Honey Bread

This honey bread recipe is one I have been making a lot lately.  Sometimes I add an extra couple of tablespoons of honey and replace the sunflower oil with melted butter to make it richer and sweeter, a lovely weekend treat cut into thick slices and toasted. 

Ingredients

500g Strong White Bread Flour

1 teaspoon Salt

300ml Warm Water (not hot)

2 tablespoons Sunflower Oil or Melted Butter

2 (or 4 if you want it sweeter) generous tablespoons Honey

1 sachet (7g) Fast Action Dried Yeast
1 Egg, beaten

• Mix the salt into the flour in a large mixing bowl.
• Measure the warm (not hot) water into a measuring jug and add the honey, oil or butter and the yeast.  Stir to combine.
• Pour the liquid into the flour whilst stirring with a fork until it comes together into a dough.  Tip this onto a lightly floured work surface and start to knead it.
• The dough will feel sticky so sprinkle with flour to make it easier, try not to keep adding flour though (oiling your hands works quite well).  Knead and stretch the dough for about 10 minutes until it is noticeably less sticky and easier to handle.  Sprinkle the mixing bowl with flour and put the ball of dough into it then set aside to prove for 1-2 hours, covered with cling film or a tea towel.
• When the dough is risen, knock it down with your fingers and remove from the bowl back onto the work surface.  Knead it around for a few minutes to get all the air out then shape it into an oval and put it into an oiled loaf tin (or, if you want the plaited look like above, split the dough into 3 even pieces, form into long sausages then squeeze them together at one end.  Plait the pieces together then squeeze the ends together and fold them underneath for a neat finish.)
• If you want a glossy finish to your loaf give the dough a brush with the beaten egg.  Put it aside again to rise for about an hour.  Preheat the oven to 210C (fan).
• When the dough has risen again give it a second egg wash then bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath.
• Let it cool on a rack before slicing.