker to look after, which is now something I regret! I made bread quite often in it. But I shall not complain as living in Far North Queensland is like one big proover itself at times, so there is no need for a bread maker. When flicking through my cookbooks and came across a Turkish Bread recipe, well, how could I resist? I love, love, love Turkish Bread and miss the fact that I can't just go and buy it like I did from the South Melbourne Market each week (and was about a metre long!)

This recipe was pretty basic with ingredients already in my pantry. I did not use white flour bread though, I just stuck with Plain flour. I also used my mix master for the inital kneading process. Instead of dusting the tray with flour I used semolina.

*Taken from 'The Essential Baking Cookbook', a Murdoch Books publication*

Ingredients

2 x 7g sachets dried yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup (60g) plain flour
3 1/2 cups (435g) white bread flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup (80ml)

1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tsp water

nigella or sesame seeds, to sprinkle

Method

Place the yeast, sugar and 1/2 cup (125 ml) warm water in a small bowl and stir well. Add a little of the flour and mix to a paste. Leave in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface. The mixture should be frothy and will more than triple in size. If your yeast doesn't foam it is dead, so you need to discard it and start again.

Place the remaining flours and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the sponged yeast, olive oil and 1 cup (250ml) warm water. Mix to a rough dough, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Add minimal four as the dough should remain damp and springy.

Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 hour to triple in size. Punch down and divide into three. Knead each portion for 2 minutes and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave for 10 minutes.

Roll each portion of dough into a rectangle 35cm x 15cm. Cover with damp tea towels and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes. Indent all over the surface with your fingers (I used my knuckles), brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with the seeds. Preheat the oven to a hot 220C (425F).

For best results, bake each loaf separately. Place a baking tray in the oven for a couple of minutes until hot, remove and sprinkle lightly with flour. Place one portion of dough on the hot tray and bake for 10-12 minutes (mine only took 6-8 mins), or until puffed and golden brown. Wrap in a clean tea towel to soften the crust and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, repeat baking the remaining portions of dough.

Makes 3