The Canny Cook, lower your food bills and still eat well with food editor ELEANOR MAIDMENT: A very simple white loaf
- This brilliant bread recipe for beginners freezes well and toasts beautifully
It’s been hard to ignore the news about ultra-processed foods (UPFs). While a lot of what we eat goes through some processing – think cheese or canned fish – it does not necessarily alter the nutritional value.
With UPFs, however, the processes tend to be a bit more industrialised. The results are often high in salt and sugar with added dyes, stabilisers and emulsifiers, which are generally deemed bad for our health.
One easy way to monitor UPFs is to look at labels when shopping. I often compare products, choosing the one with more recognisable ingredients.
Sadly, I’ve noticed that a lot of supermarket bread contains things I’ve never heard of.
Flour, £1.30, yeast £1.25, fine salt 65p and olive oil £2.55 is a total cost of 97p per loaf
I’m aware that we don’t all have time to make bread from scratch, but if you do have a few hours, it’s an almost therapeutic thing to do, plus a homemade UPF-free loaf will cost under £1 (assuming you use up a whole bag of flour to make six loaves).
This recipe is easy, and once you master it you could add chopped olives or sun-dried tomatoes during the final kneading.
If you are new to kneading, it is a simple rolling movement from the top of your palm to the heel. The technique doesn’t matter too much as long as you stretch the dough (and work the gluten).
You can do it with one or two hands or in a freestanding machine with a dough hook fitted, in which case it’ll take about half the time.
Method
- 1 tsp easy bake yeast
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 250g strong white bread flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Mix the flour, yeast, salt and ½ tsp sugar in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle, adding 130ml warm tap water and the oil. Mix everything with a wooden spoon, then bring together with your hands. Knead on the work surface for 10 minutes, dusting with a little flour if it gets sticky.
Rinse out the bowl then grease with a little oil. Place the dough inside, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise and double in size – about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Knead the dough for 2 minutes, then shape into a round loaf with a smooth domed top, tucking the dough underneath it. Place seam-side down on a lightly oiled tray and pat gently to flatten.
Cover with the oiled clingfilm and leave to prove (rise) for another 45-60 minutes or until it has doubled in size again.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Uncover the dough and dust the top lightly with flour. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.
- Do you have a great recipe for eating well and cutting food bills? Email editor@you.co.uk. If we print it here, we’ll send you a bottle of champagne
