Good Old British Crusty Bread

When I got my beloved Kenwood Chef mixer a few weeks ago as an early Christmas present from my mother the first thing I wanted to make was bread. And I couldn't wait! I was able to download a PDF of original 1960's Kenwood reipes that would have come with a new Kenwood Chef in those days.

Here's the first one...

White bread stiff British-type dough

Ingredients

1.36kg (3lb) strong plain flour

15ml (3tsp) salt

25g (1oz) fresh yeast; or 15g/20ml (1⁄2oz) dried yeast + 5ml (1tsp) sugar

750ml (11⁄4pts) warm water: 43°C (110°F). Use a thermometer or add

250ml (9fl oz) boiling water to 500ml (18fl oz) cold water

25g (1oz) lard  [I used butter]

Method

If using dried yeast (the type that needs reconstituting): pour the warm water into the bowl. Then add the yeast and the sugar and leave to stand for about 10 minutes until frothy.

If using fresh yeast: crumble into the flour.

If using other types of yeast: follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

[I used Hovis Fast Action Bread Yeast, which i just poured straight into the flour. You will need 2 sachets or 14 grams]

Pour the liquid into the bowl. Then add the flour (with fresh yeast if used), salt and lard.

Knead at minimum speed for 45 - 60 seconds. Then increase to speed 1, adding more flour if necessary, until a dough has formed.

Knead for 3 - 4 more minutes at speed 1 until the dough is smooth, elastic and leaves the sides of the bowl clean.

Put the dough into a greased polythene bag or a bowl covered with a tea towel. Then leave somewhere warm until doubled in size.

Re-knead for 2 minutes at speed 1.

Half fill four 450g (1lb) greased tins with the dough, or shape it into rolls.

Then cover with a tea towel and leave somewhere warm until doubled in size.

Bake at 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8 for 30-35 minutes for loaves or 10-15 minutes for rolls

When ready, the bread should sound hollow when tapped on the base.

This is the original recipe, however, I changed things around a little.

First off, I only used half the amounts as I only wanted 1 loaf. This meant that there wasn't really enough mixture in the bowl for the Kenwood to mix properly. The dough hook just seemed to pick it up and spin it around in the bowl instead of kneeding it. So instead i just kneeded it by hand for a few minutes until it felt elasticated and yet smooth to the touch. Then i just shaped it into a nice smooth cob shape, made three deep slices in the top and left it to rise for the final hour before popping it in the oven for just 25 minutes. PERFECTION!

When I took it out of the oven I cut a slice straight away (which you're probably not supposed to do i'd imagine as it lets all the hot air inside escape too fast) and buttered it thickly. Delicious.

I was amazed at how simple the recipe really was!

Here's The Finished Product