I’d like to introduce L, my nine-year-old daughter, who has convinced me to let her write a guest post this month as part of a homework assignment she was set for the weekend …
Uh-oh Mum’s let me loose on her blog. Not a good move, Mum. I’ll try not to crash the computer but I can’t promise anything.
Anyway, I have this RS homework to do. We have to make some bread and write out the recipe for it. I’m not sure why we have to do this for RS, but I really hope I don’t have to feed 5000 people in my next lesson.
I wasn’t thinking about this homework when Mum was dragging me around the supermarket this morning. I have far more important things to be thinking about in a supermarket (like sweets). So, I forgot to remind Mum to buy any white bread flour. That’s why I couldn’t use any recipes in Mum’s baking books. It’s much more fun to go off the beaten tracks anyway (according to Mum).
Luckily, Mum did have some odd bits of flour I could use in her cupboard and there was some leftover pizza dough still in the fridge too. If you’ve ever seen Mum’s baking cupboard, you’ll know that her odd bits of flour can be very odd indeed. Then Mum just made up a recipe for all of these odd bits as we went along. That’s how my RS homework got to be called ‘Mum’s Random Bread Recipe’.
And here it is … ta-daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. (That magic trick was very tricky.)
Mum’s Random Bread Recipe (by Mum)
12 oz dough starter (this was the leftover pizza dough from the fridge)
9 ¼ oz Malthouse bread flour (from Dove’s Farm)
5 ¾ oz plain white spelt flour
1 ½ tsp fast action yeast
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
1 ½ tsp honey
½ pint beer
Cut up the old dough into pieces with some scissors and put them in a large mixing bowl.
Add the flours, yeast, salt and honey to the bowl and stir it all together with a wooden spoon.
Pour the beer in and stir it so that it all sticks together.
Pour a little bit of olive oil onto the worktop and spread it about a bit with your hands. Scrape the dough out onto the oily surface and knead it for 10 minutes until it is smooth and stretchy.
Put it in a large oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave it to rise until it has doubled in size (1 ½ to 2 hours).
Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
Shape the dough into a ball by stretching the surface around the outside and pinching the dough together on the bottom of the ball. Place it on the lined baking tray. Cover it with a large container or a tent of oiled aluminium foil. Leave it to rise until it has almost doubled in size (1 to 1 ½ hours).
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C.
Just before you put the dough in the oven, use a sharp knife to make 4 or 5 slashes in the top of the dough (Mum did a lantern slash). Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 190 degrees C and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes.
Take the bread out of the oven and put it on a wire rack to cool.
amerrierworld.com 
Lucy
/ October 16, 2011Great stuff L!! Did the homework have something to do with Harvest perhaps? I’ve been helping a friend write a Harvest Festival sketch about bread recently for our Year 4s to perform on Friday at our school service. I had to use my loaf…sorry, that’s a bit of a crumby joke. OK, it’s getting a bit stale now so I’ll go.
Lots of luvnhugs to you all,
Aunty Lucy
xxxxxooooo
amerrierworld
/ October 17, 2011L says, “I thiink it might be for the Harvest festival, but that’s not until Wednesday. I hope it hasn’t gone stale by then!”
frugalfeeding
/ October 16, 2011It looks really fantastic – I love making bread, but I never have the time any more 😦 Maybe I shall on Wednesday.
amerrierworld
/ October 17, 2011L says, “I really enjoyed making this bread. You should try it!”
Dad
/ October 16, 2011L, your expertise knows no bounds!
Well done on a superb blog item. Even I could understand it ~ (for a change).
Please save me some crumbs.
Grandpa
amerrierworld
/ October 17, 2011L says, “Sorry Grandpa, it’s all gone but I’ll make you another one all to yourself.”
Sibella
/ October 16, 2011Awww how sweet! 🙂 This bread looks fantastic and I bet the homework will earn an A+!!!
amerrierworld
/ October 17, 2011L says, “Thank you!”
Jeannette Mara
/ October 17, 2011I hope you get a good mark for your ‘homework’. You seem to be following in your mum’s footsteps by being a good baker!
amerrierworld
/ October 17, 2011L says, “I wish all my homework was as tasty as this one!”
Rose Levy Beranbaum
/ October 17, 2011i’m impressed–the bread looks stunning! how did it taste? next time show a cut slice–dying to know what it looks like inside.
xoxox rose
amerrierworld
/ October 17, 2011L says, “Hellooooo Rose! The bread was delicious and it was really soft and fluffy inside. Sorry I didn’t get a photo – it all went too quickly. Yum, yum!”
Rose Levy Beranbaum
/ October 17, 2011hi L!!! that it went so quickly is the best “proof” of quality!!!
maddestmegs
/ June 30, 2013Nice one L!! This bread looks really tasty, i’ll persuade my mum to let me loose in the kitchen! LOL,
Megan
amerrierworld
/ June 30, 2013L says, ” That’s wicked!”