wartime loaf

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Herby bread

By all accounts the flour available during wartime Britain wasn’t the most palatable.. White flour wasn’t available but rather a wholemeal/wholewheat blend (about 80%) that contained as much husk as possible (nothing was wasted)..

I made this delicious herb loaf this morning using organic wholemeal/wholewheat mixed with organic white flour in an 80/20 split to try and replicate something similar. But today I wanted something extra delicious so I looked in my cupboard and found dried thyme and olive oil. Before using them I checked to make sure both were available during the 1940s and I do see the mention of olive oil and thyme in the occasional recipe.

One thing I haven’t found yet is a mention of a herb loaf in a wartime recipe book but my thoughts were, any foody during the war would have absolutely done something to zing up the grey, insipid looking flour that had to be used in a bread recipe..

If anyone comes across a herb bread recipe in a wartime cookery book or on the internet, can you let me know? I’d love to be proved right 🙂

Herby Bread

  • 1 lb of wholemeal/wholewheat flour mixed with white (80/20)
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • 2 large pinches of salt
  • dried herbs to taste (I used 3 teaspoons of thyme)
  • 2.5 teaspoons of quick rise yeast (during the war they would have used traditional yeast)
  • warm water
  • 2 x 1/2lb loaf tins

Method

  1. Sieve flours together in a large bowl, add in yeast and mix, drizzle in olive oil (2 tablespoons)
  2. Add in nice and warm water to make a soft dough
  3. Knead for a few minutes adding herbs as you go
  4. Carry on kneading until dough is soft and silky
  5. Lightly oil the loaf tins. I also fold a bit of parchment paper so I can easily remove the loaf when cooked
  6. Divide the dough and place in tins
  7. Lightly brush with olive oil, sprinkle a little salt and herbs on top too.
  8. Place somewhere warm and rise for an hour, dough should be above the top of the tin
  9. Place straight into a pre-heated oven at 180C once risen and cook for 40 minutes (place foil over the top if it begins to get too dark)
  10. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before removing from tin
  11. Cool until only slightly warm before cutting
  12. Lovely!!!!

Makes two loaves!