My Bread and Butter

'From the hundreds of times I lost 

the connection, I learn this;

your fragrance brings me back'

Rumi

Easy to make and bake.. this bread is delicious, fluffy and perfect for toast, sandwiches and smothering on jam and butter 

The smell of baking bread gets me all exited! I cant deny it. I have been referred to as Kung Fu Panda on many occasions! My love of food and spirituality somehow go hand in hand. I mean, when I imagine a mystic, sitting there in meditation, connecting to the Divine, in complete peace... the dude has a little tummy... :) 

The smell of fresh bread baking in the morning, is often associated in my mind with a Turkish Supermarket that was at the top of my road. Delicious, soft, fresh. Yum! In more modern households, an electric breadmaker is one of best friend if you can work out how to time it appropriately :) However, I have been granted the time to make my bread by hand.

Unfortunately, in modern society bread has been vilified as the root of all evil, the reason that all women have that little tummy I was talking about, the reason we overeat, we're overweight, its a trigger food, it causes bloating, allergic reations and this whole list of unwanteds... Its no wonder that Boots stacks their lunch time shelves with the stuff... and that children take it to school every day filled with their favourite jams and cheeses...

I have always found the best trick is to have a balance; leave the bread next to my husband's plate so that he enjoys as much of it as he likes, and I use a little, at the end of my meal to clean my plate, take a jam and smother it!

Despite my absolute love for bread, and brown bread more specifically, my recent research (which unfortunately I have no link for here, although makes complete theoretical sense) is that brown bread - despite the myths of it being extremely healthy, may actually be worse for you than white bread - unless it is organic.

Due to chemicals and pesticides being sprayed on the wheat when it is growing on non-organic bread, the pesticides and chemicals are stored, nicely in the outer shell, the fibre, the bit that makes brown bread brown. And then you eat it. Not good!

Unfortunately at present I do not have the luxury of ordering my organic multi-seed brown bread straight to my house.. and I also do not have access to organic brown wheat and flour... but very fortunately, I do have time, an oven, easy access to white flour and enthusiasm to start making my own home made white bread :)

I found this recipe on the BBC Good Food Website, which I have found extremely helpful in last minute crises! It also has a great number of readers, so working out the very best kind of bread to make is easy due to the ratings! It is worth me saying at this point that I absolutely refuse to post anything that I don't consider to have a five star rating... my mouth cannot lie! 

Tips!

My adaptations to the recipe as I find it the easiest way to remember that; we don't always have everything at hand, everything can be done slightly differently, and there are some things, that just can never be left out!

- I chose this recipe because of how easy it is!

- As an Italian... (and also because I copied Jamie Oliver and realised how easy it was...) when I make dough, I make it on an Italian dough board...even in this vast no-man's land where I live, there is still an IKEA within 2 hours selling these badboys for about 12 Euros... so there is no excuse! (I protected mine with 1 cup 1/3 vinegar 2/3 Olive oil and rubbed into the board all over.... instead of buying a chemical alternative that is more likely to give me stomach ulcers than protect my wood... the vinegar smell goes about 1 hour later)

- The flour should be heaped on the board, and a small hole in the middle where the ingredients are scattered i.e. salt and yeast... try and spread them evenly...

- Luke warm or almost hot water is pretty essential to get the yeast working properly... do not underestimate this!

- This bread is light and fluffy, and despite the heat, doesnt go dry quickly - I have been storing mine outside of the fridge for almost three days now, and it still tastes delicious!

Happy cooking!

My Bread and Butter Recipe!

Ingredients

• 500g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp salt
• 7g sachet fast-action yeast
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 300ml water

Method

1. Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl or on an Italian board. 
2. Make a well in the centre, then add the oil and water, and mix well. If the dough seems a little stiff, add 1-2 tbsp water, mix well then tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead. 
3. Once the dough is satin-smooth, place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Leave to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size or place in the fridge overnight.
4. Line a baking tray (I used a loaf tin) with baking parchment. Knock back the dough, then gently mould the dough into the desired shape (my was a rectangle).  
5. Place it in the tin to rise for a further hour until doubled in size.
   
6. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Dust the loaf with flour and cut a cross about 6cm long into the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. 
   
7. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. 
8. Cool on a wire rack. and then Eat with Butter!

Delicious!