Make your own home-made bread…you will live longer if you do*

For me the loaf of bread represents simplicity at its core, bread is our base, our touch point when all else goes tits up we can always turn to bread. Breads versatility is scary, it can be used in everything from simple Tuscan salads to sweet desserts and everything in between – where would we be with a simple cheese and ham sandwich eh?

The world would be a worse place with bread in it…….and what the hell would we feed the ducks!!

 

Makes one loaf, serves about 6 people, lasts about 1 day!

500 grams strong bread flour

300 grams luke warm water (yes grams)

2 packs of dried yeast

20 grams sea salt

2 tbs tomato pesto paste

2-3 lugs of good olive oil

Mix the flour and the salt well, combine the yeast with the water and leave to infuse for about 5 minutes.

Add the yeast and water to the flour and then in with the tomato pesto and oil – with well with a fork to form a dough

Turn the dough out onto a floured work top and knead well for at least 15minutes until you have smooth and ‘airy’ ball of dough.

Sling back into a big bowl and cover until it doubles in size this is ‘rising’ the dough.

When the dough is ready knock the air out of it – slap it hard then turn it out and knead again for 5 minutes, form into your loaf shape, slash it to about 1 cm on the surface and cover on a baking tray to ‘prove’ for about 60 minutes.

Sling into a 180-200 oven and bake until golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

 

Done.

*Rory fact…may or may not be true