Lesson 6 at Maxine’s Junior Chef’s College, “Bread Making Basics,” introduces yeast-based bread making. Just as in Lesson 5, Maxine will have watched a pre-lesson video from Leith’s School of Food & Wine on basic bread making, so that we can hit the ground running.
They would never allow us to stand around idle in the kitchen while the bread is rising and proving (if you are standing still, you are not doing it right!), and so Maxine will also have prepared a time plan to prepare home made butter, jam and a tomato bruschetta topping that she needs to finish before the bread comes out of the oven.
Classic Enriched White Bread Loaf 🍞
This recipe from the renowned Leiths School of Food and Wine will guide you through the process of creating a delicious loaf of bread from scratch.
Ingredients
- 325 ml warm milk
- 60 g butter
- 7 g dried yeast
- 1 tsp. caster sugar
- 500 g strong bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Prepare the milk mixture: Heat milk and set aside two tablespoons to cool to 38°C. Melt butter into the remaining milk.
- Activate yeast: Dissolve yeast and sugar in the cooled milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients: Mix flour and salt. Beat an egg and add it to the flour. Gradually add the yeast mixture and the remaining milk and butter mixture to form a soft, slightly tacky dough.
- Knead and first prove: Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
- Second prove: Knock back the dough, shape into a loaf, and place it in a lightly oiled bread tin. Cover with oiled cling film and let it rise until at least half its size again (about 30-45 minutes). To check if the dough is sufficiently proved, lightly press it; a small indentation should remain if it's ready.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 200°C (gas mark 6). Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.