The other day, I was in Publix and I went to grab a loaf of bread. Well, like everything now, it was more expensive than it used to be. In fact, it was a LOT more expensive than it used to be. So, given that I had some time over the weekend, I decided to make a loaf of bread from scratch with the kids. Since Paul Hollywood is the self-proclaimed king of bread (jk jk!), I went with one of his recipes.
It was delicious! All homemade bread is really, but I will specifically say, this recipe works, the bread was dynamite and I only slightly Americanized the recipe below from the original English recipe. His original recipe is a bit complicated, but to be honest, so are many other bread recipes. Simple ingredients, difficult, lengthy process.
When I have the time, I will definitely make this one again, but in the meantime, I might, I might still have to keep buying the $$ bread from Publix.
Do you have a great bread recipe? Please share with me in the comments below. I’d love to try making it! Happy baking!! 🙂
Paul Hollywood's Country White Bread
Ingredients
- 550g bread or all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
- 10g salt
- 7g (1 packet) instant yeast
- 40ml olive oil, plus extra for kneading
- 320ml cold water, divided
- Extra oil and flour, for kneading
Directions
- Place the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the oil and 240ml of water.
- Using your hands, mix the ingredients together. Gradually add the remaining water (you may not need it all), until all the flour leaves the side of the bowl and you have a soft, rough dough.
- Pour a little oil onto a clean work surface. Sit the dough on the oil and begin to knead. Do this for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough becomes smooth and silky. Once the correct consistency is achieved, place the dough into a clean, oiled bowl. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place until tripled in size. Once risen, place the dough onto a floured surface. Knock the dough back by folding it in on itself repeatedly. Do this until all the air is knocked out and the dough is smooth.
- To shape, flatten the dough into a rectangle. With the long side facing you fold each end into the middle then roll like a Swiss roll so that you have a smooth top with a seam along the base. Very gently roll with the heel of your hands. Place on a tray lined with parchment paper, cover and leave to prove for 1-2 hours at room temperature, or until doubled in size.
- Lightly spray with water and dust with a little flour. Make four diagonal slashes using a sharp knife across the top.
- Preheat the oven to 425F and place a baking tray filled with water on the bottom shelf of the oven – this will create steam when the loaf is baking. Place the loaf on the middle shelf and bake for 25 minutes. After this time, lower the heat to 400F and bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
