I love all sorts of bread… which is kinda a bad thing cos it’s carbs and carbs make me fat. Anyway, I couldn’t resist baking a loaf of fresh bread!

Ingredients:

  • 250ml (1 cup) water
  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 2 cups bread flour
  • 2 tbsp powdered milk (or 3 tbsp fresh milk – reduce water accordingly)
  • 3 1/2 tbsp white sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
  • 2 tsp yeast

Method:

  1. Place ingredients in bread machine, according to maker’s instructions.
  2. After dough cycle has completed, remove from machine and continue to knead for 1-2 minutes, adding a bit of flour as you go along, if it’s too sticky to handle. Dough will slowly come together and be easier to handle.
  3. Let rest for 15 minutes in an oiled bowl. Cover with cling wrap.
  4. Spread onto baking tray and let rise for 30 minutes. Continue to cover with cling wrap.

    I had put too much oil in the tray, thus the pool of oil at the sides. I later used kitchen towels to soak up the excess before baking

  5. Sprinkle 1 tsp sea salt and dimple the dough with your fingertips.
  6. Bake at 205 C for 20 minutes or until surface is brown.

*Optional: I mixed 3 pinches of dried rosemary leaves, 2 1/2 tsp minced garlic & 1 tbsp olive oil. Warm slightly in microwave for 30 secs to make infused oil. I then used the oil at Step 3, and sprinkled the garlic on top of dough at Step 5.

Footnotes:

  1. You can use 3 cups bread flour if you wish but I prefer a softer yielding bread over chewy bread.
  2. Reduce the amount of water used if you plan to use a bit of sundried tomato oil. Too much liquid will make the dough very soft.
  3. You can add 1/2 cup chopped olives during Step 1 if you wish.
Advertisement