This is one of the best things I learned during the lock down. Lets get to the fool proof recipe to make a soft and tasty loaf. The secret ingredients milk and butter give it a soft crumb, while golden syrup makes it less crumbly and easier to slice.
Ingredients
To finish
1. about 325 ml milk small knob of unsalted butter
2. 25g unsalted butter
3. 500g Strong Bread Flour plus extra for dusting
4. 1 teaspoon golden syrup
5. 7g salt
6. 7g dried yeast
1. Pour the milk into a sauce pan, add the butter and golden syrup, and heat gently to melt the butter.
Give it a stir; then take the pan off the heat and let it cool until the liquid feels just warm when you dip in your little finger.
2. Put the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix well with your hands or dough hook attachment. Mix in the dried yeast then make a well in the centre.
3. Pour the luke warm milk mixture into the well and mix everything together with your hand or the dough hook on the slowest speed to make a soft dough. Leave the soft dough in the bowl, uncovered,for 5 minutes so that the flour can fully hydrate, which will make it easier to work.
4. Lightly flour the worktop ad your fingers, then tip out the dough and knead it really well for 10 minutes, or for 5 miutes in a mixer with dough hook on the slowest speed. The dough should feel slightly firmer, silky-smooth, very elastic and pliable. Put the dough back in the bowl, then cover the bowl tightly with clingfilm. Leave to rise for about 1 hour at normal room temperature until it is doubled in size. Grease the inside of the tin with butter.
5.Punch down the risen dough with your knuckles to deflate it, then tip it out onto the lightly floured worktop. Knead it a couple of times to even it out. Then dust your fingers with flour and firmly press it our to a 26x30cm rectangle of an even thickness. Roll up the dough fairly tightly from on short end ( like swiss roll ).
6. When it is rolled up, pinch the seam firmly. Put the bread seam-side down, tuck the ends under the roll and push the loaf into the tin.
7. Gently press your hand down flat on top of the dough to push it right into the corners of the tin and flatten it on the surface. This will give the baked loaf a neat, fairly brick-like shape. Slip the tin into a larger plastic bag ( or cover with cling film). leave the dough to prove and rise at normal temperature for about 1 hour until double in size.
8. Towards the end of the proving time, preheat the oven to 220 deg. cel. Take the tin out of the bag and bake fir for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180 deg cel and bake for 20 minutes until the loaf is a good golden brown. To test if the bread is done turn it out and tap it on the base with your knuckles - if it sounds hollow it is ready, but if there's a dull 'thud', put it back in the tin and pop it in the oven for another 5 minutes, then test it again.
9. Turn out the cooked loaf onto a wire rack, then quickly rub a knob of unsalted butter over the top.
Leave the bread to cool until completely cold before storing. Eat within 5 days - after that it is best toasted.
Good Luck 😃
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