Baking

The first part of this chapter is not intended for those who already have a well-established routine for making their own bread. It is for those who would like to do so but who are put off by the mystique attached to it, by arcane terms, such as ‘knock back’, and what ‘hollow’ sounds like when you tap a baked loaf, and how exactly do you knead, and why?

In the rest of the chapter I have included my favourite ‘bakes’, including some very traditional yeast cakes and tea breads. This might give the impression that I bake a great deal. I do not, but I think it would be very sad if we forgot how to make the spiced loaves and tea cakes that our mothers and grandmothers knew how to bake. The one thing I do bake regularly, however, is bread. I love doing it, and will make time to do it, although in fact it takes much less time than you might imagine, and is easy once you get the hang of it.