Thyme and Honey Loaf

 

Time Required : Up to 3 hours 25 mins (includes baking)

Baking Time: 20-25 mins 

Ingredients

- 500g bread flour (Allinson's I would recommend)

- 7g yeast (also Allinson's highly recommended)

- 7g salt

- 300 - 350ml lukewarm water

- x2 teaspoons of thyme leaves or 5-6 sprigs

- x1 tablespoon runny honey

Method

1. tip your flour into a mixing bowl and pour your yeast into one side, and the salt to the opposite side. Add your 300ml water and begin to mix the four ingredients with your hands. I would recommend keeping up to 50ml of spare water incase you need more - you may not, however you want to get your dough ball to be able to clear any excess stuck to the side of the bowl and for it to not be too sticky and moist. 

2. After mixing into a ball that's still a little sticky and moist that has cleaned your bowl, tip out onto a floured surface and knead well for 8 minutes or until the dough is no longer moist or sticky and has an elastic consistency. Pop into a bowl that has been lightly rubbed all around the inside with olive oil (Puglian olive oil is good from Aldi), and cover with a tea towel to prove for 2 hours. 

3. Once the 2 hours is up, the dough should have more than doubled in size. Tip onto a floured surface again, fold in your thyme and honey, and knead for another 1 minute. Pop back into the oil bowl, cover again and leave to prove for the final 30-45 mins (you can just do 30 mins if lacking time). 

4. 10-15 minutes before the proving is complete, heat your oven to 220 degrees conventional / 200 fan / gas mark 7. Tip the dough ball out onto your baking tray on a sheet of baking paper and create any shape you wish - you could keep it circular with 3 slits across the top, like here, or do something more creative. Sprinkle with a little flour and bake at this temperature for 15 mins, then turn the heat down to 200 conventional / 180 fan / gas mark 6 for 5-10 mins until the crust is golden brown. When you remove the bread, if you tap it, it should create a hollow noise, this means it's done. Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes (don't worry, it retains heat very well!) then enjoy with lashings of real butter! 

J xx