With all this time on my hands I’ve been doing a lot of baking and a lot of bread making.
I’ve tried sourdough (using a starter very kindly donated by a friend), no-knead and today made a ‘Bloomer’, a traditional English loaf that has rounded ends and slashes across the top. It’s called a Bloomer because it is allowed to ‘bloom’, that is rise unrestricted by a tin or mould.
In terms of taste, it does taste much more ‘English’ than the other breads I’ve made so far. The crust is brown but soft and the texture moist and tender. It’s the perfect loaf for a bacon sandwich.
This is a recipe that requires kneading. It can be done by hand or by using the dough hook on a Kitchenaid or mixer (which is what I did).
To make one Bloomer you’ll need:
500g plain white flour (I used all purpose but I’m sure better quality flour would improve the flavour)
7g dried baker’s yeast
10g salt
300 ml room temperature water
40ml olive oil
Tip your flour into a bowl (or the mixer bowl), make a well in the centre, put the yeast on one side and the salt on the other.
Pour the water into the well and mix until it starts to form a dough, add the oil and continue mixing until integrated.
Now for the kneading. If you are doing it by hand you’ll need to knead it, pushing the dough away from you and bringing it back on itself for around 8 – 10 minutes. If you’re using the dough hook then mix it for about 5 minutes on medium speed.
To test if the dough is ready, take a small piece and pull it between your fingers. You should be able to stretch it thinly and see through the other side without it breaking.
Oil a large bowl with a little olive oil, pop the dough in the bowl. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil and cover with cling film. Put aside in a warmish place to prove for between an hour and a half and two hours. I run the tumble drier for a couple of minutes, turn it off and put it in there.
Our house is quite cool but a temperature of around 21°C is fine. A slower rise gives more flavour so if time is on your hands cooler and longer is the way to go.
When it has doubled in size, sprinkle a little flour on the work surface, tip the dough out and knock it back. Squish it to knock out some of the air and form it into a loaf shape. You can do this by flattening it and then folding over the top half down and the bottom half over that like when you make pastry.
Put the dough on a tray lined with baking paper, brush with water and set aside for another half an hour.
While you’re waiting, preheat your oven to 220°C. Pop a tray in the bottom of the oven and when it reaches temperature pour a litre of water into the tray.
When it comes back up to temperature (if you put hot water in this will obviously be quicker), take your loaf, give it a final brush with water and make some slashes across the top with a sharp knife.
Pop it in the oven for 20 minutes, turn the oven down and cook for another 5-10 minutes until golden on top and it sounds hollow when you knock it.
Leave to cool before slicing.
We enjoyed it fresh with some pea and lardon soup for lunch and I have sliced and frozen the remainder for a bacon sandwiches this weekend.
For step by step guidance check out the video here from Bolney Wine Estate in Sussex England.
