Bread. We all eat it and many find it as part of lunch everyday in the form of that fantastic invention, the sandwich. I have been making my own bread for quite sometime now and I have never tasted a better loaf than one I have made myself, fresh from the oven with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The inspiration for this recipe came from the fact it is getting warmer as the onslaught of spring pushes on. This makes me turn my culinary eye toward Italy and my favourite combination of tomato, mozzarella and basil. In this case, oregano, although basil can be just as good. The recipe below can be done without the extra ingredients that make it red, white and green (flag) to make a simple loaf. I have found the best thing about making your own is that you can play around with the flavourings and add anything from chilli to red onions or even fresh fruit. It’s just a question of personal preference. I tend to use my bread as a starter with a terrine when I have people over for supper and for my sandwiches to take to work. You should however, allow yourself at least four hours for the whole process to take place…I can guarantee it will most certainly be worth it!
• 500g strong white or wholemeal bread flour plus extra for dusting.
• 1 yeast sachet or 2tsp of dried yeast.
• Salt, 2tsp.
• 300ml of warm water.
• Sugar, 2tsp.
• Olive oil, 2 tablespoons.
• Fresh Oregano, 1 handful.
• Mozzarella, 150g or a ball.
• Sun blushed tomatoes, 1 handful.
• 1 Garlic clove.
Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a bowl. Mix the olive oil, warm water and salt in a jug and stir well.
Slowly combine the two, pouring the water in bit by bit. Mix the dough up and begin to knead it, add a bit more flour if it’s too sticky.
Chop up the mozzarella, sun blushed tomatoes, garlic and oregano. Next roll out the dough in a rectangle and place the bits on top with some salt and pepper in the same way you would a pizza. Then fold over the dough and begin to knead, add extra flour to compensate for the extra liquid from the tomatoes. Knead for about 10 minutes. Next form it into a ball and place in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave somewhere warm to prove for 1hr 30mins.
Take out the puffy ball of dough and knead for 1 minute. Make the dough into a sausage shape and tuck under the bottom and place into a greased bread tin. Cover and leave for 30 minutes. Slash the top of the dough along the middle with a sharp knife. Set the oven at 240 degrees C.
After 30 minutes the dough should have risen up a lot quicker. Dust the top with salt and pepper and some flour. Place the bread tin in the oven for half an hour. Check halfway through cooking and turn the oven down to 200 degrees C.
Remove the loaf from the oven, take out of the tin and tap the base. If it sounds hollow, your bread is done.