It’s Real Bread Week so here are a few of our delicious bread recipes for you to try at home…

Wholemeal Oat Topped Loaf

• 30g fresh yeast
• 600ml water @ 37C
• 550g strong white flour + extra for dusting
• 550g strong wholemeal flour
• 20g Maldon sea salt flakes
• 100ml orange juice
• Rolled oats for coating
• Vegetable oil

Method

1. Whisk the yeast with the water then add 225g of the strong white flour. Leave in a warm place for 30 minutes it will be foamy when ready. Meanwhile prepare your tin by brushing with oil and coating with oats.

2. Put all the remaining dry ingredients into large bowl along with the remaining white flour; add the yeast mix along with the orange juice. Mix all the ingredients with a dough scraper. Transfer to a floured surface and work to a smooth dough, make sure the bowl is clean. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with cling film and leave to prove until doubled in size.

3. Remove from the bowl to a lightly floured surface, divide into 2 pieces and shape into 2 loaves. Carefully place into the tins and cover with a clean damp cloth, leave to double in size. Pre-heat the oven to 220c. Put a small roasting tray into the bottom of the oven.

4. When the loaves have proved check the by poking with a finger it will come back slowly when ready. Boil the kettle and add around a cup of hot water to the tray in the bottom. Add the loaves to the oven, shut the door directly behind them. Bake for 7 minutes then turn the oven to 180c bake for a further 40-50 minutes the loaves will be golden and have a crisp crust, remove from the tins and tap the bottom to hear a hollow sound. Cool on wire racks.

Stilton + Walnut Soda Bread

• 200ml buttermilk
• 150g plain flour
• 125g wholemeal flour
• 30g butter
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 50g stilton, crumbled up
• 30g toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

Method

1. Rub all dry ingredients with butter, add milk and mix to a wet dough. Add in your stilton and walnuts until it is mixed thoroughly.

2. Generously flour a work surface and begin to shape bread into a rough loaf shape.

3. Transfer to a non-stick or greased tray and bake for approximately 20-22 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 190c fan assisted.

Garlic Focaccia

• 450g strong flour
• 150g plain flour
• 50g fine polenta
• 30g fresh yeast or 1 x 7 g sachet dried yeast
• 450ml warm water @ 35°C
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp maldon sea salt

Method

1. Measure 450ml of warm water and put into a jug, sprinkle over the yeast and add the sugar, whisk to dissolve. Add a handful of the plain flour and whisk to a smooth paste this is called a biga, cover with cling film and leave to ferment for around 30 minutes.

2. Mix the 2 flours, semolina and salt together and gently pour onto your clean workbench, use the bowl to make a well then pour in your biga mix. Slowly start to mix in the flour from the edge taking care not to burst the dam, continue to mix until it starts to thicken.

3. Once the mix is nearly incorporated clean off the sticky hand with flour and start to gently work the dough together. The dough needs to be well combined but not smooth, make sure all the residual dough is bought together from the work surface, rub your fingers and hand with a little flour to get clean then kneed into your dough. Place in a large bowl cover with a damp cloth and put into a warm place to prove for one hour.

4. We are now going to do three book folds to work and generate elasticity into the dough. After the first hour take the dough, scrape onto a lightly floured bench, and using floured hands gently flatten the dough to an inch thickness in the shape of a long rectangle. Fold each end in on its self a third of the length then fold over to form a pillow repeat and return to the bowl for 1 hour. Shape or roll to the size required this is when you would add your desired flavours. Once shaped or rolled and flavoured generously drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with Maldon sea salt then prove again until doubled in size and bake for 30 minutes at 180c.

Focaccia Bread Flavours

• Fresh tomatoes or sun dried
• Thinly sliced black or green olives
• Caramelised red onions
• Grilled courgettes
• Roasted peppers
• Homemade pesto
• Freshly chopped rosemary, thyme or basil
• Confit garlic