For those of you not from the English Black Country, Bostin means amazing!  Try one of our Sugar Sisters favourite recipes and with a few adjustments you can make a whole variety of your favourite breads to tempt everyone's taste buds when they walk into your kitchen.

This recipe is so versatile. You can add more water and make yourself a ciabatta, use as is and make lovely soft rolls for lunch, use a little less water and give it a little longer in the oven for crispy baguettes. I think you get the picture. Lets roll up our sleeves and get cracking.




Jo's Basic Bread Recipe

700g High Grade Flour

16g Fresh yeast crumbled

16g Salt

30g Olive or Canola Oil

435 g Water




Instructions

1. Add all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Lightly mix all ingredients with your hand until you have almost brought the mix together.

2. Start kneading you dough. Stretch the dough across the table in long movements to help develop the gluten.  If your mixture starts to seem a little wet bring it together and put your bowl over the top of the mixture.  Leave for 15 minutes and go for a cup of tea.

3. Keep kneading until your dough is stretchy and smooth and has stopped being sticky.  This can take a while - by hand this takes me around 15 minutes.  You can also do this with a dough hook and mixer on slow for around the same time.

4. Pop your dough ball into a bowl that has been sprayed with a little oil and cling film the top of the bowl to prevent air entry.

5. Leave to rise in a warm place and when it starts to give it a fold. Stretch your dough and fold it in half. Turn it 90 degrees and do the same again. This removes some of the air without affecting whole structure.

6. Repeat again. This can take a while - anything from 30 mins in summer to several hours in winter.

7. After your second fold pop your dough in a oil sprayed plastic bag and tie a loose knot.  Leave in the fridge overnight,

8. The next day, shape your bread straight from the fridge. For rolls divide into 12 equal portions (we use scales) and roll into balls.  Press the down onto a lined baking tray and cover with plastic wrap. If your dough is still quite wet give it a coating of flour to stop it sticking. After 10 mins press the down flat again to seal the edges. For loaves split the dough in two and either shape into loaves and put onto a baking tray or into two loaf pans. Cover with plastic wrap as before.

9. Heat your oven now to its maximum temperature and put a roasting pan with water in the bottom.

10. When your bread has roughly doubled in size its ready to cook.  Remove the plastic wrap carefully and sprinkle with water. Put into your very hot oven and turn your oven off. Your bread will cook from the residual heat in the oven for 5 mins to set the crust.

11. After 5 mins set your oven to 220 C and turn your oven on. Cook for a further 10 mins without opening the door.  When your timer beeps check it! Bread rolls should be cooked by now.  Loaves may looked cooked but will need more time - around 10-15 mins. If they are looking brown turn your oven down to 170 C. If they are still pale turn down to 200C and check every 5 mins for colour. Be careful they brown quickly! A big loaf like the one below will take 35 minutes.

Variations

For Ciabatta add 30 -40 mls of water. This will result in a very wet dough.  Folding improves the structure of this type of bread. Add several more folds into your dough.  Make sure you sprinkle plenty of flour onto your bread after shaping.

For baguettes remove the oil from the recipe and reduce the water by 20 mls to get a stiffer dough. 

If you are hitting the kitchen this weekend here are a few tips  from Sugar Sisters to help you wow your friends and family.

1. Be precise
Digital scales give you better precision than cups.  If you do prefer to work with cups fill the cup rather than scoop with it,  then level it off at the top to get a more even result each time.

2. Precision part 2
Whether you are making biscuits or bread rolls, get your scales out again and weigh each one. Not only will they be all the same size, but will also cook more evenly in the oven.

3. Don't be heavy on your metal
Non stick baking pans require gentle care to keep them non stick.  Never use a knife to cut slices in a pan. Use baking paper and lift the whole thing out onto your chopping board. When it hits the sink keep your steelo or scourer away. Soak the pan and everything will lift off.

4. Think like a toddler
Silicone baby spoons are perfect for helping to lift muffins and tarts out of your pans without scratching them.

5. Follow the recipe! 
The first time you attempt a new recipe follow the instructions to the letter.  There is a better chance that if something goes wrong it was the recipe rather than you not you failing to follow it.

6. Then don't follow the recipe
Once you have made something a few times it's time to start playing and tweaking to make the recipe perfect for you. Pick one element at a time to change.

7. Supersize me
To get café style muffins you really do have to fill the cups to the point where they are almost the same size as you want them to look cooked.

8. Get to know your oven
Like people, ovens have their own personality and traits. The commercial ovens in our work kitchen need a very different approach to my lovely SMEG at home.

9. Keep the door shut
Yes, I know you have heard this one before but keep the door shut and close it as fast as possible when checking what's baking. Letting the temperature drop is a great way of sinking a cake if you open it at the crucial rising time.

10. Keep practicing
Pastry chefs and commercial bakers produce amazing baking by making the same thing over and over and over again.


Thanks for reading. Do you have a top tip you would like to share? Sugar Sisters would love to hear from you.