I'm so in love now.....

Look at this!!!!! I L.O.V.E crusty breads... more so when it's just fresh from the oven!Made this country loaf for lunch as DD is down with flu. So I had to take urgent leave to take care of her. And she simply loves dipping her bread in soups... so why not a homemade loaf and some soup as a meal??

Here's the recipe with some adaptations of mine... original recipe is from Jo of Jo deli's.

What you need

• 400gm bread flour
• 100gm plain flour
• 60gm castor sugar
• 1tsp salt
• 20gm milk powder
• 5gm dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 220gm milk (i used low fat)
• 1tsp bread improver (i omitted this 'coz it had been so long since i last baked bread that my bread improver's gone mouldy!!!!)
• 60gm butter (soft, room temp)
• 1/2 cup raisins (plump up in some hot water)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Topping

• coarse granulated sugar
• butter

What to do

• Combine both flours, castor sugar, milk powder, instant yeast, egg, milk and bread improver in a mixing bowl. Use the dough hook of yr mixer to knead the mixture at low speed (speed 1 for KA).
• When the ingredients are just combined, add in the salt and continue to knead for abt 8 mins until a smooth dough is formed.
• Add in butter. Use a medium-low speed (speed 2 for KA) to continue kneading the dough for 10 mins. Increase to a higher speed (speed 3 for KA) for another 10 mins. Dough shd be smooth, elastic and pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
• Form dough into a bowl. Grease the mixing bowl with butter and leave the dough to poof for 60mins or until double the size with a clingwrap cover.
• Punch the dough down and divide into 2 portions. Roll out dough into a rectangle and spread the raisins and walnuts on it. Roll up swiss-roll style.
• Do the same for the other portion and place the dough into greased baking tins and again poof for another 30mins.
• After 20mins, preheat yr oven to 220C. When dough is ready for baking, spread some butter on top of dough and sprinkle coarse sugar on it.
• Place baking tins in oven and lower the temp to 200C. Bake for abt 30mins.

Enjoy yr country loaf .....x'cuse me while I enjoy go my lunch now!