Home Baking

How was everyone's Monday? The weather was miserable with a not-quite-snowing slushy feel to it; it's the kind of day that makes you want to stay at home and eat heart warming food!

This whole "horse meat scandal" that has been populating the news this weekend has driven home something that I have been thinking for a long time; we really don't know what is going into our food. Yes being a vegetarian I'm not expecting to find horse meat in any of my food; but so much of what we buy now is pre-made, preserved and full of additives. It gets you thinking.

So, with this in mind I want to make as much as I can at home; so I know exactly what I am putting into my body. Lesson 1: Homemade Granary Bread.

Ingredients
- 500g granary bread flour (I bought some with seeds in but you can what ever you fancy!)
- 40g soft butter
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 sachets yeast
- 300ml (approx.) tepid water
- a little olive oil

Method
1. Put flour butter, yeast and salt into a mixing bowl (be sure to add the yeast and salt on seperate sides so the salt doesn't kill the yeast!) and mix together
2. Add half the water and fold over with your fingers; continue to add water a little at a time until all the flour is combined and soft. You may need to add more or less water; until you form a rough soft (but not sticky!) dough
3. Coat a clean work surface with about a tsp of olive oil and fold the dough over, turning at 45 degree angles and repeating until it is thinly covered in olive oil.
4. Knead the dough; push your hand out in one direction, fold the dough over, turn by 90degrees and repeat. Do this for about 5 minutes until the dough is more elastic.
6. Clean and lightly oil your mixing bowl; pop the dough back in and cover with slightly oil cling film. Set to one side to rise for about 1 hour.

This is a good point to focus on the other things you need to do; for me I made a  gym visit to do a quick lower body workout. I had wanted to get a 5k run in but, what with it being a Monday and all, every treadmill was occupied (and I mentioned the slushy cold horrible weather earlier right?)

So, to change things up a bit I did half an hour on the cross trainer; the cross trainer is a great piece of equipment if your looking to build muscle, as it is low impact and will burn fat whilst not digging into your muscle stores. I get my heart to work harder by mixing it up with interval training; alternating the higher effort levels as well as the speed. Most importantly remember to engage your core and work those obliques!

I then finished up with a few toning exercise;
3x10 15kg leg extensions with a 30sec break
3x10 15kg leg curls with a 30sec break
3x30 side leg raises on each side
60second plank

By the time I was back my bread had risen nicely.

7. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knock out the air by kneading firmly.
8. Gently turn the dough and shape into a loaf shape; place into bread tin.
9. Place cling film (lightly covered in olive oil) over the bread an leave to prove for 1 hour
10.Preheat the oven to 220degrees (200 for fan assisted)
11. Place the bread tin in the oven on the top shelf with a tray of water on the bottom shelf and cook for half an hour.

Voila!