busy people's bread

I started making kumara, carrot and ginger soup for lunch on Sunday, and then realised we didn't have any bread to go with it. Rather than go the the shop, I tried out Annabel Langbein's 'busy people's bread'. In not much more than an hour you can have a lovely wholesome loaf of bread. I must say, mine was a bit sunken in the middle, but it was still delicious and went perfectly with the soup. Next time I will try to put the pumpkin seeds on the bottom and up the side of the tin before adding the dough, so the whole loaf will be covered in them.


Busy people's bread - Annabel Langbein
Makes 2 loaves (I 1/2 the recipe)


2 cups boiling water
4 tsp honey
2 cups cold water
7 tsp dry yeast granules
2 3/4 cups high grade white flour
2 3/4 cups wholemeal flour
3 tsp salt
2 cups sunflower seeds
4 tbsp pumpkins seeds

Preheat oven to 80C and grease and line 2 25 x 10 cm loaf tins with baking paper. In a large bowl, mix the boiling water with the honey to dissolve. Add the cold water and yeast and put to one side for 10 minutes.

Whisk the yeast mixture and then add the white and wholemeal flour, salt and sunflower seeds and mix with a large spoon until evenly combined, it will be a loose, wet batter.

Divide the mixture between prepared loaf tins, spread evenly and flatten the top. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds over the top of each loaf and run a sharp knife through the top of each loaf in at least 3 or 4 places so that it rises evenly without splitting. Bake for 20 minutes at 80C and then turn the oven up to 210C and bake for a further 40 minutes. When cooked the loves will sound hollow when tapped. Turn out of the tins while still hot. Eat still warm from the oven, or leave to cool (as the instructions recommend), or use as toast for several days.