You must try this bread!
The finished Loaves
This technique requires no kneading at all and results in a beautiful loaf.
It can be traced back to Doris Grant from Aberdeenshire who was married to Gordon Grant of the Grant’s Whisky family. Her recipe used only wholemeal flour which is of course more nutritious, however, the addition of a strong white flour gives the finished loaf an extra bite. If you want to have a wholemeal only simply substitute for the white.
It’s an easy loaf as there is no kneading and only one prove in the tin. Make sure you do give it enough time to prove or you will end up with a dense loaf.
It is a very wet mix and if you haven’t made it before you will think that I’ve got the recipe wrong, but trust me it’s right!
I’m doing enough for two tins here but you can easily half the recipe. These loaves freeze really well, as soon as they are at room temperature after baking pop them into a zip lock freezer bag and into the freezer.
A Bee Provided Honey.
I’m using a local Dumfries and Galloway honey here from ‘A Bee Provided’. I know the owner John Lockwood well and have been lucky enough to accompany him when he is out and about with his bees. The importance of the work that dedicated producers like John do can not be over emphasised. Please do support local whenever you can.
So here we go…
Ingredients:
450g strong white bread flour
450g wholemeal bread flour
850ml water. Cool to room temperature.
16g table salt
25g fast acting dried yeast
A good tablespoon of ‘A Bee Provided’ Dumfries and Galloway Honey
Sesame Seeds (Optional)
A little butter for greasing
Utensils:
A large mixing bowl
A 1 litre jug
2 X 500g or 1lb loaf tins
Method
Firstly, liberally butter your two loaf tins and set aside.
Add your salt and fast acting yeast to the flour. Give it a good mix to evenly incorporate all the dry ingredients.
Now put your honey into the bottom of a jug and add a little of your water. Give it a mix to dissolve the honey. Then add in the rest of your water.
Add this to the flour and mix through thoroughly to create quite a wet dough. Do make sure that all the flour has been incorporated.
Divide between the two loaf tins evenly and sprinkle a good amount of sesame seeds on.
Now your need to cover with a tea towel and leave until the dough has risen to almost the top of the tin. The amount of time will depend on the conditions in your kitchen. The warmer the room the quicker the rise. But remember the longer and slower the prove the better the loaf will be.
Put your oven on to pre-heat to 180 degrees Fan .
When the dough is almost at the top of the tins get them into the oven. Every oven is different but they should bake for around an hour. Watch they don’t take on too much colour.
When cooked, bring them out of the oven and use a spatula to release around the tin and turn them out. Give them a firm tap, they should sound hollow. If you are unsure, pop them back in the oven out of their tins for another 10 - 15 minutes. This will also crisp up the crust even more.
Me and my daughter Asha baking together!
Try to resist and allow them to cool before slicing. Enjoy!