Bread

The transformation of some kind of grain (wheat, rice, corn etc.) into a loaf of bread by grinding it, adding water, letting it ferment, then baking it is one of the oldest of the kitchen crafts, and also, dare I say it, one of the most satisfying.

A truly great loaf of bread, hot from the oven, is surely one of the most wonderful things to eat - the crisp or chewy crust, the soft center gently aerated and smelling of sugars, yeast and flour - no wonder I used to hollow out a fresh loaf before my mom could get it home!

The bread of my childhood was a standard white sandwich loaf - square with a crisp crust and robust insides - just right to hold chicken mayonnaise or be spread with Marmite. The taste of this bread is still to some extent my touchstone when I judge other breads - does it have the same bite, the same flavour?

Korean bread falls far short from this standard, although they have suddenly learnt to make baguettes, and these will do in a pinch.

However, I've developed two recipes that I use to bake my own bread as and when needed. One is the traditional labour of love - kneading, resting, proving etc. and you should start this about 12 hours before you want to eat it; while the other is an almost instant bread, needing about 2 hours, including baking time.

First the instant bread.

Measure out two measures (cups, bowls, handfuls, whatever you have available) of flour. I mix white bread flour and wholewheat in equal proportions. Mix in about 1 tsp salt (more if you like salty bread), 1 tsp sugar and 2 tsp instant yeast. Boil some water and let it cool until you can dip a finger in without being scalded. Fill the same measure you used for the flour with this water and add to the flour mix. Stir with a fork or a heavy duty whisk until it is all mixed. This is quite a soft dough, very sticky, so dust your hands with flour when you do the next stage. Also check that it will hold its shape to some extent (not runny). Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, oil a baking sheet, then scoop the dough from the bowl onto the sheet and form it into a round or long shape, depending on you. Bake for 1 hour or until the loaf sound hollow when you tap the bottom.

Next, the traditional loaf.

Use two measures white bread flour, one measure wholewheat flour and one measure rye flour. Mix this with 2 tsp salt, 4 tsp sugar and 3 tsp instant yeast. Boil some water and let it cool to where it won't scald your finger but is still hot to the touch. Using the same measure as the flour, put in 1/2 a measure water and add 4 tbsp good virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil. Make a hollow in the flour mix and add the liquid. Work the liquid into the flour until all the flour is absorbed into the dough. If needed, add a splash or two more water, but be careful - this should not be a wet dough. Now comes the kneading - at least ten minutes or more of turning, punching, pulling, and otherwise mixing the dough to activate the gluten. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a greased bowl, grease the top of the dough and cover with cling-film and a damp cloth. Place it in a warm spot and leave it overnight or for twelve hours. The following day you can shape it into a loaf in a loaf tin, make it into small balls for buns, shape it into a cottage loaf - whatever you like. Then leave it again for about an hour, preferably two to prove. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for an hour or more, again until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Both of these recipes can also be used to make a deep-fried version (vetkoek) by dropping balls of them into hot deep oil if you want.

Add things such as seeds, raisins, nuts etc. if you want to the dry mix.

Enjoy!