When all else fails

There are some things in life that are completely immutable, like how you always feel like curry when you're wearing white, or how it always rains right after you wash your car. This bread is rather like that, but in a good way. So when I'm feeling too fragile to battle it out with temperamental recipes, and when I crave something unfailingly familiar, this is the recipe I always turn to.


I've been baking this bread for so long I can't recall where I first found it. Sometimes I increase the honey (up to 1/3 cup) and replace the cereal with more oats for a sweeter breakfast bread. Often, I replace some of the flour with wholemeal bread flour. It's all good, my friend.

Slathered with soft, salty butter and lashings of honey, late at night when I'm working on my 167th story revision, this bread feels like salvation.


No Fail Multigrain Bread

1 tablespoon instant yeast (use 1 and 1/2 - 2 tsp if you have more time to spare)
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup 9 multigrain cereal
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 and 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey

1 and 3/4 cups tepid water
About 5 cups all purpose flour

1 small egg, beaten
Additional multigrain cereal

Combine all the dry ingredients except for the flour in a large bowl. Stir in the water a little at a time until you have a wet paste. Now add in the flour a cup at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. At this stage the dough will still be a little sticky, but it won't be especially wet. Now take a break and call your mother.

After about 10 minutes, turn your dough out onto a lightly oiled worktop and knead it like you mean it. If the dough is very sticky, sprinkle some flour and continue kneading. Try not to use too much flour because it will make your bread dry and dense. Do you really want that?


After about 10 minutes of kneading your dough will be much smoother, and less sticky. At this stage most bread doughs will start to resemble a smooth baby's bottom; this dough is that baby with a mild case of nappy rash.

Transfer your dough to an oiled bowl, and turn the dough to coat it all around. Cover it with oiled clingwrap, and leave it to rise in draughtless area until the dough has almost doubled. This should take about an hour (or two if you're using the lesser amount of yeast).

Turn your dough out onto your worktop again and gently deflate (press down lightly a couple of times). Cut (not tear) the dough into two. Gently stretch each piece into a rectangle approximating 8 1/2 inch x 7 1/2. Fold into thirds so it fits into your 8 1/2 inch x 2 1/2 inch (lightly oiled and flour dusted) loaf pans. Place it, seam side down, and leave it to rise, covered in your pans for another 25 minutes or so.

Check to see if your dough has fully risen (if you press lightly, the dough will not readily spring back). Brush each loaf with some beaten egg and sprinkle generouly with extra multigrain cereal. Bake for between 30 - 40 minutes at 175C, or until the tops are golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when rapped on its bottom. If your bread looks like it's browning too quickly, you can lightly cover the tops with tented aluminium foil.


Cool for at least 10 minutes before you even thinking about slicing it. Freeze one loaf for later, and tear into one the minute it's cool enough to handle. Goes great with everything from cold cuts to marmalade; kinda like a yeasty LBD.

And speaking of which, I'm sharing my Lemon, Grapefruit and Ginger Marmalade and Strawberry, Orange and Clove Jam with another fabulous blogging event . Do you have something to share?