Last week, I brought you some yeast-free breads. Now I'm moving on to the yeasted variety, the kind of well-risen, soft-crumbed, crusty items that most of us think of when we hear the word "bread".
Yeast is magical stuff, lying dormant in the kitchen cupboard until you choose to wake it up. All you need do is feed it, which takes nothing more than mixing it with flour and water. Thus attended to, its mystical power is unleashed.
Not only does it produce bubbles of carbon dioxide that aerate and inflate your dough most obligingly; it also, rather daringly, releases alcohol and acids, which help make your bread taste amazing. This awe-inspiring chemical process is what gives you the wherewithal to turn abowl of flour and a jug of water into a delectable loaf. Or pitta. Or focaccia, pizza, crumpet, bun, baguette... Whatever bready, belly-filling delight takes your fancy.
I could have gone in at entry level with a basic white loaf recipe, but Ifancied a treat or two, so instead I'm sharing recipes made with dough that's sweetened and/or enriched to a greater or lesser extent. They're marginally more complex than aplain loaf, but not hard. Even if you've never baked with yeast, don't feel intimidated by any of this week's recipes. They're yours for the baking.
Generally, enriched doughs take abit longer to rise because the added ingredients slow down the yeast, but beyond that it's the same bread-baking basics that are important: measure your ingredients, keep your dough relatively wet and loose (bagels being a rare exception), and let it rise initially until it's at least doubled in size, no matter how long that takes, so it's properly developed and the gluten nicely stretched. The standard one hour's rising may not be enough – it may take more like two (bear in mind that a warm kitchen will help speed it along).
I've specified dried yeast, which needs to be "activated" in a warm liquid before use, rather than the "easy-blend" or quick yeast that you simply stir into the flour. This latter is very popular, but it does contain additives, whereas standard dried yeast is usually just that: yeast and nothing else. If you want to use quick yeast instead, feel free – just leave out the frothing stage at the beginning, add the water and yeast to the dry ingredients, and go straight to dough. (Check the pack, but you'll probably need about a teaspoonful in place of two teaspoons of dried.) For me, though, that frothing prelude is all part of the excitement. It's where the yeast comes alive and announces its curious, ancient, alchemic intentions: to rise so that you may shine.
Apple and walnut buns
My nutty, appley take on the classic Chelsea bun. Makes 12.
250ml whole milk, warmed to just above blood heat
2 tsp dried yeast
50g caster sugar
500g strong white bread flour
10g fine sea salt
100g butter, melted
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
For the filling
60g butter, melted
3 dessert apples, peeled, cored and cut into 5-10mm dice
100g raisins
75g walnuts, roughly chopped
100g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
To glaze
3 tbsp apricot jam, sieved
Combine the warm milk, yeast and sugar, whisk and leave for about 15 minutes, until the mixture is frothy.
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the yeasty mixture, melted butter and egg, and mix to a rough dough. Turn out on to alightly floured surface and knead until smooth and silky – about 10 minutes. It's a slightly sticky dough, so you may want to flour your hands a little, but try not to use any more than you absolutely have to.
Put the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave until doubled in size – this will take at least an hour, probably more like two or three, because the egg and butter slow the action of the yeast.
Liberally grease a deep rectangular baking tin (I use a 25cm x 30cm one) with melted butter. Heat 25g of the butter for the filling in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the apple and cook, stirring often, for eight to 10 minutes, until softened. Leave to cool.
Tip the risen dough on to a floured surface and roll out to a 45cm x 30cm rectangle, with one of the longer sides towards you. Brush the remaining melted butter over the dough, leaving a 2cm margin at one of the longer edges. Scatter over the apple, raisins and walnuts, then combine the sugar and cinnamon, and scatter on top. Roll up the dough, starting at the long edge closest to you, enclosing the filling in a long, swiss roll-style sausage. Trim off the ends, so you have a neat roll, and cut into 12 equal pieces (if any filling escapes when you cut the buns, just press it back into a few of the spirals). Turn each piece on its side, arrange in three rows of four inthe tin, then put the tin inside aclean plastic bag and leave to prove in a warm place for a good hour, until nicely puffed up. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until deep golden brown (I like a dark, not-quite-burned top). Warm the sieved jam with a splash of water in a small pan, to loosen it, and brush over the buns while still hot. Leave to cool at least a little bit before eating.
Brioche
This recipe for the lovely, sweet, rich french loaf is from The River Cottage Bread Handbook, by Daniel Stevens. Makes one loaf.
2 tsp dried yeast
90ml warm milk
2 tbsp caster sugar
400g strong white bread flour
10g fine salt
100g softened butter
4 medium eggs, lightly beaten
To glaze
1 medium egg
2 tbsp milk
Put the yeast, warm milk and sugar in a jug, whisk, then leave for about 15 minutes, until frothy.
Combine the flour and salt in abowl, pour in the yeasty mixture, butter and eggs, and mix to a rough dough. This is a soft, sticky dough that's easiest to knead in a mixer with a dough hook, but you can do itby hand. Either way, knead until smooth and shiny. Shape into around, place in a bowl and cover tightly. Leave in the fridge overnight.
The next day, shape the dough into a rough loaf shape and put in a loaf tin. Cover with a plastic bag and leave somewhere warm until almost doubled in size – this can take up to four hours because the dough is cold.
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Beat together the egg and milk for the glaze, and brush over the loaf. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and bake for a further 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Bagels
Is it worth making your own? Indisputably, yes – unless you happen to have access to a really good bakery that actually bakes real bagels with a lovely, chewy texture and glossy skin. Like these. Makes 12
2 tsp dried yeast
1 tbsp sugar
500g strong white bread flour
10g fine salt
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp malt syrup (from health-food shops; or use sugar)
Put the yeast, 250ml warm water and the sugar in a jug, whisk, then leave for about 15 minutes, until frothy.
Put the flour and salt in a bowl, add the yeast mixture and oil, and mix to a rough dough. Tip on to alightly floured surface and knead until smooth and silky – around 10 minutes. It should be tight and stiff.
Put the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave until doubled in size – this will take at least an hour. Meanwhile, oil two baking trays.
Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured surface, deflate it with your fingers and cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a sausage, then form each sausage into a ring, sealing together the ends with water. Put the bagels on lightly oiled baking trays and leave to rise again for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6 and bring a large pan of water to a boil.
After the bagels have proved, add the malt syrup to the boiling water. You now need to poach your bagels before baking – this is what gives them their unique texture and crust. Slip two or three bagels at a time into the simmering water and poach for one minute, flipping them over halfway through. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and return to the baking sheets. When all are poached, bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
