Homemade Bread Recipe
How do you make homemade bread from scratch?
Making bread at home is much more simple than you might think so here is a tasty homemade bread recipe for you! I am a big fan of traditional crafts and appreciation for self-sufficient countryside life. Maybe even more now because of the coronavirus outbreak and the limitations that came with it. There are many things you can buy in tins and jars which will last you weeks. However, bread is not one of them. Bread is best made fresh and the smell of just made bakery lingering around the kitchen is only another poetic bonus! My parents have been farming for years so I value the beauty and the essential purpose of being able to grow your own food. At least to some extend.
Bread-making is one of the traditional crafts I love. Done in an old, traditional way it also brings together other amazing craft makers - millers, basketweavers and also carpenters. All these craftsmen amaze me with their skill and I like to learn some of the techniques for myself. It’s also good to expose children to growing vegetables, domestic animals and traditional skills around the home. Educating them by practical example is fun and teaches them to consider the effort which goes into making something, anything, by hands from scratch.
Is homemade bread healthy?
I would definitely say yes. Making your own bread gives you control over the ingredients you use. Plus you don’t have to use any additives to preserve the bread because it’s always fresh. You can choose high quality wheat or rye flower, fresh (or even homemade!) yeast, reasonable amount of salt and variety of seeds, greens or other flavourings to add to the bread. Have you ever tried mixing wallnuts, pork scratchings or bacon, seeds, olives or onion into the dough? Sprinkling seeds, salt, spices or oats on top of the bread? The homemade bread recipe I’ll share with you bellow is ideal for trying all kinds of flavours. You don’t need to be scared of kneading or using yeast because it’s almost as easy as using a pre-made mix. Except healthier!
If I haven’t convinced you yet, enjoy the homemade bread video by Kinfolk bellow. I found it the other day and it shows that making bread is such beautiful art!
the art of making bread from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.
Homemade Bread Recipe
Preparation time: 10 minutes, then leaving the dough to rise for 6-8 hrs
Baking: 1 hr at 200 degrees
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of wheat flower, 1 cup of rye flower (alternatively 3 cups of wheat flower because it is lighter in both colour and weight)
- 1-2 teaspoons of salt
- a handful of whole cumin seeds
- 1 cube of fresh yeast (approx. 30g) or 1 sachet of dried yeast
- 1 cup of luke warm water
- seeds, nuts, herbs of your choice (optional)
Instructions
This recipe is really easy and at the end you will have a golden, tasty fresh homemade bread! It’s suitable to mix in the morning before work, let it rise while you’re away and then bake it for an hour or so in the evening. You can also mix the ingredients in the evening, let the dough rise overnight and then bake the bread in the morning. Whichever suits you, simple leave the dough rest for 6-8 hrs, if you leave it for 10 not much will happen anyway.
Begin by measuring three cups of the flour and putting them in a large bowl. Add salt, cumin seeds and mix together. Then separate about a third of the water and mix the yeast in it thoroughly before pouring it into the mixture. Add the rest of the water and form a dough using a wooden spoon. Ideally, add the water slowly, considering the thickness of the dough. It is better to regulate how thin the dough gets by adding less water rather than by adding more flour. When you’re happy with the dough, leave it in the bowl, cover with clean tea towel and place in warm room to let the dough rest and rise.
After the dough has rested
The dough should rise nicely and double even triple in size after about 6-8 hrs and is ready for baking. Use flour to remove it from the bowl and place on wooden board or clean kitchen surface. Form approximately 3 cm thick dough ‘sheet’ and let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Then fold the sheet once from the right, once from the left, once from the front and once from the back. Turn upside down and place into a casserole-style iron pot with a lid.
Brush the bread surface with luke warm water and sprinkle some cumin seeds on top before putting the bread into the oven. Depending on your type of oven, bake covered for 1 hour at 200 degrees, with rotating ventilating set.
Serving the bread
Homemade bread tastes beautifully served with soups, salads, parma ham or marinated cheese. You can also toast it with butter and wood garlic leaves - simple but amazing for entertaining friends! Enjoy!
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