Our Favourite 90-Minute Bread
I have made a lot of bread in my time.
We rarely had shop-bought bread in the house growing up, and I liked it that way. Both my parents make excellent bread, far better than anything you would find in a supermarket. It took little effort, and next to none when they invested in a bread-maker. So why buy it?
I took that attitude with me when I left home. I bought bread for a little bit while I was at university, but I just didn’t enjoy it that much. It tasted a bit fake and overly soft and the ingredients often included some weird things I didn’t understand. Many even contain a fair bit of sugar, particularly in America where many breads, as I understand it, are actually really high in the white stuff.
So for many years myself or my husband have baked almost all of the bread we consume in our house. And we get through quite a lot!
I find it takes little time and effort. 10 mins initially, and then it’s pretty much just waiting, and doing a minute of extra work after an hour, and then after 45 mins. Seriously, 12 mins and a little patience is so worth it for homemade bread.
But sometimes the waiting is something I just don’t have time for. Maybe I know I’m going to be out of the house just a couple of hours after getting up – not quite long enough to make bread, and we need some for lunch? What then? Buy it?
Have no fear, I have discovered the solution, thanks to Tiffany from Don’t Waste the Crumbs. Tiffany has saved my family so much time, money and energy over the last year thanks to her meal plans, but I am perhaps most grateful to her for her 90-minute man bread recipe that has become our family favourite. We have adapted it to suit our own tastes and diet, but she has introduced two wonderful things into my bread-making life:
- The knowledge that bread can be made in an hour and a half. And actually taste even better than the stuff that takes 3-4 hours to prove and cook.
- That there is something heavenly about adding melted coconut oil to bread. I don’t know the science behind it, but adding melted coconut oil instead of olive oil makes for a totally soft, fluffy and light bread that is completely delightful. I might start adding it to other bread recipes just because it is so gorgeous. Seriously.
So here is our very favourite weekday bread recipe. We make it at least once a week in our house, sometimes two if we are getting through a lot more bread than usual and don’t have time to make sourdough, which is my go-to if I have the time to spare. And this bread hasn’t failed me yet.
Gorgeously soft and tasty, this bread costs little to make, takes minimal effort and time, and still comes out more delicious than most breads. Adapted from this recipe.
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml) water, just warm to the touch
- 1 tsp rice syrup
- 2 tsp active-dry yeast
- 2 cups (280g) white bread flour
- 2 cups (280g) wholemeal bread flour
- 2 tbsp rounded coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp salt
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In a mixing bowl (or stand mixer bowl if you have one), combine the water, rice syrup and yeast. Leave to stand for 5 mins until it appears foamy.
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Add flours, melted oil and salt, and knead by hand for 10 mins, or with the dough hook attachment on a stand mixer for 5 mins. Keep an eye on the dough as it kneads and add a little more flour or water, a tbsp at a time, if needed, until the dough looks smooth but not sticky. Lightly grease the bowl and leave the dough in it to rise, covered with a damp tea towel, for about 30 mins.
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"Knock back" the dough (punch it down fairly lightly), and shape into a large oval. Place on a tray lined with baking paper that has been lightly floured, and use a sharp knife to draw a few slits across the top of the loaf. Cover again and leave to rise for another 20-30 mins. Turn your oven on to 200C/400F/gas 6 so it can preheat while the loaf rises.
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Uncover the loaf and flour very lightly. If you want a crunchy crust, spray lightly with water. If you prefer a soft crust, leave as it is. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 mins.
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