Traditional Cottage Loaf - Old Fashioned Rustic English Bread

"Just the shape of this traditional loaf of bread is reminiscent of ploughman's lunches and warm cottage kitchens! A delightfully shaped loaf of bread, which represents all that is rustic and rural in Britain, but especially England. This bread keeps well and makes lovely, if odd shaped sandwiches! Cut the loaf into wedges and serve with freshly churned butter and a hunk of mature Cheddar cheese, maybe with a pickled onion or two. Quintessential British bread at its best. This reminds me of baking days in my grandmothers’ old cottage, sitting in her warm and cosy kitchen; she would have baked this in her wood burning Aga stove, as I sometimes do in the winter when my Godin wood burning stove is working. I often leave the first batch of dough to prove and rise overnight - leave it in a cool but NOT cold place, and then continue shaping and proving it next morning. We used to call this wooden spoon bread when we were little, as you push a wooden spoon down through the two loaves to stick them together before baking! Preparation time includes the proving of the dough - but NOT the overnight method!"
 
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photo by missviv photo by missviv
photo by missviv
photo by Annacia photo by Annacia
photo by Annacia photo by Annacia
photo by French Tart photo by French Tart
photo by French Tart photo by French Tart
Ready In:
2hrs 15mins
Ingredients:
7
Yields:
1 Large Cottage Loaf
Serves:
6-8
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ingredients

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directions

  • Sift flour and salt into a bowl, stir in sugar and yeast. Make a well in the centre, stir in the tepid milk and water to make the dough. (If using fresh yeast - put the yeast in a jug with a little of the milk and water mixture, and allow it to dissolve and become frothy - mixing thoroughly, then add it to the flour.).
  • Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  • Put the dough in a large, clean, oiled bowl. Cover with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size.Then knead the dough for 1 minute and divide it into two-thirds and a third. Shape the pieces into rounds. Cover them and leave for 5 minutes.
  • Put the smaller round on top of the larger one. Push a floured wooden spoon (or your fingers) through the centre of both rounds, to join them together. Take a very sharp knife and make cuts all around the top round and the bottom round - see my photos. Put the cottage loaf on a lightly floured baking tray, cover and leave for about 45 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 220C/440F/Gas 7.
  • Beat the egg with a tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt. Brush the glaze over the cottage loaf and bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, until dark golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped beneath.
  • Cool before slicing. Delicious served with butter, jam, cheese, cold meats or make sandwiches or toast for picnics and breakfast!

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Reviews

  1. Delicious, mixed in bread maker on dough setting. Made into cottage loaf, baked in gas oven 25 minutes. Mmm. Added 2% bread improver, super soft inside, crunchy outside.
     
  2. I loved, loved this bread we just had a plowman's lunch, Branston pickle Irish cheddar and real butter yummy, I will be making this bread over and over again. I turned the oven off about 16 minuets before time was up as it looked cooked and it was. Thank you for such delicious recipe I'm from the UK and have been craving all my favorite breads and cakes this was just like the cottage loaf I would buy from my bakers shop in Brighton.
     
  3. What a great bread-my English neighbors were so happy w/ my effort-my end result wasn't as pretty as the pictures-hehe! But, the bread is DELICIOUS and practice makes perfect! Thank you, French Tart, for a great recipe!!!
     
  4. I think that this bread would take a couple of times making it to get the shaping right, lol. It makes a lot! I made a 1/2 recipe and I'll have to freeze 1/2 of that to be able to use it all. I should say that in making a smaller loaf I used 2 1/2 cups of flour and between 3/4-1 cup of milk/water. I started with 1/2 a cup of liquid and added slowly untill I had a good balance and a workable dough. It a very good bread that I'm sure I'll make again (although likely without the topknot. I'm in love with the flavor and the salt on the outside. One word of caution, I would recommend lowering the 440F temp for baking, I would go at about 375F. Mine had close to 20 mins left when I noticed the aroma of "Very Brown" bread. That could be because of the smaller size loaf and also the difference in ovens. I pulled it out at once and while the crust is darker than I would like it hasn't hurt the eating any but I'm glad I got it when I did! Proof here that a bread doesn't need a lot of sugar to rise and be utterly delicious. If you bake at all this is more than worth a try.
     
  5. I made this for British friends and they loved it! It was very easy to make with my stand mixer. It came together and kneaded perfectly with no extra work on my part. I'm getting ready to surprise them with another loaf.
     
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Tweaks

  1. Added 2% bread improver.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p><strong><span>The sunflowers in the field behind my house in SW France:</span></strong></p> <p><img title=Sunflowers src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/DSCN8221.jpg alt=Sunflowers width=640 height=480 /><br /><strong><span><br /><br />I am British (English-Scottish), but I was born in South Africa and have lived all over the world, including Hong Kong, Germany, Cyprus, USA &amp; Singapore. I have also been very fortunate to have travelled extensively over the years.........I still have wanderlust! <br /><br />I used to be an English Literature &amp; Art History teacher &amp; lecturer; before that, I trained and worked as a Graphic Designer for many years. I now live in France with my husband &amp; my daughter who has just started university in September 2006. We also have one very chatty Burmese cat Willow, who allows us to live with her here! (I used to have three cats, I recently lost Monty, a beautiful seal point Siamese and before that, Rama, who was a debonair blue point Siamese cat - I would love to have another Siamese cat or cats in the future!)</span></strong></p> <p><em><strong><span>This is my Burmese Cat, Willow, sunning herself on the log pile in the kitchen garden:</span></strong></em></p> <p><strong><img title=My src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/ABaconButtyandSundryFoodPhotos34.jpg alt=My width=640 height=480 /></strong></p> <p><strong><span>Here is my lovely Monty, a seal point Siamese, and Willow, sitting&nbsp;in the kitchen garden last year, and a few months before Monty died; he was 18yrs old:</span></strong></p> <p><img title=Monty src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/AbsolutelySinfulStickyToffeePudding.jpg alt=Monty width=640 height=480 />My</p> <p><strong><span>This is my wonderful old boy, Rama, a blue-point Siamese, who died when he was 20yrs old - excuse the old and much sellotaped photo:</span></strong></p> <p><img title=Rama src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/Rama1stOctober2004164.jpg alt=Rama width=517 height=639 /></p> <p><strong><span>My favourite pastimes are: reading, writing, painting &amp; drawing, photography, gardening, anything creative, walking, travelling, dining out and of course COOKING! I love all types of cuisine, but especially Traditional British - and NO it is NOT all bad!! I particularly love food associated with the changing seasons plus traditional feasts &amp; festivals, as well as Slow Cooking. I also enjoy French &amp; North African cuisine, come to think of it, there isn't much I don't like! <br /><br />My husband &amp; I run a Chambres D'Hotes, (Bed and Breakfast) called Auberge de la Fontaine here in beautiful South West France; we specialise in Gourmet Food &amp; Wine Breaks, French Antiques &amp; Restoration courses, French Language courses and French Cookery classes. Our home is completely furnished with Antique French furniture that we have rescued &amp; restored ourselves. Our charming village has one of the oldest Churches in the region &amp; it is famous for its connection with the St.Jacques de Compostella Pilgrimage route, as well as being within the Cognac &amp; Bordeaux wine growing area. <br /><br />We have a wonderful garden where we grow ALL of our own herbs and most of our fruit and vegetables. I specialise in rare, unusual and old-fashioned herbs, which I grow in our walled garden. As well as growing herbs, I also grow many different varieties of lavender, old-fashioned shrub roses and heirloom fruit and vegetables. <br /><br />We have lived overseas for many, many years now - but we both still love going home to Northern England, near Scarborough &amp; York, to visit our family &amp; friends. 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