Carried away with bread baking

Last night I went a bit crazy! It was a hot evening, absolutely perfect weather for bread making!!
After my last loaf was so nice I wanted to make more for the coming week.

In my last loaf of white bread I used room temperature butter and kneaded it in to the dough. I used wholemeal flour to help with kneading and the result was so yummy! I use this recipe. It's so quick!

I love the whole process of making bread, watching the result once it has risen is great but I've found the most important part kneading, has become a new favourite. I love it when the dough starts to grow in your hands and you know you hard work is paying off!

My favourite kneading bowl. I like to kneed in the bowl to minimise the washing up!!

When I push it as I'm kneading I can feel the air in the loaf as it pushes back through my fingers.

This loaf has gotten to the sticky part, full of air and I had to knee it quickly so it wouldn't stick to my fingers or the bowl.

One bowl of needed dough ready to go in the baking tray to grow, another bowl of yeast in the process of proofing for the next loaf. All home brand products nothing fancy here. I knead by hand and I do find some bread improver helps the bread to be lighter.

The white bread is ready to go in the oven!! The fruit loaf can rise for a few more minutes.

I made three loaves this weekend. Two white bread, one of which I may need to freeze,  and a fruit loaf, which I like to use for breakfasts. This one was a bit experimental. I had dried apricots, dates, raisins and sultanas I needed to use up from Christmas. It was based on a cafe toast I had had, a few years ago, which was so yummy. This had chunky dried fruit in it and barley. I've been trying to recreate it ever since.

My loaf was great. I threw in whole apricots and dates and kneaded them in. I put the fruit in with the dry ingredients in the past but the fruit blends with the mix, which I didn't want. What I got wasn't 100% what I had in mind but pretty good. Bit toooo fruity. I think next time I'd chop the fruit up a bit more and maybe use a lot less fruit or a different variety of grains and fruit.

Fabulous! Look at those whole pieces of fruit!!

I cooked this one for about  an extra 10 -15 minutes because the fruit makes it heavier and adds moisture. Nothing worse than doughy bread.

I recommend eating with light cream cheese or plain butter. Don't need any extra flavour!

My partner just weighed it. 550grams for half the loaf!! I think half a piece is enough for the average breakfast!! I froze the other half. Think we might have trouble getting through this one!!