England has a healthy bread called Hovis Loaf that goes back to the 1880’s. It holds a warm spot in the hearts of the British and a commercial for Hovis Loaf was voted “Best TV Ad Ever” in Great Britain. It was directed in 1973 by Ridley Scott who went on to direct such films as “Alien” and “Gladiator.”
We are hunkered in and making the best use of the resources we have on hand. We are keeping calm and carrying on. We are channeling our inner Dunkirk and remembering our Depression-era parents and grandparents. We are watching a lot of British Mysteries on Public Television.
And from time to time we need bread and having a decent amount of fiber is important because…well…it just is. Fresh resources are precious, and I did not want to use an egg so the rise on this bread did not turn out all that elegant. I did not want to use oil in the dough because we need to save that for cooking.
But I do have a large quantity of Red Star Platinum Instant Sourdough Yeast on hand because Fareway was selling it for 99 cents-a-packet a few months ago and I stocked up. I was afraid they were thinking of discontinuing it and had marked it down. By not adding sugar, the flavor of the sourdough comes through strong, but, because it does not have sugar, it did not brown on top particularly well.
We do, however, have a lot of butter on hand because Hy Vee was selling it for $1.88 a pound before Christmas and we stocked up then. The loaf looks much better after brushing on melted butter.
It features a 60/40 ratio of bread flour to white whole wheat and the result is a soft, moist bread that showcases the tang of sourdough yeast.
Ingredients:
- 327 grams (2⅓ cups) White Bread Flour
- 218 grams (1⅔ cups) White Whole Wheat Flour
- 2 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1 packet Red Star Platinum Instant Sourdough Yeast
- 350 grams (1 ⅔ cups) Warm Water
- 1 tbsp. Butter, melted
Step 1: Combine dry ingredients. Add water, mix and knead for about 10 minutes, either by hand or using the dough hook on a stand mixer. Set aside in an oiled bowl and let proof until doubled in size – about an hour.
Step 2: Lightly oil a standard 9 x 5 bread loaf pan or shoot it with non-stick spray. Knock back the dough and turn it out on a floured surface. Knead the dough for several minutes until smooth. Place the dough in the pan and form into an evenly distributed oblong shape. Let rise until the dough starts to form a dome above the rim of the pan.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 20 minutes, then tent the bread with aluminum foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for five more minutes until brown on top. Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter and let cool.
Schmecken! 