My father has been following the blog since its beginnings and is not altogether sure about the merits of my bread recipe. Yes, you can go back and have a bit of a laugh at it if you like!! You will remember that Dad is a boat builder and measurements and procedures are second nature to him. He has been reading your comments too and has noticed that there have been a few requests for the family bread recipe so he has offered to help out. So we have a guest blogger today. Over to you Dad….
Hi Cecilia – writing to you all the way from the land of your birth. It’s springtime here, always a hopeful time.
I have noticed that some of your correspondents love the idea of making bread but they are a little daunted by your way of making it. You apparently just throw in a bit of flour and a bit of yeast and a bit of water and mix it and knead it and because you know what your dough should feel like you get a lovely loaf of bread. That isn’t much help, so I thought I would tell you all how I make mine way down here in New Zealand.
I’m a marine engineer from way back so I will measure things. I like things to work when I make them, first time, every time and if this recipe is followed exactly it will work first time.
Ingredients list.
- 285 grams of wholemeal flour
- 3 tablespoons Active Dried Yeast
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup kibbled grains
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 ½ cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 685 grams strong white flour
You guys in the US of A are going to have to do some fancy arithmetic to work out your weights in pounds and ounces but with all the conversion systems you get on the ‘Net that shouldn’t be too hard but to make things a bit more precise my Cup is 236 ml, my Half cup is, not surprisingly, 118ml. The Tablespoon measure I use is 20 ml. these are standard metric measurements I think. So off you go, fire up your computer and do your sums.
Right to work. Get all your stuff on the bench and put your salt someplace where you won’t forget it. Bread without salt is the pits. First off we are going to, “Sponge” the yeast mix, so measure out the wholemeal flour, the yeast, the sugar, the kibbled grains and pumpkin seeds into your nice big mixing bowl. I’ve used pumpkin seeds and kibbled grains because that’s what I’ve used in my bread this morning but you can add any other crunchy stuff that you like but if this is your first try don’t get too carried away. You don’t need to use grits at all if you don’t want to.
Now add the water to the mix and whisk it all up. Then sit the bowl in warm water. The water bath temperature is hand hot that is if you can run it over the back of your hand and it doesn’t feel as though it’s going to take the skin off it should be OK. If you want to get technical that seems to be about 38 to 40 degrees Celsius. ( Sorry about that). I run it into the kitchen sink until I have enough in there at this temperature to float the bowl with the mixture in it. Let it “Sponge” for 20 minutes. By this time it should be frothy and bubbly and smell beaut. Then sprinkle in the salt and whisk it up again. Good we haven’t forgotten the salt, it’s in.
Now lift your bowl out of the sink and pour in the white flour. The white flour wants to be what is called “Hard“ flour but if the label tells you it’s suitable for bread making that’s what you want. Mix it up with a strong stirrer for as long as you can and then scrape it all out onto a clean bench.
Now this is where the bread really comes to life. I knead it for ten minutes by the clock. I think it’s important not to skimp this step and it is fun anyway, I feel as though I am part of a tradition that goes way way back while I am kneading my dough. Keep scraping the dry bits back in as you go and if you have weighed and measured the ingredients accurately you should not need to add water. If it is too dry or if it is too sticky just wet you hands in the warm water in the sink or dip them into the flour bin and keep on going. The finished dough should be almost sticky but not quite, if you know what I mean, but should not stick to your bench.
Ten minutes are up. Wash out your mixing bowl and dry it thoroughly and plonk the ball of dough into it. Cover it with a supermarket bag to keep it in a humid atmosphere and leave it to rise for an hour in a nice warm place. Hopefully it will have risen up enormously in that time. Then drop it onto your bench again and knock it down and make it into a roll so you can cut it up to make two loaves.
The tins you put your dough into are best made of metal as the heat of the oven is transferred quickly into the dough and you get a good ”Oven Jump”. The bread just rises as you watch but that’s still at least another hour away. But anyway, spray the inside of the tins with cooking spray and push the dough down into the tins firmly and spread it evenly, more towards the ends than the middle as the loaves seem to always rise more in the middle that the ends. The tins should be a little over half full. Then cover each with it’s supermarket bag and leave them for another hour and a quarter or so, to rise. Turn on your oven set to 200 deg C. Is that 400 deg F? I dunno, too much for an old fella and when it is well up to temperature carefully place you tins of dough into your oven. Don’t knock them about at this stage or they’ll go flat on you. Cook your bread for 30 minutes turning them round for the last five minutes or so to get them evenly browned. You can spray them with cooking spray when you turn them to make them look all nice a glossy and help them brown.
There we are. That was easy wasn’t it. Tip your loaves of bread out onto a cooling rack and if you can resist the temptation leave them to cool at least a bit before you whack off the crusty end and slather butter onto it and munch.
Dad
The Kitchen's Garden 
73 responses to “Dad’s easy tasty Bread Recipe”
I am going to have to figure out the conversions. Or find some metric measuring cups. That bread looks awesome! Is there another name for kibbled grains?
i will ask dad about the kibbled grains when he wakes up over there and let you know later, so stand by! c
Fabulous. Can’t wait to try this one this week. It’s 29c today, so baking is off the agenda except in the early morning. i will absolutely make this during the week though, as my son is begging bread off me again. And goodness me, look at that flour cannister — it’s exactly like mine. My lid is also red!
Dad will enjoy you feeding his bread to your son. how come it has got so hot over there all of a sudden, i could do with a bit of that! c
Outstanding – thanks!
You are welcome, Mad.. your page looks pretty good today too! c
Cecilia´s Dad, you´re a “beaut” – love your style, and love your bread!
He will read that and be so chuffed, thanks Tanya.
Hmm, I keep remembering the teapot post! What a great recipe, although I have to look up kibbled grains. The bread looks fantastic.
now, don’t go reminding him about the Teapot, I was forgiven and everything!!
Kibbled grains? And I never knew flour could be weak let alone strong 😉 Dad has a great sense of humor there. t
Flour.. who knew. we certainly do not want the weak version. C
I can see it runs in the family… Love this post and as I live in Europe won’t have trouble with the measurements 🙂
To Cecilia’s dad: great post Sr.! You have a wonderful and talented daughter.
I will pass your comments on to him, he is not quite ready for the comments section yet.. he just woke up!!..being on the other side of the world and all. c
Great looking bread. Liz is the bread maker in the family, but I think I might have to surprise her with this recipe.
What a great idea! has Liz posted anything lately, i shall go over and have a look! c
Unfortunately, Liz is so busy with her graduate studies that her posts are suffering. But i have a feeling something might be coming next week. 😉
WELL she has her priorities right! Good for her.. c
Well, now we know where you get it, C!
Oh…there’s math involved….um….
*sigh*
I’ll just have to suck it up…this looks too good not to try!
he makes a good loaf of bread does our Dad, maybe I will get him to drop in with more math help for you! c
Is your dad single???
You will have to turn right when you exit the airport instead of left!! over the hill across the plains, take the ferry .. another couple of hills then ask for C’s Dad .I’ll tell him to put the kettle on. !
Forget the kettle … I’m bringing my sabrage sword!
ah.. good oh, you’ll be taking the left turn then.. off to see the quaffers of champers at the beach.. excellent choice.. you will be needing that sword out there.. c
I love that your Dad a) reads your blog and b) can teach you a thing or two about breadmaking.
Measurements: I’ve never understood how a CUP can be a measurement – I have cups of all kinds of sizes. Metric for me throughout – so easy as it works for liquids as well as solids.
I used to bake my bread in tins, but nowadays I shape mine into roundish loaves and bake 3 or 4 on a roasting tin, well spaced out. The amount of sugar seems a bit much: I put in about half that. My OH doesn’t like bread to taste sweet. I “set the sponge” in a cup (!) with just the sugar, yeast and a little warm liquid. I do that while I’m weighing the rest of the ingredients, and before you can say New Bread, the sponge is working away and ready to add to the flours. I also add a shake of olive oil, which improves the keeping quality of the bread..
That is interesting about the olive oil, I should try that! c
This was fun! The bread looks great, too. Thanks to your Dad for providing the recipe instructions 🙂
I shall pass on your thanks, he did a good job! maybe we will have him back soon.. c
Your dad can bake! Wow! I will have to try this one, I’m all for measuring myself. I do have a scale that switches with a button from pounds to grams.. so it should be no problem:)
well you are all set then with your scale, i guess that is how he does his too… c
WOW! This is a great post. Thank you dear Cecilia’s father! You are so nice. I noted them all and I want to try this, I love home made breads… But but, I don’t have any idea about this one, “Kibbled Grains”…??? If you tell me what is this, I would be so glad. And let me add this too, I am one of her readers of your daughter, she is amazing with her stories, and beautiful memories. Thank you dear Cecilia, fascinated me once again your post. Blessing and happiness for you and for your family, with my love, nia
dad will love what you have written Nia, as do I, your comments are always so lovely..c
Fantastic post and instructions! Very conversational and easy to follow!
yes i thought so too, yummy, he certainly did a good job, maybe I will even make it sometime.. c