White bread

Little Jim's bread recipe, for those who remain true to real bread and have not turned to the heresey of the bread machine!

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Put the bowl of flour into the microwave for 1 minute.

Remove and place the jug of water in for 1 1/2 minutes.

Whilst water is heating mix in salt and yeast into warm flour.

Make a 'well' in the centre of your flour and add warm water and the oil.

Mix together using a spoon or a knife.

When it is formed into a lump remove from the bowl trying to make sure that you take all the flour with you..

Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes, probably longer until it is smooth and firm and 'plastic'. Your hands should be clean of dough and stay clean as you work it. (It's one way to know that all the liquid has been worked in.) You knead the dough to distribute the yeast throughout the whole mixture - move it around, always pulling in the outside layer into the middle, press down using the palm of your hand - it takes quite a lot of wrist strength. It might take longer than 5 minutes if you are not used to it.

Some of the new yeast mixes say that you can at this stage form the dough into your loaf tins or into rolls. I am not too sure if this will give such a light loaf as we are used to, but you could try it especially for rolls. As they still advise two risings for the brown loaves I might go on with my second rise anyway.

If you go for the second rising then place back into bowl and cover with cling film.

Leave somewhere as warm as you can, but if it is a problem, micro-wave for 20 seconds and then leave for 20 minutes inside the oven. If it still has not doubled in size give it another 20 seconds and leave for 10 minutes.

Knock-back as usual and divide as you like and place into your oiled tins.

Bake as usual. (210 degrees centigrade) 25 minutes for a 1lb loaf and 15/20 minutes for your rolls.

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