Welcome to the Bread, Buns & Teabread recipes.

This Page's Recipes:

Click here to find out about the Sues Kitchen limited edition Teapot Keyrings
TAFN (The Accessible Friends Network) links

Breads, buns and teabreads - Crusty home-made bread.

Although there are much easier ways of making bread, there is a great satisfaction from making it yourself, right from scratch!  Of course you can use your breadmaker and get excellent results but, it isn’t half as rewarding, honestly!

Crusty home-made bread.

To make one medium sized loaf.

You will need:-

12 oz, 350 g, or 3 cups of strong white bread flour.   (alternatively, if you like brown bread, use half plain and half wheatmeal bread flour)
9 or 10 fl.oz, thats about half a pt,  or just over 1 cup of luke warm water, (the amount will vary slightly according to the type of flour used)
1 and a half level tbsps of butter or margarine
1 level tsp of salt
1 and a half level tsps of granulated sugar
1 sachet of easy blend fast acting dried yeast.

Sprinkle over the sachet of yeast and stir it in.

Pour in the lukewarm water and, using a round bladed knife, combine the engredients until they begin to come together in the bottom of the bowl.  Try to form the dough into a ball with your hands,  but If it doesn’t combine easily, and dry bits can still be felt,  drop the mixture back into  the bowl and add a couple more tablespoons of water,  then try bringing it together again.  You are aiming for a smooth dough that is a little softer and more pliable than pastry.

Now, lightly flour a clean work top and transfer the dough on to it. 

Flour your hands slightly and make the dough into a ball and gently flatten the top surface.  Your bread dough  now has to be kneaded so that it becomes smooth and elastic before being put to rise for the first time.

If you are feeling a bit fed up or cross with someone, get ready to begin to feel better by taking it out on the dough!

Make both hands into fists, place them on top of the dough and press your knuckles down firmly into it, really squash that dough, repeat the process by lifting your knuckles up out of the dough and pushing them down firmly into it once again.

Unclench your hands, push the dough back into a ball,  with the palms of your hands, then lift it up, give it a quarter turn and repeat the knuckle kneading process again.   Push the dough back into a ball, give the dough another quarter turn and knead it again.   Now carry on “knocking back” the dough so that you are kneading twice then turning, kneading then turning, for about ten minutes.  As you knead you will feel the dough become more pliable, Much more elastic and stretchy, you might even hear the bubbles of air popping as the glutin in the flour begins to do its work by stretching the dough.

After you have finished kneading, you’ll know when that is because you will be exhausted, smile, place the ball of dough in a clean bowl that has been lightly sprinkled with a little flour, to prevent it from sticking as it rises.   Cover the bowl with a clean plastic bag or teatowel  and put it somewhere warm to rise for about an hour and a half.  If you have an airing cupboard, this would be ideal, but a warm room would be fine.  The dough needs to be left until it has doubled in size.  You will be able to tell  quite easily as it will have spread out in the bowl, risen and become softer as the air thats trapped in the flour as the yeast acts, does its work.

Don't be tempted to put it somewhere too warm though, such as on top of a radiator or in a low oven as this will kill the yeast and stop it from working, if this should happen the bread won't rise at all.

While you are waiting, lightly grease the base and sides of a one and a half to two pound, or medium sized 900 g, loaf tin, with a little butter or margarine.

Now the hard work starts again, flour your work top once more, tip out the dough  and knead it for the second time (knocking back) the dough for a further five minutes or so,  before it is put to rise again.  This time, transfer it carefully into the greased loaf tin and gently pat it down so that it takes on the shape of the tin, cover with a plastic bag or teacloth and put it to rise in a warm place again for about an hour until it has doubled in size.  By removing the cover and touching the top gently, you’ll notice that the dough will have risen quite a way up the sides of the tin.  Don't worry, it will rise even more while its cooking.

About a quarter of an hour before your bread has finished rising, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425 f, 220c, 180 fan.

Now, remove the bag or teatowel, and Carefully transfer the tin in to the top of the pre-heated oven and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the loaf feels firm and crisp on top.  If you are not sure whether the loaf is cooked or not, using  oven gloves to protect your hands, put one hand on top of the loaf in the tin, and the other hand under the base of the tin and carefully tip the bread out so that the top of the loaf is resting in one hand.  Discard the tin and  remove one oven glove, then tap the bread on its base, if it sounds hollow and doesn't feel sticky, it is cooked, if not, put the oven glove back on, put the bread back into the tin and cook for a further five minutes.  Repeat the tapping process until you are satisfied that your bread is cooked.

There is nothing more wonderful than the smell of home made bread as it is cooking, and what a tremendous achievement to have made it yourself.

Now, slice it while it is still warm, spread with plenty of butter and add some sliced strongly flavoured cheddar or other hard cheese of your choice, or alternatively, home-made strawberry jam or conserve.

The loaf is best eaten now while it is still hot or within a couple of days,  as it does not contain the preservatives that shop-bought bread has.

Enjoy it,

happy cooking,

Sue.

Breads, Buns & Teabreads - Teabread.

This is a succulent fruit loaf that doesn’t contain any yeast.  It’s one of my all time favourites.  You don’t need to weigh out anything too accurately so it really is quick and easy to make.

All cup measures are based on the standard one full cup,   measure as sold here in the UK, i.e. one 275 ml, half pint  cup will hold 4 ounces of flour or half a pint of tea.

If you don’t have any measuring cups a small coffee mug will do the job just as well as long as you consistently use the same mug as a measure throughout the recipe.

To make one two pound loaf.

You will need:-

2 level measuring cups of sultanas.
1 level measuring cup of soft, dark brown sugar
a full measuring cup of cold tea
two heaped measuring cups of self-raising flour
one large egg.

Put the fruit, sugar and tea into a large bowl, cover and leave to stand over night.

The next day, heat the oven to gas mark 3, 325 f, 170 c, 150 fan.

Grease and line a two pound, 900 g, oblong, deep sided loaf or bread tin with greased greaseproof, waxed  or parchment paper.  It is possible to buy cake tin liners of this size from reputable kitchenware companies, such as
www.lakeland.co.uk

but if not, you can line the tin yourself by placing it upside down on a sheet of paper and scoring round the outside rim, with the point of a knife or scissors.  The surplus paper should pull away and you will be left with a piece that is the right size to fit the inside of the tin.

Break the egg into a bowl to make sure it is fresh, then whisk it with a fork until smooth.

Sift the flour and add it  to the fruit mixture.

Add the egg and stir with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are well combined.

The mixture will be sticky, of (a very soft dropping consistency) that will fall from the spoon very easily, but please don't worry if it seems a bit soft at this stage.

Spoon it into the prepared tin, level the top with a flat bladed knife and bake just above the centre of the pre-heated oven for one and a half hours. 

Although the cake will look lightly golden, to the touch it will feel more like the consistency of a sponge cake.  Don't panic though, it is supposed to be like this as it will become firmer,  more like a moist fruit bread when its cool. 

Leave it  to go completely cold before turning it out of the tin.  then store it in an airtight container. 

Before you eat it, peel back the paper,  slice it, spread each piece with butter or margarine and really enjoy it!

This teabread will keep well in an airtight tin for several days.

This is my variation of a fruit tea loaf that is still made traditionally, in small quantities, by hand,  today and usually eaten after supper.

Enjoy it,

Happy cooking!

Sue.

Bread-maker recipes.

Here are some basic recipes for you to use in your breadmaker.  They have been designed to work with most standard bread machines, but please see your user guide for details on its capacity and settings.

I am giving the amounts to make either one small, medium or large white loaf (1 lb, 1-and-a-half lb or 2 lb).

All spoon and cup measures are level.

One standard measuring cup holds 4 oz, flour.  One tbsp holds 15 ml, one tsp holds 5 ml.

Most bread machines come with a measuring cup and spoon for ease of use, please use these if available, or, alternatively,  weigh out and measure accurately.

The caster sugar can be substituted for granulated sugar and the sun flower oil for butter or margarine, but please lessen the amount of fat by half a tbsp if you do this.   Using oil and caster sugar means that the ingredients are combined more easily.  Using other sugars and oils gives variations in texture and flavour.  Traditional dried yeast is available from supermarkets and will keep for several months if kept in an airtight container.

To make one small loaf, you will need:-

150 ml, a quarter of a pint, or two-thirds of a measuring cup of tepid or lukewarm water.
15 ml, 1 tbsp of dried milk.
15 ml, 1 tbsp of caster sugar.
2.5 ml, half a tsp of salt.
30 ml, 2 tbsp of sunflower oil.
225 g, 8 oz, or 2 cups, of strong, white, bread flour.
5 ml, 1 tsp, of traditional active dried yeast.

For a medium sized loaf, you will need:-

275 ml, a fraction over half a pint,  9 fl.oz, that’s a generous 1 measuring cup of tepid or lukewarm water.
30 ml, 2 tbsp of dried milk.
20 ml, 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp of caster sugar.
5 ml, 1 tsp salt.
40 ml, 2 and a half tbsps of sunflower oil.
350 g, 12 oz, 3 cups of strong, white, bread flour.
7.5 ml, 1 and a half tsps, of traditional, active dried yeast.

To make a large loaf, you will need:-

375 ml, between half and 3-quarters of a pint, 13 fl.oz, or 1 and a half cups, of tepid or lukewarm water.
60 ml, 4 tbsps, of dried milk.
45 ml, 3 tbsps of caster sugar.
7.5 ml, 1 and a half tsps of salt.
60 ml, 4 tbsps of sunflower oil.
450 g, 1 lb, or 4 cups of strong, white, bread flour.
10 ml, 2 tsps, of traditional, active dried yeast.

Remove the bread pan from your bread maker on to a work top and add the ingredients in the order given above for the correct sized loaf.

Position the pan in the machine, pressing it down firmly until you hear it click in to place.

Close the lid.

Set your machine according to the instructions for basic bread, selecting preferred crust type, either dark or light, and press the start button.

All you have to do then is be patient and wait, the machine will do all the hard work of kneading and proving for you, simply look forward to experiencing the wonderful aroma and taste of freshly baked bread.

Your breadmaker might bleep part-way through the cycle to alert you to the fact that its time for you to add other ingredients, i.e. herbs, fruit cheese etc., With the help of your breadmaker’s recipe book, you can experiment and go on to create your own favourite flavoured breads, but don’t be confused by this and think that your loaf has finished baking.  Of course, it will be obvious if you gently touch the side of the breadmaker and find that it hasn’t got hot yet!

When the bread is cooked, (most machines will bleep again to let you know that the cycle is complete, use oven gloves to remove the pan and turn out the loaf onto a cooling rack.

I have to admit, I like to eat the bread while it is still warm and crusty!

Breadmakers are renowned for giving very good, even light and airy results, it may be necessary to adjust the ingredients, particularly the water, if the bread isn’t quite right, please persevere though and take a look at the (glossary of preparation techniques) for more detailed information on how to bake and store home-made bread, or for handy hints on how to adjust recipes when things go wrong.

Enjoy it!

Sue.

Hot Cross Buns.

These lovely spicy buns are always popular now, not only at Easter but throughout the year.

To make twelve buns.  You will need.

To activate the yeast,
a quarter of a pint, or 150 ml, of hand-hot water,
1 level tbsp of dried yeast,
1 tsp of caster sugar.

To make the buns,

1 lb, 450 g, of plain strong bread flour,
1 level tsp of salt,
1 level tsp of mixed spice,
2 oz, 50 g, of mixed peel,
3 oz, 75 g, of currants,
2 oz, 50 g, of caster sugar,
1 medium egg,
2 and a half tbsps, 50 ml, of lukewarm milk,
2 oz, 50 g, melted butter,

For the glaze,

2 tbsps of granulated sugar,
2 tbsps of water.

Pre-heat your oven to gas 7, 425 f, 220 c, 200 fan.

You will need to grease either one or two large baking sheets with slightly raised edges.

Preparation.

Begin by measuring the hand-hot, lukewarm water, into a small jug, take it straight from your kitchen tap, it should feel just warm to your fingers, and stir in the teaspoon of caster sugar, then  sprinkle in the tablespoon of dried yeast.

Leave on one side until a frothy head has appeared on top, (for about 20 minutes).

While you are waiting, sift the flour, salt, and mixed spice into a large mixing bowl.

Add the caster sugar, currants and mixed peel.

Break the egg into a small bowl to make sure its fresh and beat well  

When the yeast is frothy, make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour it into the mixing bowl.   

Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave checking and stirring it regularly, then pour it in.  .

Add the beaten egg.

Heat the milk in a jug in the microwave for a few seconds until just warm, then add this to the mixing bowl.  

Now, mix everything together well.

You will notice that the mixture is forming a dough, so use your hands during the final stage of mixing to bring it together into a ball.

Transfer the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead it well for about 5 minutes.  (Please see my section on making bread for more detailed information(.

Now, put the dough back into the mixing bowl and cover it with either a clean teatowel or lightly greased plastic bag that’s large enough to completely cover the top of the bowl.

Leave it in a warm, but not hot place, until the dough has doubled in size.  (My how do I do that, glossary section gives more information).  

Don’t be tempted to disturb it for at least an hour or so.

Next, turn your dough back out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and knead it again until it has shrunk back down to its original size.  Don’t worry, you are now going to make the buns and put the dough to rise again.

Divide the dough into twelve portions, and make them into round, but not too flat,   bun shapes in the palms of your hands.  

Place them, well spaced apart, on your greased baking sheets.

Now, with a small sharp knife, make a cross in the dough through to half the depth on each bun,  one slit running centrally from top to bottom and another across the centre running from side to side.  

Leave them to rise again in a warm place, lightly covered with the oiled plastic bag or teatowel,  but this time it should only take about half an hour or so, when they should be double their size!

Bake the buns in your pre-heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until firm to the touch and golden brown, if you tap the base of a bun it should sound hollow.  

Just as the buns have finished cooking, melt the sugar and water together in the microwave for a few seconds, stir well, then brush the hot buns all over with this glaze, so that when they cool they will be nice and sticky.

Eat straight away, sliced and spread with butter.

Just the thought of smelling them while they’re cooking and then eating one is making me feel really hungry.

Happy cooking,

Sue.

Soda Bread.

This wholegrain, yeast-free bread, that is made with health giving soya milk, is best eaten on the day but makes good toast the day after.

Serves 2 people.

To make one loaf, You will need.

8 oz, 225 g, of wholemeal, strong bread flour,
8 oz, 225 g,  of  plain, strong,, white, bread flour,
1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda,
1 tsp of salt,
300 ml, 10 fl.oz, or half a pint of unsweetened soya milk.
A little extra flour to coat your tin and worktop.

Pre-heat your oven to gas 7, 425 f, 220 c, 200 fan.

Lightly grease a large baking sheet, then coat the surface evenly with a very small amount of flour, tipping  off any excess. You will feel a powdery surface on the base of your tin which will prevent the loaf sticking to it during cooking.

Preparation.

Sift both flours into a large mixing bowl, being sure to add all the grains left behind in the sieve too!

Add the salt and bicarbonate of soda and mix together well.

Pour in the soya milk.

Stir with a flat bladed knife and the mixture will form a ball in your bowl.

Knead your dough for a minute or so.

Flour your worktop, shape the dough into a ball,  then flatten the top slightly.

then make a cross in the top of the bread.  with a small sharp knife, make one slit running from top to bottom and the other from side to side, but only cut down through to half the depth of the dough.  This will divide your loaf into four nice crusty sections.

Place the bread on your  prepared baking sheet.

Cook just above the centre of  the oven for 40 to 50 minutes.  When its ready it will be brown, firm to the touch and hollow when you tap the base.

Place the loaf on a wire rack to cool.

Why not serve this bread, sliced,  and spread with melted goats cheese for added flavour.  Simply thinly slice your goats cheese, place it evenly over the bread and toast under a medium grill until the cheese has just melted and is starting to bubble.

Remove from the heat immediately and eat straight away with a crisp mixed salad.

Soya milk is said to help reduce cholesterol levels and be beneficial in safeguarding against cancer and the symptoms of the menopause.

Happy cooking,

Sue.

<< BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE <<       >> FORWARDS TO NEXT PAGE >>

MORE COOKERY INFORMATION, TIPS & RECIPES - COMING SOON!  In the meantime click here to email Sue.

This page & all pages at www.tafn.org.uk copyright The Accessible Friends Network 2007.  
Text and digital images on this page copyright Sue Pallett 2004.  Coded by Leon Gilbert.
To contact T A F N please Email us