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I have a cookbook, the blank kind in which you write recipes you’ve stumbled upon which are too good to pass by. My cookbook is old, its cover is beginning to come loose and its spine is cracked and in need of repair. Fingerprints track their way through its browning pages, hinting at the recipes that have become favourites, and at those which over the years have been forgotten. It is worn. And it is very well loved.
As the title of the post suggests, this is Lynne Pope’s bread. A good friend of my Mum’s, Lynne is one of those special people, a charismatic woman full of life and energy. I think I must have carefully copied this recipe into my book over 10 years ago and I love it now just as much as I did when I first tasted it. It is so easy to make, requires no kneading and is ready in just over an hour, yielding 2 beautifully dense and tasty loaves.
Several weeks ago we had our first long weekend of the spring, a group of friends and I headed out of the city to walk the Tongariro Crossing which is in the central North Island and is recognised as New Zealand’s best day trek. I baked 4 loaves of Lynne’s bread for the occasion and they were devoured with appreciative enthusiasm. It was a great accompaniment to our evening meals and made nourishing sandwiches for our walk. But I like it best when it is toasted and smeared with butter and marmalade and enjoyed with a good cup of earl grey tea.
Ingredients (makes 2 loaves)
3 cups white flour
3 cups wholemeal flour
2 cups boiling water
2 cups milk
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp yeast
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
Olive oil
Sea salt and chopped rosemary for sprinkling over the bread
Method
- Place the flour and seeds in a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Combine the honey, boiling water and milk and stir to dissolve the honey. Sprinkle the yeast on top of this mixture and leave to sit until it starts to froth.
- Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and mix well to combine.
- Divide the mixture between 2 lined loaf tins and place in a warm oven for half an hour to rise. Once risen, brush the bread with olive oil and sprinkle over sea salt and rosemary.
- Turn the oven up to 200ºC and bake for 35 minutes.
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i love a loaf with visible seeds scattered throughout. excellent recipe!
I hope this isn’t a silly question, but how many degrees does a “warm” oven equate to when letting the bread rise?
Hi Emily,
It’s not a silly question at all! It is a hard one to answer as the lowest reading on my oven is 100 degree celcius, so I put it halfway between there and ‘off’ – somewhere around 50 degrees celcius if I were to hazard a guess. Good luck with it and let me know how you go!
Emma
Hey Emily
) so I usually use around 45°C. At 60°C the enzyme responsible for the activity of yeast will stop working altogether, and enzyme activity will slow after 40°C (optimal temp is 38°C), but bear in mind the temperature of the oven and the temperature of the food will be different (food will be at a slightly lower temp) hence why 45°C probably works well. A lot of ovens these days have defrost functions which are fantastic for the purpose of proving bread as they bring the oven up to around 30-40°C. Also some electronic ovens start their temperature scale around 40°C. I usually prove bread on the defrost function with a damp tea towel over it and it works a treat! Although the damp tea towel might not work in this recipe. Like Emma said let us know how you go and if you have any more questions don’t hesitate to ask.
.
When thinking about proving bread I always come back to what is the optimal temperature for yeast growth. In a lot of cook books they state it as around 30°C – 40°C. This can prove quite slow though (like the pun
Cheers, Susie
Emma and Susie,
Thank you so much for your detailed responses! I have never made bread before, so this will be my first attempt. Thanks again!
Hey Emily
that’s awesome that you’re having a crack at it. I find once you start making bread it turns into a love affair/obsession! There are so many varieties you can make and so many different ways to shape it. There’s also this fantastic science going on behind it which I think adds to it’s appeal. I hope this recipe is one in a long line of bread-based-adventures for you. Good luck, hope it turns out great.
Susie
I just came across your site via http://www.studiohomecreative.com…not sure how I missed it on Design Sponge, but after spending an hour drooling over your recipes and the achingly beautiful photography I’m hooked. I have a pocket-full of recipes I’m dying to try and I’m looking forward to your next posts! Cheers!
Karen