Over the past year, and through multiple lockdowns, many of us have been spending more time in the kitchen. Even though we’re free to see friends and family, baking still endures as a popular hobby. There’s something very therapeutic about kneading and shaping dough, about watching it rise and smelling it as it bakes.
Here are 7 of our favourite bread recipes, many of which can be picked up easily by beginners!
If you’re looking for an easy bread recipe, then look no further. Soda bread uses baking soda rather than yeast as its raising agent (In case you’re wondering, it reacts with the acid in the buttermilk to produce carbon dioxide bubbles), and unlike yeast, you don’t need to wait for a rise. It’s a very forgiving bread recipe for beginners! We love this rustic soda bread smeared liberally in butter, and dipped into tomato soup.
See Recipe
This is one of our favourite Miguel Barclay recipes; you’re not going to believe that you can make such beautiful bread so easily. We’ve even taken out all the kneading steps so you won’t get your worktop messy! And after that, you can leave your focaccia dough on the radiator to rise quickly
See Recipe
This is more than just your standard white bread recipe. The ale in this loaf gives it a wonderfully deep flavour and the walnuts provide texture and substance. It’s a yeasted bread that will require time to rise, so make sure you wait until the dough is doubled in size before baking.
See Recipe
A crumpet is a quintessentially British treat. It’s a flat, savoury cake traditionally cooked on a griddle, it has a spongy texture which is perfect for absorbing indecent amounts of melted butter. If you’ve been looking for a crumpet recipe, we’ve got you covered; you’ll be whipping up these teatime treats in no time!
See Recipe
Looking for a flatbread or naan recipe for curry night? We love Ben Tish’s thin, crispy flatbreads, which are given a kick with the addition of wild garlic and mustard oil. This is another great recipe for a beginner baker, as you don’t have to worry too much about getting a good rise on your dough as you do with a loaf of bread.
See Recipe
We love this crusty loaf recipe. Oats give this hearty bread a great texture while the addition of honey provides delicious flavour and sweetness.
See Recipe
This is an excellent gluten-free recipe for coeliac sufferers to have in their baking arsenal. Unlike many gluten-free bread recipes, this creates a light, soft bread with a tight crumb. The addition of gluten-free beer gives the loaf a delicious, malty taste, and also helps aerate the batter. We also particularly like the crunchy, seedy crust!
See Recipe