Here’s a great loaf in more ways than one. It’s big, it’s hearty, it’s packed with flavour and it has a great texture too. It’s slightly sweet and loves butter, jam or marmalade, but is still ideal with soups, meat, cheese etcetera.

Makes: 1 large loaf (12 large slices)

Time: About 30 minutes “hands-on”, up to 2 hours proving, just over an hour in the oven.

Level: Reasonably easy, especially if you’re a regular bread maker

Need: A proving basket/banneton (or a deep bowl), a Dutch oven (or a lidded casserole dish), a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. (A stand mixer makes it quicker and easier, but isn’t absolutely essential.)

Ingredients

200g/7oz wholemeal bread flour
300g/10oz strong white flour
10g/¼ oz salt
7g instant yeast
60g/2oz melted butter
50g/1¾ oz caster sugar
300ml/10fl oz liquid (I used 100ml milk, 200ml water) + 20ml water in reserve
About* 75g – 125g mixed seeds
About* 100g – 150g raisins and sultanas
½ an egg

* Sorry to be a bit vague here, but it depends how much you like these additions. Having said that, if you overload the dough it will struggle to rise.

Method

1. Flours, salt, about two thirds of the seeds and 40g sugar into a bowl – mix.

2. Milk and water into a jug – warm it. Add in yeast and 10g sugar – mix. Set aside for a few minutes

3. Pour the wet stuff into dry stuff. Get your hands in – mix to a dough.

4. Knead, cover and leave to rise.

5. Knock back, flatten out. Add dried fruit evenly spread. Form dough into a ball. Flour well and invert it into a banneton. Place it in a proving bag (i. e. a white kitchen bin liner) and leave for the second prove.

6. Cut a large circle of baking parchment and snip cuts into the edges. Place this over the dough in the banneton and invert it to bring it out. Egg wash the dough ball and add seeds. Use the parchment to lift the dough ball into the Dutch oven then cut slashes using a sharp knife or razor blade.

7. For the “cold start method”: put the closed Dutch oven into the main oven. Now turn the oven on to 220°C / Fan 200°C / 425°F / gas7. Bake for 50 – 55 minutes.

8. Take lid off the Dutch oven & bake for a further 10 – 12 minutes. Cover with foil if necessary. Test the loaf has baked by tapping it firmly and listening for a hollow sound. Cool on a wire rack.

I wish you every success with your bread making. I hope you have a go at this one and enjoy making and eating a lovely loaf. If you want to see more of my bread recipes click this link.

Here are some quite different breads that you might want to try:

Date and Orange Soda Bread