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The recipe I have been using since the very beginning, which I am still using now, is a very simple one, which I adapted from a recipe for Simple English Muffins. You can find the recipe at the end of this post. But the dough for the following series of photos in this post were made with a proportionately reduced amount of ingredients, that is, only two-third cup of water, two cups of flour, and so on.
First, it started as a small, unimpressive lump of dough.
About twenty or twenty-five minutes later:
Punched down and added with slightly toasted chunks of walnuts (love them). Knead in the walnuts to evenly distribute them.
I used (and am still using) 4-inch-by-8-inch loaf pan(s). I wish I could find stainless steel ones, but the only ones available are either aluminum (suspected of causing Alzheimer's disease) or non-stick Teflon (when heated above 245°C - around there; my memory is not very precise - it emits chemical fumes that are carcinogenic). So, between the risks of Alzheimer's and cancers, I decided it is worse to lose one's faculty than health. :-)
Those blackish things are poppy seeds... there was no particular reason (neither from the standpoint of taste nor aesthetics) to add them except that I happened to have some, and I do not know how else to use them. Though I have heard it said that they have very mild tranquilizing property.
Let it rise for about half an hour to at least double the original size (while waiting, preheat the oven to 180°C to 185°C):
Bake at 180°C to 185°C for 15 to 18 minutes, and immediately remove from oven to cool:
Preferably on a rack or whatever that allows good ventilation (but do not blow with fan; it will dry up the bread):
The result? Soft (not the kind of fluffy-soft that has no substance; but firmly soft, if you know what I mean) and moist and absolutely delicious bread!
***
With one success under my belt, it was before long that I made a second attempt, this time, with slightly different addition: pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, with black and white sesames as the decorative topping.
For some mysterious reasons (one of which I think I finally understood some time later), this second time around, the dough did not rise quite as much as the first success; nevertheless, it rose enough to give me another loaf of soft, moist, delicious multi-seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, and two types of sesame) bread:
Yummy...
***
After the first two successes, I actually failed another couple of times, and at that time, I was totally clueless as to why I couldn't not succeed every time. One of the reasons might be moisture control: how much additional flour to add if you find your dough too sticky? Another might be how much gluten you want to induce in your dough by kneading (that is, how long do you knead)?
Anyhow, success was not totally elusive after than, and I managed another near-perfect loaf several attempts later:
And now, I think I have discovered the most important reason for the inconsistency of my success: yeast.
I had bought a large pack of dry instant yeast, because I couldn't find those individually sachet-packed varieties. And for a time, I did not know that I need to store the yeast in the refrigerator. The result? The yeast loses its "potency" over time, and that affects how well my doughs can rise.
Then I discovered a way to ensure that I do not waste my flour on weak yeast: let it sit in warm sugared water for a quarter of an hour first to see if it rise. :-)
***
If you are interested in making your own bread, try the following recipe and instructions:
Recipe:
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Water - 1 cup --> warm (test with finger: should be good for bathing on a slightly cold day)
Flour - 3 cups --> I usually use 2 1/2 cups of high-protein flour plus 1/2 cup wholemeal flour
Yeast - 1 tablespoonful or 1 sachet (11g)
Sugar - 3 tablespoonful
Salt - 1 teaspoonful
Oil - 2 tablespoonful --> I usually use extra-virgin olive oil, but any vegetable oil would do
Steps:
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1) Prepare some warm water. Make it just nice for a bath on a slightly cold day.
2) Pour 1 cup of the said warm water into a large mixing bowl (I used an 8 1/2-inch earthen pot with rounded bottom edge)
3) Add yeast and sugar and salt. Stir to mix well. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes. If a thick layer of foam forms on top of the mixture, proceed to the next step; if not, start all over.
4) Stir in one cup of high-protein flour. Mix well, but there's no need to make the batter really smooth. Tiny lumps are acceptable. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes. If it becomes all foamy and bubbly, then proceed to the next step; if not, start all over or just give up for the day. :-)
5) Stir in the rest of the flour (including the wholemeal flour, if you use any) and knead it into a soft, pliable dough. I usually knead it with a fold-and-flatten action, using only one hand (because I knead it inside the said earthen pot, which doesn't have room for both my hands to work inside). Knead it until the texture is consistent (well-mixed) and soft (like your earlobe), and in terms of stickiness, like the adhesive on Post-It notes. :-) If it is totally "non-stick", it might be too dry.
6) Roll the dough into a ball, slightly oil it and the container (I use back the same earthen pot) you want it to sit in (while proofing), and let it proof for about twenty to twenty-five minutes. It should enlarge to at least twice the original size. If not, something is wrong with it; you may go ahead with it, but success is much less assured. :-) While you are proofing the dough, slightly oil the baking pan(s) you are going to use.
7) Punch down the "inflated" dough, knead it a bit more if you want, then form it into whatever shape you need it to be (I use 4-by-8 baking pans, so I need to make it longish).
8) Place your properly-shaped dough(s) into the properly-oiled pan(s), and let sit for about half an hour, or until the dough(s) doubled in size. While waiting, pre-heat the oven to 180°C to 185°C.
9) Put the properly-proofed dough(s) into the pre-heated oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. If your oven comes with top heating element and bottom heating element, start with both heating elements on; after about 8 to 10 minutes, when you perceive that the top of your bread is starting to brown, switch off the top heating element to avoid charring the top of your bread.
10) After the preset amount of baking time, remove the bread immediately from the oven to cool on a rack (leaving it in the oven, which is still hot, will over-bake the bread). Only store it in a container after it has completely cooled down. Or, enjoy it while it is fresh and hot from the oven. :-)
Good luck trying. :-)
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