Five easy homemade bread recipes to try if you cannot find bread

Finding basic necessities in grocery stores may be a little challenging this week with all that is going on in the country. If you cannot find bread in your local grocery store, there is no need to panic. We have picked 5 delicious and fresh bread recipes which are easy to make and do not require a lot of ingredients.

Homemade white bread

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 ¼ cups warm water (100° to 110°), divided
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
• Cooking spray
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

1. Dissolve sugar and yeast in 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add 1 cup warm water, flour, and salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface. Knead dough until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes).
3. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)
4. Uncover dough, and punch dough down. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Uncover dough; punch dough down. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Roll into a 14 x 7-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Roll up tightly, starting with a short edge, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Place roll, seam side down, in an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
5. Preheat oven to 425°.
6. Uncover dough; gently brush with egg. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove bread from oven); bake an additional 15 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack.

Banana bread

Ingredients

• 4 very ripe bananas
•  1/2 cup (1 stick/115 g) melted butter
•  3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
•  2 large eggs
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  1 and 1/2 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
•  1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease an 8½ x 4¼-inch loaf pan.
2. Place bananas in a large bowl and mash them. Add all the other ingredients to the bowl, and whisk just until combined.
3. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack, then turn it out from the pan and let it cool completely.
4. Store cake at room temperature or in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Serve at room temperature.

Cinnamon raisin bread

Ingredients

• Flour
• Yeast
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• Sugar
• Cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger.
• Butter
• Raisins
• Salt

Instructions

1. Make your dough: Combine warm water and milk with yeast and sugar in a mixing jug. Whisk together and then allow to stand for 5-10 minutes until foamy. Take care not to heat the water and milk too much, you want the liquid to be just warm enough so that when you stick your finger in, it feels pleasantly warm, not hot. If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Combine the dry ingredients (start with only 3 cups of flour) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. With the mixer running, pour in the yeast mixture. Allow to combine then add the butter/oil. Add the raisins and knead for a minute. If needed, add the remaining flour a few tablespoons at a time until the dough is smooth and soft and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover with a damp dish towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for an hour until doubled in size.
2. Roll the dough: Transfer the proofed dough to a lightly floured surface then press into a rectangle as wide as your loaf pan. Press any loose raisins into the center then roll the dough onto itself into a log. Pinch the seam together. Line a loaf pan with baking/parchment paper then transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Cover again then allow to rise for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven.
3. Bake the raisin bread: Brush the bread with beaten egg and bake for 30-45 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. If the top of the bread browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.

ALSO READ: https://www.citizen.co.za/lifestyle/food-and-drink/recipe-of-the-day-comforting-chicken-stew-and-dumplings/

Gluten-free bread

Ingredients

• 325 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 450 g gluten-free brown bread flour , plus extra for dusting
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons golden caster sugar
• 1½ x 7g sachet dried yeast
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Warm the milk in a small pan over a low heat, then leave to cool slightly. Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the vinegar, then gradually stir in the warm milk until combined.
2. Combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in another bowl, then, using a wooden spoon, stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until it forms a sticky dough. Add the olive oil, then bring it together with your hands into a ball, adding a little flour if it’s too sticky.
3. Place onto a lightly oiled baking tray, cover with a damp tea towel, then leave to prove in a warm place for around 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
4. Once risen, place the tray in the hot oven and bake for around 35 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Leave to cool slightly on a wire cooling rack, then slice and serve. Delicious with hearty stews and soups, or toasted and served hot with butter and jam.

Whole weat bread

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon honey

• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil (plus a little extra to brush)

• 3 cups lukewarm water

• 5 cups Whole wheat flour3 tsp salt

• 1 packet instant dry yeast

• 1/3 – ½ cup linseeds / flaxseeds (optional)

• 1/3 – ½ cup sunflower seeds (optional)

• 1/3 – ½ cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

Instructions

1. Add the honey and oil to the water and stir until the honey dissolves.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, yeast and seeds (keep some seeds back for sprinkling on the loaf top).
3. Stir the honey water into the flour mixture until it forms a stiff dough with no dry patches. It will have a similar consistency to a fruit cake batter. Leave the mixture to rest for an hour before stirring again and then decant into a large loaf tin or smaller tins that have been lined with baking paper.
4. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm spot for about an hour. It should more or less double in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 200C
6. Sprinkle a little water over the top and scatter the seeds. Bake for 45 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 180C and bake for a further 30 minutes. *For smaller loaves, bake at 180C for 45 minutes.
7. As the bread is removed from the oven brush with oil and then allow to cool on a rack.