Almond Bread

If I can almost see the weekend from here, then I can almost smell the almond bread for weekend breakfasting from here too.

Almond Bread

slightly adapted from here

Makes two loaves

75g hot water

150g milk

50g olive oil

1 egg

15g fresh yeast

500g bakers flour

1 teaspoon salt

50g almond meal

150g slivered almonds

7 teaspoons caster sugar

Oil two 18 x 11 x 10 cm bread tins. Set aside.

Put the hot water, cold milk, olive oil, egg, yeast, flour and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix for 5 minutes, then rest for 1 minute. Add the almond meal and slivered almonds and mix on low for another minute. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for about 45 minutes. Gently and briefly knead the dough in the bowl and rest for a further 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into two even portions and shape them into balls, cover with a damp tea towel and leave them to rest for 25 minutes.

Lightly flour a work surface and press the dough balls into rectangles. Fold them into thirds, like you would a business letter, and then roll them into a fat sausage shape. Place the loaves, seam side down, into the prepared bread tins. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for about an hour until puffy.

Preheat the oven to 210C fan-forced.

Use a spray bottle to squirt some water into the hot oven to create some steam and quickly place the tins onto the middle shelf. Reduce the temperature to 180C and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn them out onto a wire rack to cool.