Breads, Pizza & Panini

Daisy Loaf

A fluffy loaf by Ink Sugar Spice with a fun design. Enriched with Olio Della Villa Extra Virgin Olive Oil, it is a great bread to bake with children as they love the shape and love dunking the dough in the grains. It's easy to make and can be enjoyed as tear-and-share rolls or a large loaf to be sliced up.

Serves: 8-12
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 500g strong white bread flour
  • 2 tbsp Olio Della Villa Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1tsp fine salt
  • A few turns of a pepper mill
  • 1 ¼ tsp dried yeast
  • 340ml water
  • Additional flour for dusting
  • 20g each of 3 or 4 grain types (see cooking tips)

Method:

  1. Mix all the ingredients together - except for the grains - in a large bowl and leave for 10 minutes.
  2. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough feels elastic and the surface is smooth and shiny.
  3. Place a cover over the bowl and leave to rise for about an hour.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare your tin/tray. Tins and trays need lining with baking paper.
  5. Dust some flour over your work surface and tip out the dough gently.
  6. Knock back and fold in half.
  7. Weigh your dough and work out roughly what that amount is is divided by 7 or 8.
  8. Divide the dough and, using your hands in a gently scooping motion, shape each piece of dough into a round.
  1. Tip out the grains you've chosen onto separate plates.
  2. Brush the top of one dough ball with a little water and then invert it onto one of the grains to cover the top. Place the dough ball plain side down in the centre of your tin/tray (i.e. ensuring the grains are on the top). Placing the first piece of dough in the centre helps you arrange the rest of the 'petals'.
  3. Repeat the process of wetting and pressing into grains for each of the other dough balls in turn, placing them around the centre dough, so making a daisy shape.
  4. Cover the bread and leave to prove again for about 45 minutes-1 hour.
  5. Just before you think the bread is risen enough, bring your oven temperature up to 21ºC fan / 23ºC conventional / 450 F.
  6. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
  7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Cooks tips:

Many grains can be used for this bread. For example, a seed mix; linseeds; black sesame seeds; seaweed flaked and melted oat flakes.
Other suggestions are onion seeds, nigella seeds, rolled oats, white sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, finely chopped mixed nuts, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, garlic flakes, onion, cheese, herbs etc.