Name: Cottage Loaf
Prep time: 5 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 5 h 30 min
Yield: Makes 1 very large loaf
Ingredients: 9g/1¾ tsp fine/table salt; 10g/2 tsp fresh yeast (reduce to 4g/scant 1 tsp if room temperature is above 20°C/68°F); 450g/1lb/2 cups minus 2 tbsp water at 18–20°C/65–68°F; 625g/1lb 6oz/4½ cups white bread flour; 25g/1oz /scant ¼ cup wholemeal/wholegrain (dark) rye flour; 40g/1½oz /scant ⅓ cup wholemeal/wholewheat bread flour

Preparation info

Makes
1
very large loaf

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
6 hr

Appears in

Slow Dough, Real Bread

By Chris J L Young

Published 2016

About

By 1977, Elizabeth David might have waxed nostalgic about the cottage loaf, but still within the context of bakeries making it. It graced the cover of that year’s Ladybird bread book for children, and of The Sunday Times Book of Real Bread in 1982. Today? I can’t remember the last time I saw one outside a baking competition. Sonya’s recipe is unusual in adding dashes o