Baking Bread

From the original at The Big Green Idea.

Baking Bread – Fun(ctional) Food!

Baking is part of our daily routine. Sometimes it is just me and the mixer, other times the children get involved. It takes less time in summer and more in winter, and is a fantastic link to the seasons. Where possible we use local milled wheat, but we also buy when we pass a watermill or windmill on trips elsewhere (and eating bread and other things made with flour from those trips is a great way of remembering them – we’re very much into ‘kinetic’ learning here). Mixing and kneading almost always leads to other conversations – not necessarily about the activity at hand – and the shape the bread takes, along with the choice of flour and the style of bread, depends on our moods and our inclination that day, and sometimes reflects the conversation of the day (last week we watched as a baby hedgehog made its way back through the fence to its parent, and the bread for the next couple of days took the form of different sizes of hedgehog).

But however it happens, we have a couple of ‘basic’ recipes that form the basis of what we do.

Basic Bread

Measurements are in US Cups for simplicity, which means that less ‘kit’ is needed. One Cup is equal to 200 ml. Conversion charts for cups to other weights and measures can be found at various places online, or in the back of The Vegan Cookbook, by Alan Wakeman and Gordon Baskerville.

For one large loaf or two small in ‘standard’ tins

• 4 Cups flour – wholemeal or spelt is our preference
• 2 tsp dried yeast
• Between 2 tbsp and ¹/₄ Cup oil, dependent on your personal preference – we use olive, sunflower or flax by preference.
• 1 Cup water, plus enough extra to make the dough ‘sticky’. Could be around a further ½ Cup but this depends on flour choice, humidity and how much oil you have used.

Mix yeast and flour, then add oil, then water. Knead well, and add sufficient extra water to ensure that dough is left slightly ‘sticky’ and fairly wet, but not soggy. (We find that by doing this we get the best rise.) Leave to prove until the dough has at least doubled in size, usually at least an hour but often 2 or more hours in cooler weather.

Knock back the dough, shape or split in pieces. Place in tins/on trays and leave to recover some of its former bulk.

Bake at around 250 degrees Celcius for 10-15 mins and then drop the temperature to around 190C until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped (about 30mins for one large loaf, less for smaller splits).

Mylk Loaf

This is the loaf we make when a softer finish is wanted, or a dough to turn into ‘buns’.

This loaf can be made with dairy, but works equally well with soya, rice, or oat mylk. You could also use hemp or quinoa but as cooking these destroys much of the omega content I don’t.

Heat 2 Cups mylk of choice to near scalding, and mix in ¹/₄ Cup oil & ¹/₈ Cup sugar or liquid sweetener (agave, honey, golden or maple syrup). Leave this mix to cool.

In a large bowl mix 2 tbsp yeast, 1 tsp sugar & ¹/₄ Cup warm (hand hot) water. Let this mix sit for a few mins to grow/froth and then mix in the mylk mixture. Whisk in 2 Cups flour and beat until smooth. Let the sponge rest for 10-15 mins and beat in 4 Cups flour. Dough should be dry enough to turn out. Knead well for about 5 mins. Shape into round loaves or rolls and bake at c. 180 Celcius for 20-30 mins depending on size.

This dough makes fantastic cinnamon or Chelsea buns as well – roll out to a rectangle, spread over filling and roll up. Cut into 2-inch segments and place on end on a baking sheet. Leave to rise a little and then bake as above.

No-Knead or ‘Slipper’ Bread

• 3 Cups water (poss ½ Cup more)
• 2 tbsp yeast, 2 tbsp oil (pref olive)
• 9 Cups flour (‘fine’ wholemeal or unbleached white)

Mix water, yeast and oil. Beat in 4 Cups flour, then the water and oil one cup at a time. Do not knead. Cover until doubled in size, then knock back dough and divide into 2 balls, flattening each into a long loaf, or ‘slipper’. Flour a baking sheet and place dough on top. Slash loaves in 3-4 places and leave to rise for c. 30 mins in a warm place.

Place a pan of boiling water in the base of a cold oven, put the loaves in the top and then turn to 210 Celcius and bake for 35-45 mins. Brush a little extra oil on top of the hot loaves.

You can also turn this into a sort of ‘foccacia’ – make with twice the oil (so 4 tbsp) and shape into a flat loaf after the first rise. Place in a well oiled deep sided flat tin, like a brownie or rectangular cake tin. Poke indents in the top and stud loaf with desired flavourings (olives, sundried toms, cherry toms, rosemary, shredded onions over the whole top…).

Bake at 200 Celcius, again starting from a cold oven (without the pan of boiling water), for 35 mins.