Our country seems to have a very complicated relationship with bread. On one hand it is vilified and seen by some as a public health risk, whilst being practically the only food stuff you can buy if you are travelling, sold in over processed, tasteless bulk at every outlet along train stations and motorway service areas.

People, we have to take ownership of our relationship with bread and be responsible for what goes into it, complementing our diets with ancient grains and protein rich seeds. There are a small percentage of the population who are gluten free and baking your own bread resolves this, as most of the mass market options are to my mind simply inedible. Avoiding one ingredient such as bread will not be a speedy fix for health or contribute largely to weight loss. Keep your heads and remind yourself that we have to have a good balance of regular exercise, a colourful plant based diet and lots of water/milk to give us the effect we want on our own health.

Bread should be the stuff of life, filling your home with wondrous smells that enhance the appetite, complementing meals, dipped in grassy oils, spread with creamy salted French butter. The smell of baking bread from my kitchen is one of the favourite times of the day – wafting up the stairs as the family wakes, tempting them taking some breakfast, kick starting their appetites before they flee for a full school day. As the children grow older and larger the sheer bulk of calories they require is difficult to comprehend to a first timer. This recipe is a granary based recipe, complemented by linseeds and mixed seeds to give extra fibre and protein. It is light as a feather and won’t weigh you or them down filled with crumbly ham, salty Cornish cheddar, lambs lettuce, cucumber, ripe, bright avocado, dry fried egg and chilli, goats cheese…….. you choose.

I manage this potentially laboursome task with the help of my beloved Panasonic SD 2511 bread maker. It takes less than 5 minutes to assemble the ingredients and then you leave it to do it’s thing for a few hours. Mine has a timer so you can fill it the night before for a great smug start to the day. All my own work  😉

This is called Bangin’ Bread as Son #1 called “Bangin’ bread, mum!” as he flew out the door with a couple of fresh slices between his teeth for rugby practice. I have no idea what it means but I have taken it as a compliment as he and his friends and siblings frequently come back for more.

Buy the finest flour you can access (I use Carrs or Doves) and interchange with white granary flour for a lighter loaf in colour and texture if you wish. I normally opt for the brown version for added flavour and fibre.

You will have to adjust the assembly of the ingredients depending on what is appropriate for your bread maker – mine puts the dry ingredients in first. Bake on granary setting.

Bangin’ Bread – makes one XL loaf.

1 1/4 tsp dried yeast

350g/12oz strong granary flour

250g/9oz strong white flour

1oz/ small handful beneficial brown linseeds

1oz/small handful mixed seeds

2 tsp sugar

1 oz butter

1 1/2 tsp salt

400ml water

Leave to cool completely otherwise it’ll be a drama to cut it straight. Stand guard over it as it does so or juvenile hands will tear chunks off it for pre breakfast/dinner snacks!