Now I don’t know about you but I just love freshly baked bread. That aroma that apparently is capable of selling houses does it for me every time. It is also so easy to ring the changes by adding or omitting seeds, swapping oil for butter and adding raisins for instance. Even if you have never made bread before, have a go it is so satisfying.

Crusty Seeded Bread Rolls

INGREDIENTS

300g seeded bread flour

200g wholemeal bread flour

8g easy blend yeast

10g salt

20g light brown sugar

20ml olive oil

320ml tepid water

60g mixed seeds (such as poppy, pumpkin, sunflower, linseeds)

METHOD

Place the flours, yeast, salt, sugar, olive and water into the bowl of your stand mixer with a dough hook attached. Mix everything together and knead for 5-6 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. You can mix the ingredients in a bowl by hand, then turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes.

Cover the bowl with cling film or, as I do a shower cap, and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 ½ – 2 hours until doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour and punch down the dough. Add the seed mixture and lightly knead the dough for 2 – 3 minutes.

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and shape into oblong rolls.   Place well apart onto a lined or greased baking sheet. Cover with oiled cling film or place in a large plastic bag and leave to rise again in a warm place until doubled in size. This will take about 30 minutes.

During the last 10 minutes of rising preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan. Remove the rolls from the bag or remove the cling film and slash each roll with a sharp knife or razor blade. Bake the rolls for about 15 – 20 minutes until well risen and golden. Remove from the oven leave to cool on a wire rack.

Tip:

For extra crusty bread place a shallow oven dish into the bottom of your preheated oven pour in a cupful of boiling water allowing steam to build in your oven and bake your bread as directed.