Although I love cooking and baking, I have done so much of it during the festive season, that I don’t want to enter my kitchen. It is also very hot in Cape Town at the moment, which makes me even less inclined to cook.
What do you do, when you feel disinterested in cooking? Get some take-aways or go out for supper every night? With a family of five and it being the long month of January this can become very expensive. My family however still wants food, and they want good food!
Something that we all love is a cheese and cold meat platter. Combine this with some fresh fruit and freshly baked bread and voila we have supper for the Pinkys!
But the highlight of suppers’ like this is definitely the homemade bread, made according to my mother-in-law’s recipe. She has been baking this bread for 60 years and said when my husband and his siblings were in their teens she baked up to four of these breads a day. My husband has three siblings and the age difference between each of them is approximately two years. I am sure it took a lot of cooking to feed three boys and one girl at those ages!
The bread recipe was adapted over the years when dry yeast became available. This is really a very easy recipe and no kneading of the bread dough is required. It is quick to prepare and you can be in and out of the kitchen in no time. Sip a glass of wine, place the cheeses, cold meats, fruit and condiments on platters and serve as soon as the bread is baked. Al fresco is best!
- 580g bread flour
- 120g cake flour
- 10ml salt (I prefer a bit more)
- 1 packet (10g) instant yeast
- 550ml luke warm water
- 30ml sugar
- Pre-heat the oven to 180⁰C and butter a large bread pan.
- Sift the flours and salt together and add the dry yeast and mix
- Dissolve the sugar in the water and add to the dry ingredients and mix together.
- Transfer to the buttered bread pan. Cover loosley with clingwrap and place in a warm place to rise to double the size.
- Bake for approximately 50 minutes until crusty and baked through. Serve with butter.
I’ve tried baking bread before – it usually turns brick-like
I will give this a try – even I should be able to get this done!!!
That’s a favourite meal with us too! That bread is really easy, I like!
You had me at no-kneading . Your family is so lucky to have you preparing these delicious things for them
Why couldn’t it be summer all year around so we could always eat like this – lovely.
Mandy
Ohhh Wow, My weakness.. Bread, and so Simple. all warm and oozy with real butter. (Wiping drool off chin).. Will def give this a go…