Lisa Loves Life: new favourite bread recipe

Every week I bake bread, at least. It's ridiculously easy and really quick if you look at the preparation time. It's only the rising that takes a bit longer. If you've never done it before it's really worth giving it a try.

Last week I tried something new and it's my favourite recipe till now...And I've baked a lot of different types of bread. I tried French baguette and ficelle (smaller thin baguette) and Pain de Campagne from the amazing Larousse bread book. I made brioche and even did an attempt to make fresh croissants (which failed as I wasn't patient enough with the last rise).

I mixed all sorts of flours in different quantities like wholewheat, rye, buckwheat, corn and plain white flour. All great breads I must say but adding this secret ingredient just made it that much better.

Oatmeal, the stuff we use to make our everyday breakfast porridge. In the morning we cook it with water and Jamie Olivers Granola Dust, from his new book Everyday Superfoods. We sweeten it with honey or maple syrup and fresh banana. Yum, and so healthy!

I had no idea it would work so well in bread.

Making this bread recipe will take you two and a half hours (2,5) all in all, so including weighing, kneading, rising and baking. The actual work takes about 10 minutes (if using a Kitchen Aid) to 30 minutes (if kneading by hand).

Ingredients:

350 grams of wholewheat flour

150 grams of cut oatmeal (you can use whole rolled oats if you like)

10 grams of salt

25 grams of fresh yeast or 7 grams of dried yeast.

350 ml lukewarm water

3 tablespoons of olive oil (optional)

Mix your flour, oatmeal and salt in the machine or in a bowl by hand. Mix the water and yeast till dissolved. Add the water and yeast and olive oil to the flour mixture and start kneading, keep kneading for about 10 minuted until you have a soft elastic dough that is not too compact and dry but also does not stick too much to your hands.

Make into ball and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Leave for an hour in a warm place.

After an hour, when the dough has risen to double its size, beat the air out of the dough and re-knead for a minute. Shape into a ball or put into a bread tin. Cover with the cloth and leave to rise for another 15 minutes in a warm place while you preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Bake the bread for 50 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.

Eat immediately with cheese and hot soup! "To die for, how will I ever buy bread again." I quote my friend.