Bread Recipes
Bread is one of those staples most likely to vanish during a shortage. We will bring you a collection to use up left over bread, however these more focus on your options if you find yourself unable to buy a loaf in, as well as giving options that range in difficulty.
Basic Bread Loaf
One of the most basic things in life is “our daily bread”, there’s certainly some very fancy recipes out there and all different kinds of rolls and loaves you can make. This is probably about as simple as you get, but it’s a useful one to learn in case you find the shops without.
Ingredients (Makes 1 loaf):
- 500g strong white bread flour
- 5g fast-action yeast (or one sachet)
- 7g fine salt
- 1 tbsp sunflower, rapeseed or olive oil (optional), plus extra to oil the dough
- 300ml warm water
Method:
- Combine the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the oil, if using (it’s not essential, but it makes for a slightly softer, more supple crumb), then add the water. Stir to create a rough, sticky dough (The dough really should be quite sticky at this stage – if it isn't, add a splash more water).
- Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, rhythmically stretching the dough away from you, then folding it back on itself (avoid adding more flour if you can: the dough will become less sticky and easier to handle as you knead).
- When the dough is smooth and elastic, form it into a ball, coat it very lightly with oil and place in a clean bowl. Cover with cling film or put inside a clean carrier bag and leave in a warm place until doubled in size - in the region of 1-2 hours.
- Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and deflate with your fingertips. Reshape the dough into neat rounds and put on a lightly floured board to prove for around 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250°C/gas mark 10, or its highest setting. Put a baking tray in to heat up.
- When the loaves have almost doubled in size again, take the hot baking tray from the oven and sprinkle with a little flour. Carefully transfer the risen loaves to the tray. Slash the tops with a sharp, serrated knife and put in the oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes,
- Reduce the heat to 190°C/gas mark 5 and bake for about 30 minutes more, or until the crust is well-coloured, and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it sharply with your fingers.
- Transfer to a rack to cool completely before slicing.
Basic Soda Bread
If you don’t have the time, or the energy, to make a yeasted bread, Soda Breads are the way to go. Faster to make and ripe for easy customization, the loaves won’t be something you can slice and use in a sandwich, but work well with soup or served hot with butter.
Ingredients:
- 500g plain flour
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- Approx 400ml buttermilk or live yoghurt (you can use water or milk, but won’t get the same taste)
Method:
- Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl and stir in the salt.
- Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk/yoghurt, stirring as you go. If necessary, add a tablespoon or two of milk to bring the mixture together; it should form a soft dough.
- Tip it out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly for about a minute, just long enough to pull it together into a loose ball but no longer (you need to get it into the oven while the bicarb is still doing its stuff).
4. Put the round of dough on a lightly floured baking sheet and dust generously with flour. Mark a deep cross in it with a sharp, serrated knife, cutting about two-thirds of the way through the loaf. - Put it in an oven preheated to 200°C and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
- Cool on a wire rack if you like a crunchy crust, or wrap in a clean tea towel if you prefer a soft crust.
- Soda bread is best eaten while still warm, spread with salty butter and/or a dollop of your favourite jam.
Cornbread
Technically this is actually a kind of savoury cake, but it’s a staple of “Southern” style cooking in the US. Cornmeal (Fine Polenta) is something stocked by larger supermarkets, and as It’s more associated with Classic Italian or Caribbean cuisine in the UK, should be more likely to go overlooked as a resource (in Italian cooking you often find fresh soft polenta (similar to US-style Grits) or set Polenta which is cut into fingers and fried).
Ingredients (makes 1 “loaf” or 8 muffins):
- 150g plain flour
- 150g fine polenta
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- Pinch of sugar
- 250ml buttermilk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 60ml vegetable oil
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 220c.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, polenta, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- Stir in the buttermilk, egg and oil (I often mix these together in a measuring jug first to make it easier), mix well until a smooth batter forms
- Pour the batter into a greased 20cm round pan, spreading evenly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve once cooled a little with butter or as a side dish with stews and soups.
Variations:
Cornbread is easy to customise. Using the above recipe try mixing in 115g grated strong cheddar and 1 finely chopped red/green chili.
You can also cook 6 strips of streaky bacon in the baking pan, retain the fat that seeps out and chop the bacon into chunks and add to the batter, pour the batter over the bacon fat and use that to grease the pan. Unhealthy but tasty.
There’s even a very good recipe for Carrot Cornbread that’s easy to make and can use up any leftover grated veg from carrots, parsnips, celeriac even beetroot.