Heaven, I'm in Heaven....

Any one who reads this blog regularly, will know that I can be a little obsessive about things. I have a discovered a passion for bread making that has taken over my life. I read bread books, blogs and any article I can find about bread baking. I ask to speak to the baker in every shop I go into, just to see if they have a secret they are willing to share.

My latest quest lead me to A Year in Bread.
I really wanted to be able to make a farm style bread, that was light and fluffy like commercial bread, without the conditioners and additives they use.

I took this recipe and changed it slightly by:-

• adding the juice of half a lemon to the warmed milk, in order to sour it. I read somewhere that this improves the flavour and texture.
• I also halved the recipe, but kept the oil quantity at 2 Tablespoons.
  
• I used the dough cycle on my bread machine and then baked it in the oven. It makes 1, 900g loaf and 4 hamburger size rolls.
• I also baked them on my pizza stone, this definitely improved the heat distribution.
  
• After it was finished baking, I used a tip my Mother gave me, and brushed the top with a little oil (or you can use butter).

The texture and the taste is perfect - light, fluffy and soft with a slightly crisp crust.

I would really encourage you to try making your own bread, it really is so easy and the difference in taste is so amazing, you'll never look back.

I offer you... The Perfect Loaf