B-B-Bread...

Heck I used to love this programme.

Anyways on to the bread, I make bread Monday and Thursday, mostly with {this recipe}.  The recipe is for a seeded loaf made with olive oil.  I dont add the honey I add 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar instead if I add the seeds.  If I dont use the seeds I dont bother.  For this one I used a mix pack of sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower.

Using the recipe in the link,  below are the dry ingredients minus the yeast packet.  I used Allinsons this time.  I am not that happy with it, I will return to Doves when this box is finished.  I grind my own sea salt for it, thats it on the top.

I add the yeast packet after I have given the dry ingredients a bit of a whip with the dough hook.  And yes for some unknown reason, I always spread it all over the place and on the top of the dough hook and mixer attachment... The orange bit on the picture below is yeast that I threw about all over and then got wet = Doh! 

I put the water, oil and the sugar I am using into a jug and give it a bit of a whisk with a fork.  Gradually add the water mix whilst the hook is in motion.

 Ta dah!  Dough.  Not Doh!

If too wet add a touch of flour, add less than you think.  Let the hook do its job for the 6 minutes.

Do a little stretch test.

Heavily flour your hands, and drag the dough out, I heap it back into the cereal bowl I measured the flour etc out into.

Pour a little olive oil into the bowl from the mixer, I use a silicone pastry brush to get it all over the sides.  This recipe doesnt ever get to the top of my KitchenAid mixer bowl, but just incase oil all the way up.

Leave to raise for the first 1 hour.  I turned it over in the picture below and bubbles came up on the right.  I give it a couple of bashes with my hands. and then instead of what other people say, I knead/squash it in my hands as I dont want it to take on any more flour, which I would have to if I was to knead on the worktop/bench.  I find extra flour affects the crumb at the end.

Use your hands to stretch the middle out and tuck it under itself, it will naturally form a ball.  I use a sheet of baking parchment, I flour this quite heavy, you can see this in the picture.

Lots of recipes say oil the cling film?  What?  good luck with that, instead lightly brush the dough ball with olive oil.  You will thank me for this tip.  You will waste a lot of cling film the other way as it will cling to you or to the brush.  If proving again in a bowl, use spray oil and squirt the inside of a shower cap you have taken from a hotel :)  Or up end the mixing bowl over the top, your going to have to wash it anyway... My Gran used to use a wet towel drapped over the top.  Each to their own.

Another hour prove and it will look like this.  Smoother.  (When you turn the oven on 20 minutes before the baking, place a container of water in the base of the oven.  I use a ceramic dish I have, with 300ml water in it.  The steam will help to make a nice crust.)

Put in the middle of the oven to bake

And here it is, 30 minutes later.  It must have still been growing as it baked, on the left it is an air bubble.  I will call the bubble, artisan.  LMAO

And there is the crumb.  You can see the pumkin, sesame and sunflower seeds.  Some people may want to dust the top with extra seeds, I dont do this as they tend to burn. I am looking for an even loaf for every day eating, rather than a special looking bread for more elaborate affairs.

I have found this recipe without the seeds, makes 8 nice rolls.  Although probably no good as burger buns.

Do you have a fail safe recipe?  

p.s. I feel like Pioneer Woman with all of the pictures!  lmao

Be kind

Sol x