No-prove bread

Marija Vidovich makes her own mouthwatering bread daily – a bread that needs no proving.

Like many, I went through the breadmaker phase 15 years ago. There is something appealing about waking up to a fresh hot loaf, but something quite unappealing to waking up to the sound of a breadmaker doing its thing at 4am if you live in a small house.

Breadmakers have their place but, as I’ve discovered, nothing beats the tactile experience that is making bread by hand. Even when I ‘cheat’ and use my favourite accessory, my Kenwood mixer, to help.

While I do love watching bread prove (sad sack that I am), sometimes a quick option is called for. And this non-prove quick and easy bread recipe is it. It’s genius. The proving is done as the oven heats up – the loaf goes into a cold oven. Trouble is, it is so easy, you’ll be eating a loaf every day!

Daily bread

Today I’m going to use instant dry yeast to make it even easier. Active dry yeast is similar and still fast acting, you just have to activate it first – so it probably adds a whole extra 10 minutes to the process. I’ve jazzed up a basic loaf with the addition of some sunflower seeds.

Mix together

1 sachet instant yeast*
470g high grade flour (or 500g if not using kibbled wheat)
50g kibbled wheat
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
Large handful sunflower seeds

(* if using active dry yeast instead, add 150ml tepid water to 3 tsp yeast and 1 Tbsp sugar – mix briefly with a fork. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to activate – it goes nice and frothy. Then, when you add to the dry ingredients, add an extra 150ml water.)

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add:

300ml warm water
Splash olive oil

Method

• Mix the ingredients together to form a stiff dough, then knead until smooth and elastic. This takes about 7-10 minutes. OR
  Pop the dough hook onto your stand mixer, mix the ingredients together, then knead for five minutes.

• Turn the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and shape into a loaf.

• Put the loaf onto a paper-lined baking tray or onto a pizza stone. I use a porcelain tile – they are brilliant and very inexpensive from your local hardware store. Use a sharp knife to score a few slices through the top.

• Pop the loaf into a cold oven and turn to 220C and cook for 25-35 minutes. Check the loaf is cooked by tapping the bottom of the bread – it sounds sort of hollow.

• Take out of the oven and cool before cutting.

Food is Marija’s thing. She loves to cook, she loves to eat, she gets ridiculously excited about shopping for food and she’s happiest when feeding a bunch of friends. It probably stems from her Croatian roots – she comes from a long line of fabulous home cooks who have provided inspiration. For more goodies, visit Marija’s website at imustgetaroundtoit  Or visit Marija’s Facebook page.