Cottage Loaf

Preparation time: 20 minutes + 1½ hours standing time; Baking time: 20-25 minutes; Makes: 680g (1.5 Ib) Loaf

Ingredients

• 450g (1Ib. 3½ American cups; 3 Australian cups) bread flour (you can use all-purpose flour in Canada)
• I teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons fine sugar
• 1½ teaspoons Fleischmanns Instant Yeast
• 15g (½ oz, 1 tablespoon) butter or margarine
• 330ml (1 1/3 cups) warm water (I added 300ml)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Lots of butter and homemade jam to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) 15 minutes before baking the bread. Line a baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle a little cornflour (maize flour).
2. Sieve the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and almost all the water. Stir with a spoon and bring together into a firm dough (add a little more water if required).
3. Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for a minimum of 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. (my dough was so firm and difficult to knead. I had a good arm workout-if you have a dough hook, use it)
4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and let rest in a warm place, for 1 hour or. until doubled in size.
5. Knock back the dough and knead and stretch, 2-3 minutes, without tearing, to remove any air bubbles. (I did 3 minutes).
6. Cut off almost ¾ of the dough and shape into a smooth 7 inch round ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Shape the remainder of the dough into a smooth 4inch round ball. Brush the top of the 7-inch round ball with water and place the 4-inch round gently on top. Press down firmly. Dust your fingers with flour and make an indent in the centre of the top dough, up to the middle of the bigger one.
7. Cover with a clean tea towel or large plastic bag and leave in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
8. Brush the loaf with a little milk then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
9. Cool on a wire rack. Serve slathered with butter and jam and enjoy.

Points to note

1. For cup measures: spoon the flour into the cup, heaping it up over the top, then slide a knife across the top to level off the extra. Be careful not to shake or tap the cup to settle down the flour or you will have more than you need. I use a 240ml, American cup.
2. To ensure a good shaped cottage loaf, the dough needs to be firm enough to support the weight of the top ball.
3. Do not over prove the dough on the second rising or the loaf may topple over.
4. The dough I made was very firm almost bordering on hard…after the first proving it was okay.
5. Next time I would put a smaller piece on top, slightly more than 1/4 of the total dough, since 1/3 of the dough was a bit heavy.
6. The base should be about 7-inch round and top 4-inch round.
7. The dough is about 730g (1.6 Ib) by weight.
8. Last Updated: September 08 2018

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