How to make easy tasty Bread.

Difficulty: Easy

Making bread is extremely easy and there is absolutely no need to use a bread maker. The most important ingredient to making good bread is the flour, the higher the gluten the better your bread is going to turn out. I prefer to use Allison flour. Though Tesco's own brand will also do the trick.

What you are going to need.

• Bread flour (500g)
• Olive Oil (3 tbsp)
• Salt (1 tbsp)
• Dried yeast (7g) 
• Water (300ml)

Any super market brand of all these ingredients is fine. Though like

I said the flour is important. You can usually pick up Allison's flour for £1 when its on special offer which is almost always in at least one super market. Failing that Tesco's own is probably second best.

Step 1

Place the Bread flour (500g), Sachet of dried yeast (7g) and Salt (1 tbsp) into a mixing bowl and mix the ingredients together well. Then make a well in the middle with your hand and place the olive oil in the centre (3 tbsp) followed by lukewarm water (300ml) then mix together well with your hand until it forms a dough.

Step 2  

Knead the doe well for a couple of minutes on a lightly floured surface until it forms a nice smooth ball, if the dough seems a bit too dry add 1tsp of water or too sticky at a slight sprinkle of flour. You want it not so sticky but not  too dry either. If its too dry it won't raise so well. Once you are happy with your ball of dough place in a clean bowl and cover it over with cling film and leave the yeast to do its work for 1 hour. It's best if you leave it in a warm light area, near the window for example with the sun on it. Though its not crucial it just helps.

Step 3 

After you have let your bread dough raise for 1 hour take it out of the mixing bowl and make it into a nice ball again (or place it into a bread tin if you like) and place it on a NON-STICK tray (this is important) and leave it to raise for another 1 hour. I put the bowl upside down over the dough so it stays some-what round whilst it's growing. 

After leaving it for 1 hour slice the top of your loaf in 3 places with a sharp knife and lightly flour the top. Now it's finally time to cook your bread. Put it in the oven on the middle shelf ( Fan 180, Electric 200, Gas 5 ) until your bread is golden brown. When you think its done leave it a little longer just to make sure its cooked through out. (especially if your using a bread tin). To make sure your bread is cooked tap the top and bottom, it should sound hollow.. leave it on a a wire rack or on an oven shelf to cool.