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Crusty White Bread

Nothing tastes better than fresh home baked bread, served warm with a generous amount of butter, or as an accompaniment to a stew, soup or casserole . Many of our friends have been asking for the recipe for the crusty white loaf that we make here at Wrickton Hall.

Ingredients

2 cups lukewarm water
1 sachet dry yeast (7g)
1 tablespoon sugar
5 cups strong white bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

Add 2 cups of lukewarm water into a large bowl and mix in the yeast and sugar. Leave to stand for 15 minutes until a froth forms on top of the mixture. Add 3 cups of the flour, salt and oil to your bowl and beat until you have a wet dough (approx. 5 mins). Stir the last 2 cups of flour into the mixture, then empty onto a floured surface.

Knead the dough for 5 minutes, pushing the dough away from you with the heel of your hand, then folding it over. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Kneed the dough for another 5 minutes and place in a bowl with a little vegetable oil. Roll the dough in the oil until it is covered, then cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or cling film. Leave to stand in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size.

Once risen, knock the air out of the dough, and on a floured surface, split the dough into two. Shape the bread into two long rolls and place on a greased baking tray. Cut about five slashes across the top with a sharp knife, and cover again to allow it to rise (approx. 30 mins).

Heat the oven to 180 C (Fan) and cook the bread for 30 minutes. Sprinkling some water over the bread halfway through helps make the bread even crustier.

The wet dough mixture