Basic but Brilliant Bread

@1humblepalateSo, today I’m going to let you in on a family secret. This secret is one of those closely guarded heirlooms of intangible and incalculable value.

Wringing this out of my mom took a bit of effort and convincing. I had to promise to get her “something nice”, which is happening more often than not these days; one day my bill will come due, and I pray I will be able to pay up.

Let’s be honest, one of the most amazing scents to hit your nose from the kitchen is the smell of freshly baked bread. It’s one of those unbeatable things. It’s just good.

You can’t describe why it smells so, but as soon as it hits your nose, a wave of nostalgia tends to hit you. Be it from being sent to the store to grab a loaf early on a Saturday morning, or if you were so fortunate, waking up to the smell of a fresh loaf cooling on the rack in the kitchen. Fresh bread screams home.

A great bread recipe is one that each home cook should always have in their arsenal, one they should use often. The amount of bread we eat as a nation is quite large, and the options are not limited. There is everyday bread provided by different food brands, along with generic loaves produced by supermarkets, and then the artisanal kind, you know, the fancy looking, interestingly named ones.

Whatever your taste, you can’t help but acknowledge that bread is a thing. The recipe below is one that our family has followed for a long, long time, and it’s a classic that has exchanged hands (within the family) with a few edits here and there, depending on the need and the occasion. I tend to want to throw in a few extra things, something that makes my mom cringe more often than not.

This recipe is all her, in its unadulterated state. It provides a true bread flavour and texture that is amplified if enjoyed warm with a bit of butter, fresh out of the oven. Add marmalade to that, and well, you have a winning recipe. It keeps well too, and freezes even better. So as you bake this, may the amazing scent of fresh bread permeate through your home. Enjoy this family treasure from our kitchen and home to yours.

Daily Home-made Loaf

500 g white bread wheat flour

500 g brown bread wheat flour

6 tablespoons cooking oil

4 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons salt

1 sachet instant yeast (10 g)

600 ml warm water (60°C)

1. Mix flour, sugar and salt. Sprinkle dry yeast and mix together. Make well in the centre.

2. Separately, mix together water and cooking oil, and then add to the dry ingredients. Hand mix and knead on a floured surface.

3. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a dish/tea cloth until the dough rises to double its size. The ambient temperature will directly affect the rate at which it rises, so keep an eye out.

4.Turn it onto a lightly floured surface, punch it gently, then shape into a loaf and place in a greased loaf tin and allow to rise until it is above the rim of the tin. In the meantime, preheat oven to 180°C.

5. Bake bread for 35 minutes or until golden brown, in the middle of the oven. The bread, when tapped, should sound hollow. Place baked bread on a cooling rack and brush top and sides with a bit of melted butter.

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