Weezl's phase 1- recipe testing and frugalisation- come one, come all!

artybear wrote: »

added weezl. Im not a massive fan of any dried fruit so may just miss that bit out

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aless02 wrote: »

Okay, this is how I make the Paul Merrett bread:

If you're using the Allinson's yeast, you need to make it up first. Follow the instructions on the tin, making sure your water is approx blood temperature (I just run it warm from the tap). Dissolve the sugar in the water, then sprinkle in your yeast. Whisk with a fork quite well (frothy with bubbles is good). I let mine rise inside the microwave, as it traps humidity & warmth.

In the meantime, put your flour & salt in a large bowl and mix. Once your yeast is ready (at least 2cm of foam on top, takes roughly 10-15 min), whisk it again then pour on top of the flour mix. Then add your water gradually (so maybe 1/4 pint at a time), remember to reduce to the total amount of water by 1/4 pint if you had to make up the yeast. If you're using PACKET yeast (which is called "instant") you can pour the yeast STRAIGHT FROM THE PACKET (dry) into the flour and use the normal amount of water the recipe calls for.

Anyway, using a wooden spoon, mix your water in slowly. It goes quite gummy and difficult at this point, but persevere. If you've added all your water but find there's still those stray floury bits at the bottom of the bowl that you just can't get to, turn the lot out onto a floured worktop. Start working the dough to incorporate all the dry/loose bits. As you knead, the dough will gradually become smoother and elastic-y. Knead for 8-10 minutes.

Pour a few drops of veg oil into the bottom of your mixing bowl and swirl it around to coat. Plop the dough into the mixing bowl. Here's my secret rising trick: microwave a tiny amount of water in the microwave until it boils. Keeping this water in the microwave, then put your bowl inside (covered with a damp tea towel) the microwave. Again, humidity and warmth. If you have a tiny or no microwave where this won't work, briefly switching on your oven for 1 minute can also give a bit of warmth good for bread rising.

Let rise for 1 hr - mine is just approaching the rim of the mixing bowl at this point. Turn it out of the bowl and punch it down a few times. Then divide into thirds, form into a vague loaf shape and put into the tins. Brush with salted water (this really makes the crust delicious and chewy so I wouldn't skip this step!). Cover the tins with a tea towel for another 15 minutes.

Then follow the cooking instructions, which I believe (from memory) is 8 minutes on 220C, 2 minutes with the oven door open, then 30 minutes on 190C.

Hope that helps...! I'm no expert bread-maker by any means