Baking Bread

Fresh bread, who can resist?  I am determined to add bread making to my baking repertoire. After all, it looks so simple, just a few ingredients, a bit of kneading and some time in the oven. Ja right! I think perhaps I chose the wrong recipe for my first few attempts. I am keen to be able to bake a nice big white sandwich loaf but it seems like this is probably one of the most difficult types of bread to make. The yeast needs to be just right and I don’t think that instant yeast will work for make a really nice light loaf.  The loaves I made tasted good but were very cake-y and dense and very small. After three failed attempts I gave in and tried easier recipe.

Now, beer bread is way easier to make, the kids made this loaf and it turned out beautifully.  We are going to make this whenever we have a braai. It also made mouthwatering toast.

Ingredients:
330ml bottle of beer
1/4 cup white sugar
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup melted butter (to brush on top of loaf while baking)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
2. Grease a small loaf pan with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Slowly pour the beer in and mix.  The dough will be quite sticky, but this is correct.
5. Transfer the dough to the loaf pan and leave it to rise for 30 minutes
6. Bake in the 180 degree oven for 45-50 minutes, brushing with melted butter halfway through the cooking time. Bake until the top is brown and crunchy and the center is soft.