Milk Loaf
This earthy, hearty, full-flavoured loaf is from Eastern Europe. It will take up to 30 per cent more water than most bread doughs. The recipe uses rye baskets – they can be bought in basketware shops or ordered through the Internet.
Ingredients
- 500 g strong white flour plus extra for dusting
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 50 g caster sugar
- 60 g butter softened
- 25 g yeast
- 300 ml milk
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients into a large bowl.
- Using a mixer, begin blending slowly, then speed up as you start to pick up all the flour.
- Alternatively, mix by hand.
- Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.
- Put the dough back in the bowl and leave to rise until doubled in size.
- Tip the dough out onto your floured surface and divide into two pieces.
- Shape each piece roughly into a sausage shape and place crease-side down into two 450 g/ 1 lb loaf tins.
- Leave to rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Bake the loaves for 25–30 minutes until golden brown, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
