Lorraine Pascale's Doris Grant Loaf

I'm so excited about cooking live on television this Friday! The dish that I am cooking is very straight forward so at least that is one less worry. My nine-year-old Jack is going to travel with me to the TV3 studios. It will be such a wonderful experience for him and he's bringing his video camera to capture plenty of 'behind the scenes' footage.  As ever family life is busy so I haven't had the time to yet get nervous about my upcoming television appearance. If you would like to see me demonstrating my dish tune in to TV3 this Friday 27th May at 9.10am.

I wanted to share with you a recipe for bread that I found in Lorraine Pascale's fabulous cookbook, Baking Made Easy. I'm really enjoying Lorraine's book and I'm slowly working my way through it.
I divided the dough to make bread rolls but it works best as a full loaf of bread. As Lorraine notes it is heavier than a regular yeast bread due to the 'no knead' approach however it is a lot quicker to make. The smell of fresh bread wafting from the kitchen is one of the best ways to greet anyone into your home. This bread is very effortless to make and delivers well on the flavour.

Ingredients
225g (8oz) strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
225g (8oz) strong wholemeal flour
1 tsp salt
1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
1 tbsp clear honey
300ml (11fl oz) warm water
Vegetable oil or oil spray, for oiling
a little milk, for brushing

Method

1. Dust a medium baking tray with flour.
2. Sift the flours into a large bowl and reserve the grain – the brown bits that are too big to fit through the sieve. Add the salt and yeast, then make a big hole in the centre and pour in the honey and water. Mix well to form a smooth dough, working it gently with your hands if necessary. If the dough feels a bit stiff, add an extra two tablespoons of water. Shape the mixture into a ball and place on the prepared baking tray. Make sure the top is smooth and wrinkle-free. Cover the dough loosely with oiled clingfilm, making sure it is airtight, and leave to rise in a warm place for a good hour, or until it has almost doubled in size.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Remove the clingfilm from the dough and make a few slashes in the top with a sharp knife – I use a sharp, serrated knife and saw gently. Brush the loaf with milk, sprinkle with the reserved grain and then place in the oven.
4. Put about 10 ice cubes into the bottom of the oven – they will produce steam, which keeps the crust from hardening too quickly. (A quickly hardened crust prevents the bread from rising well.) Bake the bread for 30–40 minutes, or until it has risen, sounds hollow when tapped underneath and comes easily off the baking tray. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray.
5. Serve fresh from the oven with loads of butter. These loaves do not keep well. However, if the whole lot does not disappear in one sitting, slice up the remainder and put it in the freezer to eat as toast.