The last time I made bread, I was struck by how wonderfully rewarding the whole process was.  I don’t make enough bread.  So, this is my first ever simple wholemeal bread, made to Britain’s bread king Paul Hollywood’s recipe.  I shan’t type it out here for fear of copyright infringement; instead, I shall wholeheartedly recommend you buy his books.  I think they’re utterly brilliant.

I made this loaf in preparation for a weekend with three mates in the blissful surroundings of a thatched cottage in The Cotswolds.  I made a rookie mistake, insofar as I had woefully misjudged the culinary theme for the weekend, into which something as healthy as wholemeal bread clearly did not fit.  But I had fun making it, and was glad of the opportunity to walk off a few calories round some astonishingly muddy fields with Suzzie, Amy and Martha.  Photo diary follows…

Wholemeal Bread – keeping yeast away from salt, so as not to kill the yeast

Wholemeal Bread – bringing it together

Wholemeal Bread – after 10 minutes’ kneading

Wholemeal Bread – first prove in the airing cupboard

Wholemeal Bread – after the first prove

Wholemeal Bread – ready for second prove

Wholemeal Bread – second prove in the airing cupboard again

Wholemeal Bread – ready for the oven

Wholemeal Bread – mmm

A walk down Hidcote Lane

View of Hidcote Bartrim from the top of the hill

Stratford Old Town at dusk

The sunset, taken from a moving car