Malted bread
Phil Vickery is here with a simple, family-friendly recipe to convince us that 2014 is all about baking our own bread. He'll also be putting Dermot and Holly to the test as they go head to head to try and make the perfect bread twist!
Makes: about 20 rolls or two loavesPreparation time: about 20minutesProving time: about 1 hour in totalCooking time: 15 minutes, approx
Ingredients
550g malted flour10g salt200mls warm, bottled water200mls warm milk7g quick acting dried yeast10g castor sugar50g melted unsalted butter or olive oil1 beaten egga few sunflower or poppy seeds
Method
Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and mix well
Mix 150mls of each of the liquid and add the yeast, sugar and melted butter
Pour into the flour and mix well to a soft dough
Check the consistency and add a little more liquid to form a soft dough but not too sloppy. Its always very difficult to give exact measurements when talking about flours. All flours have different absorption rates, so its best to err on the side of caution.
Knead the dough well for at least 5 minutes non stop to work the gluten. It was a strict rule when I was an apprentice.
Then return to the bowl and cover with cling film and leave to prove in a warm place until about doubled in size
This should take about 25-30 minutes
Once proved, cut into small pieces about 40-50g, roll into a ball and place onto a lightly greased
Cover with cling film and prove until about doubled in size roughly, again about 30 minutes. Do not over prove.
At this point preheat the oven to 220°C, Gas 7
If however you do over prove, then just remove from the tray, re roll and prove again
Once proved, lightly brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sunflower seeds
Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until light brown and golden
Once baked cool on wire racks and just rewarm in a moderate oven before eating
Hot bread straight out of the oven is not good to eat. It needs to cool completely, and then re warmed for a perfect result. They also freeze well.