a simple white farmhouse bread

11/6/2012

As you may have seen from an earlier post I'm pretty happy with the sourdoughs I've been knocking out of late. But there are times when only a couple of slices of soft, doughy farmhouse will do - most especially for a bacon sandwich. After a few tries with various recipes (and investing in a loaf tin) I've settled, in the last week or so, on the following method.

Using supermarket flour and dried yeast the cost of the loaf was 30p.

the recipe

500g strong white bread flour
300ml water (20C - or roughly 2 parts cold water and 1 part boiling water)
7g packet of dried yeast
50ml water (20C)
1 dsp fine salt

Put the flour in a large bowl; dissolve the yeast in the 300ml of water and pour into the bowl; mix roughly and leave for 20 minutes.

Dissolve the salt in the 50ml of water, pour onto the dough, mix in (actually I use my fingers to 'squidge' it all together) and leave for 10 minutes.

Scrape the dough onto your work surface and work the dough by kneading/stretching for about 10 minutes or until the dough is soft and smooth. Although the dough will seem wet and sticky at first, there's no need to flour the work surface or your fingers or the dough - have faith and it will eventually form into a lustrous ball with just a little residual stickiness.

the dough during its first 'working'

Shape the dough into a round, put it back in the bowl, cover (with a towel or cling film or a plastic bag) and leave for 60 minutes.

the dough after its first rise

After the hour has elapsed, scrape the dough back onto your work surface and then knock back and shape as shown in this video:

Lift the shaped dough into an oiled loaf tin:

ready for final proofing

Leave the dough (covered) until roughly doubled in size. This make take an hour; it may take longer. After 1½ hours, my dough looked like this:

Heat your oven to 220C/200C fan. Dust the top of the dough with flour and place in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the loaf is golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

The loaf after 35 minutes in the oven

Remove the loaf from the tin and cool on a wire rack for an hour. Then enjoy:

43 Comments

Trudie

11/6/2012 09:11:08

That looks staggering! And it's making me feel rather peckish!

Irene

11/6/2012 10:13:18

Hi

How many loaves can you bake in your oven!!!!! Can I place an order!!! it must be cheaper for more than one!!!

The Loaf looks very tasty.

Nome link

11/6/2012 10:30:49

Being a lazy sod, I make a lot of 'no-knead bread', which is lovely but doesn't have the light fluffy texture of this kind of loaf. But I think you may have just tempted me to give kneading another try... Looks fab and not too much hard work!

Tom

11/6/2012 12:08:19

I've been making bread with fresh yeast, bought from the supermarket, and the results have been excellent. Far better than dried in my opinion. I also like to replace 150 grams of the white flour with spelt flour for a bit more of a brown bread, really delicious! I do knead with a Kenwood and a dough hook, seems to make a great loaf.

The Skint Foodie

11/6/2012 16:29:31

Fresh yeast - yes, of course. Although, having tried both for this recipe I couldn't say I'd be able to spot the difference in either taste or texture.

The advantages of the dried packets I guess are more to do with convenience - both in terms of storage (at the back of the cupboard) and usage (if you haven't an accurate scale to measure the fresh variety).

Do you measure your fresh yeast by weight or volume (i.e. tablespoons) by the way?

Alison

12/6/2012 04:05:07

Did you use a 1 or 2lb loaf tin?

I thoroughly enjoy your postings, thank you.

Alison

12/6/2012 10:34:17

Hi Alison

Yep, supposedly a 1lb tin - measures approx 150mm L x 90mm W x 70mm D

Lindsay

13/6/2012 05:35:43

That looks like a lovely loaf. Toasted with orange curd, yum yum.

Everything you bake looks so tasty.

scorzonera link

7/7/2012 03:49:28

I really like hearing about different methods of bread making. I've been using a cooler, slower rise method for a couple of years, which gives me a nice, open, chewy texture (not to everyone's taste).
Links to a couple of my favourite breadmaking vids -

with Richard Bertinet http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/video/2010/jul/20/how-to-cook-bread

with Peter Reinhart http://youtu.be/BK5mC_SkIPI

I enjoy your blog - don't visit here enough :-/

8/7/2012 05:13:00

Thanks for those video links - I'm going to watch the second one later on today.

Rob

13/7/2012 18:21:07

Hi, found blog after Guardian piece, it's fantastic. Am wondering why dried yeast over fresh? I've always found fresh yeast gave more reliable results so wasted less.

If it's cost, Asda give their yeast away for free. Won't affect the 30p loaf costs but thought you'd like to know.

R

14/7/2012 15:04:28

I didn't know that about Asda - that's a great tip, thanks Rob.

One of the main reasons I specified dried yeast was that I thought it might make the recipes a little more 'accessible', less forbidding, to someone who'd never baked bread before. The 7g packets are perhaps easier than measuring out the fresh yeast.

rob

14/7/2012 18:39:29

Makes sense. Hopefully free yeast isn't just an Asda Bristol thing.

howard

14/7/2012 13:06:37

I know what you mean about the craving for something white and fluffy to make a bacon sandwich, but why call it a farmhouse?

It is anything but! OK, I've lived in a farmhouse for the last 34 years and only made this type of loaf a dozen times over that period. Strange, isn't it, how we take a wholesome name and apply it to something less so.

Maybe this isn't in the spirit of the blog, so let me write about the bacon sandwich I would make with this loaf. I've given up making streaky bacon because belly has cult status now. Watch out in your supermarket for special offer pork loin. Rub salt in twice a day for several days, pouring off the liquid that exudes. Hang up your bacon in an airy place to finish drying. Hand slice as you need it for your sarnies. If it is too salty for you, try soaking slices for an hour or two. Don't buy your salt in silly little packets. Find a whole food shop that orders from SUMA and get them to order you a sack of sea salt. It will be under a tenner and you won't be tempted to skimp when salting your bacon.

14/7/2012 15:08:30

Errr....sorry. Fingers crossed no one living in a cottage notices the cottage pie recipe. Or any Romany gets upset with the gypsy eggs. Or any Italian prostitutes take umbrage with the putanesca sauce.

lady of the noche

14/7/2012 18:44:33

As an Italian prostitute I'd like to register my disappointment in your putanesca sauce, I have never made it and a quick poll of my colleagues suggests it has never been made by anyone in my chosen career path. Please rename ASAP.

grainne

15/7/2012 12:13:57

I've been making all my own bread for about 4 years and dried/fresh makes no difference - but dried gets tired so make sure that when you buy it has a good long use-by date. I tend to use a gram or so to top up the sour dough.
one question and one questionable tip. The question is why add the salt after 20 mins? I tend to use Dan Lepard methods and he seems to add them all at once.
I save money by getting bulk delerives from shipton mills - free delivery in GB (not in dublin!). it still works out very cheaply but maybe its too much cost/quantity for a single person on benefits (great flout though).

15/7/2012 12:45:35

That's a good tip about the bulk purchase - I'd not considered that!

Re the salt: I read that salt kills yeast and that it's best to keep them apart. This might only apply to fresh yeast, but I've now got in the habit.

Michael link

16/7/2012 13:18:27

my bread inspired by your post! http://thegodscake.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/simple-white-loaf-6/

1/8/2012 14:00:38

Very distinctive!

Natalie link

22/7/2012 16:55:59

I shall attempt this recipe! You make it look so easy.

Pat

23/7/2012 08:50:33

Hi

After my success with your pizza dough I have been eyeing up this recipe. However to show myself up as a right numpty I thought that the yeast needed sugar to bring it to life?

If you haven't guessed yet I have not baked very much :~)

1/8/2012 14:03:00

Hi Pat, sorry for the delay in replying. My understanding is that when mixed together, enzymes in the yeast and flour cause the starch molecules to break down into simple sugars.

Fiona

29/10/2012 01:22:54

Made this last night and was astounded by how simple it was to make and how fluffy and light the results were, thank you very much! Love your blog, can identify with the love of food and the episodes of deep depression, although I use writing to try and stave off mine I can see how this blog and eating gorgeous food would help also, thanks again!

29/10/2012 06:50:23

Hi Fiona. Glad it worked for you!

Lou

21/1/2013 11:47:11

I came across your site yesterday whilst looking for something to do with breast of lamb. You write brilliantly and I laughed our load a few times. You inspired me to bake a loaf of bread for the first time and this morning me and my two an a bit year old son, Archie, got involved. He loved it and I was astounded and inspired by the result. A fabulous looking and tasting proper loaf of bread, you would find on the shelf of a good baker, I'm hooked, so thank you.

21/1/2013 11:59:05

Hi Lou, and welcome!

So pleased the bread turned out well - it's immensely satisfying making you're own I think.

lizzie

21/1/2013 15:19:34

I have been making bread for 30 years and hands down this is the best white farmhouse I have ever made; I wonder if it is the rolling and pinching that did it. Little less salt next time but I m hoping that wont make much difference. Great Toast ! Thanks very much SF - you dont know what this means to me !

22/1/2013 01:10:35

Hi Lizzie

Wow, praise indeed! I'm so glad it worked so well for you. It *does* make great toast!

Frances

20/5/2013 08:37:47

I'm fairly new to breadmaking and have experimented with various recipes: easy/beginners/quick/overnight/no-knead etc etc etc. But this was the first absolute winner for soft sandwich bread - all the rest have been too crusty or too chewy. It's AMAZING! - thank you so much. So glad the recipe led me to your site too, very relevant as I'm living on a budget in New Cross. Most recent find: half-dozen eggs for £1 at Brockley Market on a Saturday - good eggs, ethically sourced, at the price of budget supermarket eggs. Winner.

Jay

5/6/2013 08:44:26

Making this now and was soo sticky was jumping out of the bowl and running down cupboards.ahh just checked and I used the wrong amount of flour only 300. G any ideas on how to salvage?

5/6/2013 09:31:30

Whoops! Only idea would be to add the other 200g flour, re-knead and see if it rises again. Fingers crossed!

6/6/2013 05:39:26

Thanks did that and although I had killed some of the yeast so had to extend proving times ( inc overnight ) am eating a delicious warm loaf. Also in case you want to know I used a magimix as I am hoping to do this several times a week so need a quick relatively mess free process. Will definitely do again using correct recipe. Thanks.

Amy

12/10/2013 05:15:55

Hey, I have done this recipe twice now and both times I found that the dough was still really at and sticky after 15min of kneading by hand, have had to resort to adding flour and it still ends up being almost too sticky to shape. Any tips?

12/10/2013 05:50:04

Hi Amy. Sorry it doesn't seem to be working for you. It works for me and, it seems, for quite a few of those who commented above. But that's not much help to you, I'm afraid. Two things:

When I first started to try and make my own bread, I was always adding much more flour than was specified during the kneading process, because I thought "surely it shouldn't be this wet and sticky". Until it realised it should and once it had rested, risen and been shaped, it baked a treat.

Secondly, I reckon any bread recipe can only be a guide, given the number of variables involved - room temperature, make and type of flour, accuracy of measuring, the kneading process etc. You need to find what works for you.

BUT! Before you give up, DO look at Richard Bertinet, with an incredibly wet and sticky dough here: http://youtu.be/t14wtUIZh2I?t=1m51s

Maybe my recipe won't work for you, but there'll be one out there that will!

Rob AShwell

12/10/2013 11:51:51

One of the reasons will be water content. Needs to be fairly exact. Can recommend weighing the water rather than just measuring it.

12/10/2013 11:54:47

Also... If you have a silicon spatula you can push in the base (and therefore stretch the doughs skin) to create a moist inside and dry outer layer

Antony (Manchester)

12/11/2013 15:35:43

Hi Foodie.

Its 23:34 on a Tuesday evening. Just putting my very first loaf into the oven...I'll let you know how it turns out :)

Antony (Manchester

13/11/2013 10:54:27

Bazzin. Turned out a fine loaf. Think i'll leave it a little longer on the 2nd rise next time but over all i'm well chuffed.

Cheers Mukka

14/11/2013 10:59:03

Hi Antony. Great stuff! 'Well chuffed' with your very first loaf is a result indeed.

stefany

14/3/2014 11:16:02

Fab recipe ;) have been adding cheddar , jalapino and rosemary. Makes a Stunning loaf .

Sarah A

23/1/2015 04:01:12

Hi,

I have a 2lb bread tin, could I just double up the ingredients for this?

Thanks,

S :)

now can anyone please tell me where I can get a 2lb loaf tin in the UK? they advertise them as 2lb tins, but they are clearly only 1lb size.

29/6/2015 08:32:35

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a simple white farmhouse bread

the recipe

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