Good Food - Good Food: Best Breads

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This chapter has bread making for the novice baker as well as the more advanced. The selection of familiar breads are all made using traditional dried yeast and range from easier to trickier loaves and rolls. Escape to the kitchen and get lost in the art of baking, with everything from a classic white loaf to buttery, enriched brioche and traditional Turkish simit bread.

This soft white loaf is easy to make and fantastic for sandwiches and toasting. You can use the same method with strong wholemeal flour or do a mix of half and half.

PREP 20 mins + proving COOK 30 mins MAKES 1 loaf (cuts into 810 slices)

• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp salt
• 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing

Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl.

Make a well in the centre, then add the oil and 300ml water and mix well. If the dough seems a little stiff, add another 12 tbsp water and mix well. Tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead using your hands or a stand mixer for around 10 mins.

Once the dough is satin-smooth, place it in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size or place in the fridge overnight.

Line a baking tray with parchment. Knock back the dough (punch the air out and pull the dough in on itself) then gently mould the dough into a ball. Place on the parchment to prove for a further hour until doubled in size.

Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.

Dust the loaf with extra flour and cut a cross 6cm long into the top with a sharp knife.

Bake for 2530 mins until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

energy 204 kcals, fat 4g, saturates 1g, carbs 38g, sugars 0g, fibre 2g, protein 6g, salt 1g

Bake these simple white bread rolls for sandwiches, burger buns or to dunk in soup. Using only a handful of ingredients, bread making has never been so easy.

PREP 30 mins + proving COOK 30 mins MAKES

• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tsp white caster sugar
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing

Tip the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and oil into a bowl. Pour over 325ml warm water, then mix until it comes together as a shaggy dough. Cover and leave for 10 mins.

Lightly oil your work surface and tip the dough onto it. Knead for at least 10 mins until tighter and springy if you have a stand mixer you can do this with a dough hook for 5 mins. Pull the dough into a ball and put in a clean, oiled bowl. Leave for 1 hr until doubled in size.

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, roll into a long sausage and divide into 8 pieces. Roll each into a tight ball and put on a dusted baking tray, leaving room between each ball for rising. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to prove for 40 mins1 hr or until almost doubled in size.

Heat the oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. When the dough is ready, dust with a bit more flour. (If you like, glaze with milk or egg and top with seeds.) Bake for 2530mins, until light brown and hollow sounding when tapped on the base. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

energy 246 kcals, fat 2g, saturates 0g, carbs 48g, sugars 1g, fibre 2g, protein 8g, salt 1.2g

This hearty, wholesome bread is rich in flavour and packed with seeds try pumpkin, sunflower, poppy or linseeds.

PREP 35 mins + proving COOK 45 mins MAKES 1 loaf (cuts into 1012 slices)

• 400g strong wholemeal bread flour
• 100g spelt flour
• 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• oil, for greasing
• 50g mixed seeds (we used pumpkin, sunflower, poppy and linseeds)
• 1 egg yolk, loosened with a fork

Combine the flours, yeast and salt. Mix the treacle with 250ml warm water. Stir into the flour to make a slightly sticky dough. If you need more water, splash in 1 tbsp at a time.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 mins or in a stand mixer for 57 mins. Your dough should be smooth and elastic when its ready. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, flip the dough over to coat it in oil, then cover with a sheet of oiled cling film. Leave in a warm place until doubled in size this will take about 1 hr. Lightly oil a 900g loaf tin.

Once doubled, knead for 35 mins to knock out air bubbles. Add most of the seeds and work in. Shape into an oval the same size as the tin, put in and leave, covered with oiled cling film, for 3045 mins until nearly doubled. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

When its ready, glaze with egg and sprinkle over the remaining seeds. Bake for 4045 mins until golden if you tip out of the tin and tap the bottom, it should sound hollow. Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 mins before slicing.

energy 180 kcals, fat 3g, saturates 1g, carbs 29g, sugars 2g, fibre 4g, protein 7g, salt 0.43g

With its iconic crackled crust and pillowy centre, tiger bread is a fantastic baking recipe to have up your sleeve. Our easy recipe makes a great weekend project.

PREP 25 mins + proving COOK 35 mins MAKES 1 loaf (cuts into 1012 slices)

• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for kneading
• 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 300350ml warm water
• oil, for greasing

• 90g rice flour
• x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• tsp salt
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar
• tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 90ml warm water