Bun in the oven
Home » Magazine » Good, issue 5 » Bun in the ovenSo many of the processed food products we buy out of habit can be made at home with just a little effort. Home-made food tastes better, costs less and involves a lot less packaging—plus it comes with a bonus buzz of domestic satisfaction.
Bread is one of our oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. Perhaps its ancient heritage explains why the aroma of a hot loaf has such a fundamental feel-good factor.
Basic white bread is made with flour, yeast, water, salt and sugar. Add seeds, nuts, spices, oils or dried fruits to these humble ingredients and you can make any number of fancy breads and buns. Don’t tell a French baker I suggested it, but crack two eggs into a measuring cup and top up with water (to the amount required by the recipe) and you can turn a basic bun dough into a quick and easy brioche.
You can also adjust the level of brown-ness to suit your household’s tastes. Mix three cups of white flour with one cup of wholemeal flour, plus a shake of poppy, linseed or sunflower seeds, for nutritious bread most kids won’t baulk at.
If you like the idea of starting the day with fresh hot bread but don’t fancy getting up at dawn to knead the dough (and who does?), then set yourself up with a bread maker. Second-hand machines can be bought for less than $50. From basic loaves it’s a short hop to wowing your friends with your own pizza dough, soft dinner rolls or focaccia.
Honey and Oat Bread
This recipe from Bread Machine Easy is a tasty speckled loaf that sits halfway between white and brown
275ml warm water
2 tbsp butter (soft)
1 tsp salt
200g high grade white flour
250g porridge oats
1 tbsp honey
2¾ tsp dried yeast (Surebake, a local yeast product, works well in bread makers)
Place the water, butter and salt in the bread machine pan. Spoon in the flour and oats. Make a slight dip in the centre and add the honey and yeast. Insert the pan into the bread machine and set to a fast-bake or rapid setting. When baking cycle is complete, turn loaf onto a wire rack to cool.
Tue August 11, 2009 @ 12:27 PM
