Simple Herb Bread, 28p for 4 servings at 7p each.
Ingredients:*
250g plain flour, 11p ( 65p/1.5kg)
7g fast action dried yeast, 11p (89p for 8 sachets)
Fistful of chopped parley (free, growing on my window ledge)
Fistful of chopped thyme (free, growing on my window ledge)
Fistful of chopped basil (free, growing on my window ledge)
180ml boiling water
20ml lemon juice, 6p (60p/200ml)
How To:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and yeast.
2. Chop the herbs and add to the flour and yeast. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture.
3. Put 20ml of lemon juice into a cup and add boiling water to make up to 180ml. (I’ve started using boiling water to activate the yeast and help the bread rise). Pour into the well and mix with a wooden spoon to form a sticky dough.
4. Tip out onto a well floured work surface and knead and stretch for 10 minutes or so. Knock into a rugby ball shape and leave to rise for half an hour.
5. Knock the air out, and pop into a lightly oiled small loaf tin. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for at least half an hour. (By virtue of a busy day, I left mine for three hours! A little extra rising time never hurts…)
6. Pop into an oven at 180C for half an hour, until golden on the top and hollow sounding when the base is tapped.
Jack Monroe. Twitter: @MsJackMonroe
*(Prices calculated at Sainsburys, using the Basics range where available. Costs checked on date of publication against ASDA SmartPrice, Tesco Value, Morrisons Value and Waitrose Essentials. Some variation between major supermarkets but most items widely available at similar price.)