Place 150ml warm water (1 part boiling water and 2 parts cold water) in a 600ml measuring jug. Sprinkle over the yeast and sugar, whisk well and leave in a warm place until the yeast froths up about 1 cm. This will take about 15 minutes.
Step 2
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter or stir in the oil. Stir in the yeast and a further 150ml of hand hot water. Mix together until a soft dough starts to form. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, this can take up to 10 minutes.
Step 3
Return the dough to the mixing bowl and cover with cling film or a damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place until doubled in size. Ideally in a a warm kitchen or airing cupboard, or near a warm oven.
Step 4
Pre-heat your oven to 230°C (210° fan, 450°F, gas mark 8). Lightly oil a 900g /2 lb bread tin.
Step 5
Turn the dough on to the work surface again, punch back the dough and knead for 5-10 minutes. Shape the dough into a loaf shape to fit the tin and place in the tin. Cover with a damp tea towel or oiled cling film and allow to rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size and has come to the top of the tin.
Step 6
Sprinkle the dough with a little flour to create a crisp, rustic coating on top of the bread. Place in the centre of the pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6) and cook for a further 15-20 minutes until the bread is risen and golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped underneath
Step 7
For rolls, bake just for 15-20 minutes at 230°C (210°C Fan, 450°F, gas mark 8). Turn out the bread and cool on a wire rack .
Ingredients
MetricImperial
15gAllinson's dried yeast
1 tspSilver Spoon Caster Sugar
500gAllinson's Strong White Bread Flour
1 tspSalt
15gUnsalted butter (softened)
300mlWarm water
Utensils
Measuring jug
Tea towel/cling film
Large mixing bowl
2lb loaf tin
Nutritional information per 47g serving
Energy 121cal
Fat 1.2g
of which Saturates 0.6g
Carbohydrates 23g
of which Sugars 0g
Protein 4.2g
Salt 0.31g
56 Baker Ratings
Perfect
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For those of us with bad hands and use stand mixers, do you recommend the same amount kneeding times? Does mixing with a stand mixer make any difference to the finished bread, in your opinion of course
Baking Mad
Great question! We would recommend kneading for 5 minutes using a mixer with a dough hook attachment on a medium speed.
