Basic Bread

Basic bread  Recipe..


I have been making this bread since I think even before my apprenticeship whislt working at Tongariro Lodge in little old Turangi New Zealand . You can use this recipe as a base for many many different flavours of breads from foccacia,pizza, sweet breads, sundried tomato, and Tongariro Lodge favourate chilli and cheese.


2 cups of flour
2t instant yeast
1/4 t of salt
1t sugar 

Place in a bowl mix together, i like to filter flour though my hands and fingers a few times as it makes for a lighter dough. Learnt that from watching a boyfriends mum making fry bread once. Make a well in the center. 
Slowly add 1/8 c of olive oil and 3/4 c of slightly warm water a little at a time stiring with a spoon, then when it starts forming a dough use your hands and knead. 

Knead for a few minutes then cover and let rest for about 20mins, in a warm place. 

Knead again, you may need to add a little more flour, while kneading. 
Heres where the fun can happen. Some variations follow.......

You can split into three and make a braid, lightly wash with an egg wash, and sprinkle any seeds you like on top. 
You can place in a loaf tin for a simple plain loaf. 

Make into a ball roll out to about 2cm thick, place rosemary, herbs, garlic, olives, rock salt or anything you like on top poke with a fork and wash wish some of your favorite olive oil to make a yummy foccacia.  Here is a foccacia with red onion and thymme, on its second prove...

Knead in herbs, onions , sundried tomato, olives, seeds, anything you like pineapple ect.

Use as a pizza base, roll out to your desired thickness remember it will rise again and a bit more in the oven, I like to roll it thin and then it ends up to about 1-2cm thick when cooked. Place tomato sauce, or basil pesto, red onion reduction. Then cover with your favorite pizza toppings. mmm yum!

Then cover again and set in a warm place for 15 mins and then place in a preheated oven, 350f or 180c and bake for 20 minutes, check after 20 minutes depeneding on what shape you have choose to make your dough will be different cooking times. So check after 20 it may need 5 or so more minutes. 

Have fun with this recipe. There are endles possiblities depending on you taste buds. :)