Red Onion Gruyere & Rosemary Fougasse

This flat, round fougasse loaf is very popular all over France and is a cousin of the Italian focaccia

• Cooking Time Prep 30 mins
  Cook 20 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 2, serves 3-4 (1 loaf)

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  322

• Protein

  11g

• Carbs

  49g

• Fat

  11g

• Saturates

  4g

• Fibre

  2g

• Sugar

  2g

• Salt

  1.96g

Ingredients

• 1 red onion
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
• 100g Gruyère
• few rosemary sprigs
• coarse sea salt
• For the dough
• 7g sachet easy-blend yeast or 15g fresh yeast
• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Tip the flour into a mixing bowl. For easy-blend dried yeast, stir this into the flour. For fresh yeast, crumble it and rub into the flour as you would with butter when making pastry. Add the salt and sugar.
2. Boil the kettle and measure 100ml into a jug. Top up with cold water to the 300ml mark. Test the temperature with your finger-it should feel perfectly hand-hot. Add the oil.
3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid all at once. Mix quickly using your hands or a wooden fork to make a soft and slightly sticky dough. Wipe the dough around the bowl to pick up any loose flour.
4. Sprinkle the work surface with flour and tip out the dough. Knead by stretching it away from you, then folding it in half towards you and pushing it away with the heel of your hand. Give it a quarter turn and repeat, developing a rhythm.
5. When the dough is smooth, put it back into the mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 1 hr (no need to find a warm place). The dough is ready when it springs back when you press it with your finger.
6. Thinly slice the onion and gently cook in the oil until softened, about 5 mins. Cut the Gruyère into small cubes. Chop half the rosemary.
7. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead in the onion and chopped rosemary.
8. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough in half. Roll or press out one piece of dough to a rectangular shape about 20 x 25cm, then transfer to a baking sheet lined with non-stick paper. Make a large diagonal cut across the centre of the dough almost to the ends. Make three smaller diagonal cuts either side of the large cut to make a leaf shape.
9. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Stick Gruyère cubes and rosemary sprigs into the dough at intervals, then sprinkle with a little flour and sea salt. Heat oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 8. Leave the loaves to prove for 20 mins then bake for 13-15 mins until golden. Serve warm with soups and starters.

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Gluten-Free Sundried Tomato Bread

A quick, gluten-free bread recipe - no need for yeast, ready in under an hour

• Cooking Time Prep 15 mins
  Cook 1 hr
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 1 loaf

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  74

• Protein

  3g

• Carbs

  10g

• Fat

  3g

• Saturates

  1g

• Fibre

  1g

• Sugar

  0g

• Salt

  0.7g

Ingredients

• 200g gluten-free white flour (Doves Farm is available at most supermarkets)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• 284ml buttermilk (or same amount of whole milk with a squeeze of lemon juice)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50g sundried tomatoes in oil (about 6-8), coarsely chopped
• 25g parmesan (or vegetarian parmazano), grated

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, tomato purée and oil. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, then add the sundried tomatoes and half the Parmesan.
2. Grease a 900g loaf tin and pour in the mixture. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top and bake for 50-60 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

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Ham & Tomato Stromboli

This pizza-style bread will feed a crowd for lunch

• Cooking Time Prep 30 mins
  Cook 30 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 6

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  367

• Protein

  15g

• Carbs

  66g

• Fat

  6g

• Saturates

  3g

• Fibre

  0g

• Sugar

  2g

• Salt

  1.32g

Ingredients

• 1 batch white bread dough (see 'Goes well with' recipe below)
• 6 tbsp good-quality tomato sauce
• 3 wafer-thin ham slices, torn
• 100g ball mozzarella, grated
• handful basil leaf
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions

1. Make the dough, leave to rise and knock back as stated. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a rough rectangle about 40 x 25cm. Spread the sauce over the dough, leaving a small border, and scatter over the ham, mozzarella and basil. Tuck the short sides in and roll up the long side like a Swiss roll. Lift onto a tray, seal-side down, and brush with the egg. Bake for 30 mins until puffed up and golden-don't worry if there are a few cracks. Leave to cool slightly, then serve sliced on a board.

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Focaccia With Pesto & Mozzarella

This homemade pesto bread is a delicious accompaniment to Italian food

• Cooking Time Prep 20 mins - 25 mins
  Cook 30 mins
• Skill Level Moderately easy
• Servings Serves 4 - 6

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  638

• Protein

  25g

• Carbs

  96g

• Fat

  20g

• Saturates

  6g

• Fibre

  4g

• Sugar

  2g

• Salt

  2.42g

Ingredients

• 500g strong white bread flour, plus some for dusting
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 7g sachet fast-action yeast
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
• 125g ball mozzarella, drained
• 5 tbsp pesto (shop-bought or see recipe, below)
• sea salt, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Put the flour into a bowl and mix in the salt. Mix the yeast into 325ml tepid water. Add the water and oil to the flour, then mix well with a plastic scraper or your hands. When most of the liquid is incorporated, use your hands to bring all the ingredients together into a ball of dough.
2. Tip the dough out onto a worktop lightly dusted with flour and work it by pulling and stretching for at least 10 mins. Try to get as much air into it as possible. Put the ball of worked dough into a well-oiled bowl, cover with a little more oil and a tea towel or cling film. Leave to rest for 1 hr or so in a non-draughty warm spot, until doubled in size.
3. Now stretch the dough out onto a baking sheet until it's about 20 x 30cm. Leave the dough to rise again to about half as high again, about 30-40 mins in a warm draught-free place, loosely covered with a tea towel.
4. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. When the dough has risen, press your fingers into it gently to make some holes. Bake for about 15 mins, then remove from the oven. Tear over the mozzarella, then bake for another 5-10 mins until golden and cooked through. Drizzle over the pesto and scatter with sea salt, if you like. Serve straight away.

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Basic Granary Bread Dough For Rolls Or A Large Loaf

Nothing beats homemade bread straight from the oven - ready in just 35 minutes

• Cooking Time Prep 15 mins
  Cook 15 mins - 20 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 12 rolls or one large loaf

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  232

• Protein

  9g

• Carbs

  42g

• Fat

  4g

• Saturates

  0g

• Fibre

  3g

• Sugar

  3g

• Salt

  0.7g

Ingredients

• 225g strong white flour
• 225g malted granary bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 7g sachet easy-blend yeast
• 150ml warm milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100-150ml warm water

Directions

1. Mix the flours and salt together in a large bowl, then stir in the sugar and yeast. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the warm milk, beaten egg, olive oil and enough of the water to form a soft, wet dough.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for 10 mins until smooth. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film, then leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. The dough is now ready to be shaped.
3. To make 12 rolls, divide the dough into 12 pieces and shape into rolls. Lightly flour 3 baking sheets. Place the rolls onto the sheets and cover loosely with oiled cling film. Set aside in a warm place for 30 mins or until they have doubled in size.
4. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Brush the bread with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame and poppy seeds. Bake for 15-20 mins until deep golden brown and well risen.
5. To make a flowerpot loaf, leave the dough to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Soak one large or eight small terracotta flowerpots in cold water for about 30 mins. Dry thoroughly, then brush the inside of the pots with oil and line with parchment paper. Shape dough into a smooth round with a roughly pointed shape at one end so it half-fills the pot. Leave until doubled in size.
6. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Brush the top of the loaf with beaten egg, sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds and bake for 45-50 mins (15-20 mins for small loaves) until golden. Let it sit for 5-10 mins, then take out of the pot and leave to cool on a wire rack.

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Rustic Bread

This is a traditional Sicilian bread that you can make in the morning to get ahead

• Cooking Time Ready in 20-30 mins
• Skill Level Moderately easy
• Servings Makes 8

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  137

• Protein

  4g

• Carbs

  24g

• Fat

  4g

• Saturates

  1g

• Fibre

  1g

• Sugar

  0g

• Salt

  0.94g

Ingredients

• 250g strong white bread flour
• 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 200ml sparkling water
• semolina, for sprinkling (optional)
• finely chopped rosemary and Maldon salt, for sprinklng

Directions

1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Mix together the flour, yeast and 1/2 tsp salt. Add the oil, then pour in the water gradually, adding enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 4-5 mins until the dough feels strong, bouncy and has a silky feel to it.
2. Cut the dough into 8 pieces, then roll out into rough rounds about 16-17cm in diameter. (Don't pile them on top of each other or they will stick together.)
3. Sprinkle a baking sheet or two with semolina if you have it, otherwise leave plain. Lay the breads on the sheets and let them sit for 5 mins, then scatter with rosemary, salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in batches for 8-10 mins until puffy and golden. Can be made 3-4 hrs ahead.

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Easy White Bread

A great recipe for an electric breadmaker - or do it the traditional way

• Cooking Time Prep 20 mins
  Cook 25 mins - 30 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 1 loaf

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  204

• Protein

  6g

• Carbs

  38g

• Fat

  4g

• Saturates

  1g

• Fibre

  2g

• Sugar

  0g

• Salt

  1g

Ingredients

• 500g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp salt
• 7g sachet fast-action yeast
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 300ml water

Directions

1. Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, then add the oil and water, and mix well. If the dough seems a little stiff, add 1-2 tbsp water, mix well then tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead</a>. Once the dough is satin-smooth, place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Leave to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size or place in the fridge overnight.
2. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Knock back the dough, then gently mould the dough into a ball. Place it on the baking parchment to prove for a further hour until doubled in size.
3. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Dust the loaf with flour and cut a cross about 6cm long into the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

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Sourdough

Baking a loaf of this dense, chewy bread requires making a fermented 'starter' from flour, but it's worth the effort

• Cooking Time Takes 1 hr, plus 8 days for starter
• Skill Level Moderately easy
• Servings Makes 1 loaf

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  245

• Protein

  8g

• Carbs

  47.9g

• Fat

  1.1g

• Saturates

  0.2g

• Fibre

  1.6g

• Sugar

  1.4g

• Salt

  0.4g

Ingredients

• For the starter
• 700g strong white flour
• For the loaf
• 500g strong white flour
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp honey
• 300g sourdough starter

Directions

1. First make your starter. In a large jar (a 1litre kilner jar is good) or plastic container, mix 100g of the flour with 125ml slightly warm water. Whisk the batter until smooth and lump free, whisking will help incorporate some airborne yeast particles to get your starter going. Leave the jar or container lid ajar for an hour or so in a warm place (around 25C is ideal), then seal and set aside for 24 hrs.
2. For the next 6 days you will need to 'feed' the starter each day. To do this, tip away half the original starter and add an extra 100g of flour and 125ml slightly warm water, whisking well each time, try to do this at roughly the same time everyday. After 3-4 days you should start to see bubbles appearing on the surface, and it will smell yeasty and a little acidic. This is a good indication that the starter is working. The time it takes for fermentation to begin can vary between 1 to 5 days depending on temperature and environment, persevere for up to 6 days, if you still don't see any signs of life, or the starter smells unpleasant, throw it away and start again. On the 8th day the starter should be quite bubbly and smell much sweeter. It is now ready to bake with.
3. Now you can make your first loaf. Tip the flour, 225ml warm water, salt, honey and sourdough starter into a large bowl, or a table top mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir with a wooden spoon, or on a slow setting in a machine, until combined, adding a little extra flour if it's too sticky or a little extra warm water if it's too dry. Tip onto a work surface and knead for about 10 mins until soft and elastic, if using a mixer, turn the speed up a little and mix for 5 mins. The dough is ready when it bounces back when gently pressed with a finger.
4. Place the dough in a large, well oiled bowl and cover with an oiled sheet of cling film. Leave in a warm place to rise for 3 hrs. You may not see much movement after this time, but don't be disheartened, sourdough takes much longer to rise than a conventional yeasted bread.
5. Line a medium-sized bowl with a clean tea towel and flour it well, if you have a proving basket you can use this. Tip the dough back onto your work surface and knead briefly to knock out any air bubbles. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and dust it with flour. Place the dough, seam side up, in the bowl or proving basket, cover with a sheet of oiled cling film and leave for 6-8 hrs, until roughly doubled in size.
6. Place a large baking tray in the oven, set to 230C/210C fan/gas 8, to heat up. Fill a small roasting tin with a little water and place this in the bottom of the oven to create some steam. Remove the large tray from the oven, sprinkle with flour then carefully tip the risen dough onto the tray.You can slash the top a few times with a sharp knife if you like. Bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped. Leave to cool on a wire rack for 20 mins before serving.

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Rye Bread

This rye bread recipe is lower in gluten than your average white loaf - this recipe uses white or wholemeal flour to give a light texture but you can experiment with ratios

• Cooking Time Takes 50 mins plus rising and proving
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 1 loaf

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  170

• Protein

  5.6g

• Carbs

  34.3g

• Fat

  1.1g

• Saturates

  0.2g

• Fibre

  6.9g

• Sugar

  2.3g

• Salt

  0.3g

Ingredients

• 200g rye flour, plus extra for dusting
• 200g strong white or wholemeal flour
• 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp caraway seed (optional)

Directions

1. Tip the flours, yeast and salt into a bowl. In a jug, mix the honey with 250ml warm water, pour the liquid into the bowl and mix to form a dough. Rye flour can be quite dry and absorbs lots of water, if the dough looks too dry add more warm water until you have a soft dough Tip out onto your work surface and knead for 10 mins until smooth. Rye contains less gluten than white flour so the dough will not feel as springy as a conventional white loaf.
2. Place the dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hrs, or until roughly doubled in size. Dust a 2lb/900g loaf tin with flour.
3. Tip the dough back onto your work surface and knead briefly to knock out any air bubbles. If using caraway seeds work these in to the dough. Shape into a smooth oval loaf and pop into your tin. Cover the tin with oiled cling film and leave to rise somewhere warm for a further 1-1.5 hr, or until doubled in size.
4. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Remove the cling film and dust the surface of the loaf with rye flour. Slash a few incisions on an angle then bake for 30 mins until dark brown and hollow sounding when tapped. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and leave to cool for at least 20 mins before serving

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Crazy Cookies

Whether you're sharing them at work or including them in a bake sale, these bold little biscuits are guaranteed to brighten everyone's day!

• Cooking Time Prep 40 mins
  Cook 15 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 36

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  188

• Protein

  2g

• Carbs

  36g

• Fat

  5g

• Saturates

  3g

• Fibre

  0g

• Sugar

  30g

• Salt

  0.13g

Ingredients

• 350g plain flour, plus extra
• 200g salted butter, cubed
• 120g golden caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• For the icing
• 2 x 300g tubs ready-to-use royal icing (We used Dr Oetker, Sainsbury's)
• red and yellow food colourings

Directions

1. Whizz the flour and butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, vanilla and egg yolks and whizz to a smooth dough. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into 2 sausage shapes about 4-5cm in diameter. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 mins.
2. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cut the dough into 4mm-thick slices and arrange on baking sheets, spaced slightly apart. Bake for 15 mins or until pale golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
3. Heat icing following pack instructions. Add a little food colouring to each tub and ice half the cookies in yellow, and decorate with red, then ice the other half red and decorate in yellow. Leave to dry.

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