Basic bread dough
Few things taste as good as a chunk of freshly baked bread with butter melting into it. Baking bread is surprisingly easy, even when you’re camping.
Few things taste as good as a chunk of freshly baked bread with butter melting into it. Baking bread is surprisingly easy, even when you’re camping.
You need (for 2 loaves)
1 kg (7 cups) white bread flour (or use half Nutty Wheat and half white bread flour)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 packet (10 g) instant yeast
1 tablespoon oil
2 to 2½ cups lukewarm water
Here’s how
1. Wet & dry. Combine the dry ingredients and add the oil and enough lukewarm water to form a manageable dough.
2. Massage it. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic, and doesn’t stick to your hands any more.
3. Let it rise. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with clingwrap. Let it stand in a warm place for about 15 minutes or until the dough has doubled in volume.
Other recipes to try out:
Mielie bread
Asparagus bread
Tips for baking bread
Get the measurements right. 120 g cake flour equals one cup (250 ml), whereas 140 g bread flour equals one cup.
Lots of flour. Always cover your hands and the surface on which you’re going to knead the dough with flour before you start. This prevents the dough from sticking to your hands or to the work surface.
Hot from the oven. Any bread is at its best on the day it’s baked, preferably still warm. If you want to heat bread, wrap it in tinfoil and stick it in the oven at 180 °C until it’s heated through.
Keep it fresh. Always store bread in an airtight container or plastic bag as soon as it’s cooled. Bread that contains perishable ingredients such as meat, bacon or cheese should preferably be eaten as soon as possible.
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