Flour, Yeast, Water

I'm not sure I've had the chance to bang on about how my life has been overtaken by baking. I've been working hard to help make our new area at the show, The Great British Bake Off Village, a great success and the influence of all things bread, cake and pies has spilled over into my life. Although I really enjoy making a lovely cake, what I've really been getting stuck into is bread making, and this is another of my new years resolutions- I'm doing pretty well guys!

I don't know if you've had a chance to watch Paul Hollywood's new show, the aptly named, "BREAD". I've become hooked, and watching the show is made even more enjoyable by the knowledge that Paul is delighting the nations housewives kneading away at the dough with his big hands and occasionally slapping and spanking the proven dough with a cheeky glint in his eye. That big naughty man.

I have been successfully inspired and I can't wait to get the book and try some of the recipes. I might have to add a bit more cash to my Kitchen Aid fund first though!

Luckily you don't need a Kitchen Aid to make all forms of bread, I've been exploring some different recipes and doughs, I still haven't managed to get that perfect dough that Paul has achieved though. Firstly I tried the perfect white loaf using my Great British Bake off cook book there are some fab tips in there such as putting a tray with water at the bottom of your oven to get that perfectly crisp crust. I ended up covered head to toe in flour but there is nothing more satisfying than coming back to your dough after an hour to find it soft and risen, just touching its pillowy texture makes you want to cry with joy. It's brilliant. 

After this first I started to experiment a bit more and made a wonderfully thrifty and deliciously crusty loaf called rosemary potato bread. The idea is that you use up old mashed potato by working it into the dough. The smell from this fantastic bread is intoxicating and the final look of the loaf is simply stunning. 

Bread making has something very earthy and rustic about it. It's a staple and its unpretentious and yet there's so much room for creativity. Another great thing about it is that you need just 2 storecupboard ingredients, flour and yeast so there's never really any need to drag your self to the supermarket bleary eyed on a Sunday morning. Just stay in you jimjams and start throwing the flour around! 

One of my main motives however for breadmaking is to replace the gaping hole created by moving back to England and away from my favourite boulanger "Moulin de Lea", their Baguette Tradition was an absolute joy and an ASDA demi baguette just doesn't cut the custard. My mission through my experimentation will be to create the perfect bread to have with cheese, I'm not a crackers lady and I want a decent crusty bread to have with my cheeseboard. I'll keep you posted!