25 September, 2020
Easy Thermomix Loaf
This only needs proving once – the second proof is when the loaf is in the oven. So it’s very easy. This loaf is fun and you can make the bread look good by using Challah braiding. And you can get away with using plain flour, which is a lot cheaper!
Ingredients
- 310g warm water
- 1 tsp dried yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 510g plain flour
- 25g olice oil
Method
Don’t preheat the oven!
Put the yeast and the sugar into the warm water, and let it stir on Speed 1, 37°C for 1 minute
Add the salt, flour and oil in that order. Combine on speed 6 for 10 seconds (raise the speed slowly so you don’t get dought all over the lid of the thermomix.
Then put the thermomix into Knead mode for 90 seconds.
Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it until it is smooth. Spray a bowl with oil, roll the dough into a ball and put it in the oiled bowl. Spray the top of the dough with oil and then cover the bowl. Leave the dough until it is doubled in size (usually about half an hour/45 minutes).
Take the dough and knead it again.
Now you can split it into eight rolls, or make a loaf. You can put it in a loaf tin but you’ll need to leave it in the oven a little longer to avoid a doughy middle to the load.
Alternatively you can use a Challah braiding technique. Challah bread is s a special bread in Jewish cuisine, usually braided and typically eaten on ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat and major Jewish holidays. Ritually-acceptable challah is made of dough from which a small portion has been set aside as an offering. The word is Biblical in origin. Proper Challah bread is made with eggs and butter, making it higher in fat and giving it a slight yellowish tinge because of the number of eggs. But you can make Challah=style loaves with this recipe if you follow the braiding techniques from this video put up by YouTube user Jamie.
When you’ve braided the bread, brush it with well-beaten egg and sprinkle it with sesame seeds or poppy seeds.
Put it in the oven just below the middle shelf, and turn the oven on to 170°C. The loaf will rise while the oven heats up. Check it after about 20-25 minutes. Tap the bottom of the load with your knuckle. If it sounds hollow it’s done.
The loaf at the top of the page was my first attempt at a six-strand braided Challah loaf. It looks more like a mutant shrimp but it tasted great!