better breads

An authentic roti bread recipe, brilliant to serve with curries, making a good alternative to rice.

Roti

self-raising flour,

salt

tbsp vegetable oil,

So much of the great food we love is inspired by recipes from other countries and this Hairy Bikers Mums Know Best journey is all about uncovering both familiar and more surprising recipes that have arrived on British dinner-tables from distant shores. Mum Helen’s technique for making Guyanese Rotis is something to behold…

Helen’s Roti Skills

Batbout is a delicious Moroccan flatbread. Slightly richer and fluffier than a pitta bread, you can fill them with sweet or savoury fillings.

Batbout flatbread

tsp dried active yeast

1¼ tsp caster sugar

150 grams/5½oz plain flour, plus a little extra if needed

grams/1¾ oz fine semolina, plus extra for dusting

tbsp full-fat Greek-style yoghurt

tbsp olive oil,

Flatbreads are cooked all over the world from Mexican tortillas to Indian chapatis. They are great served soft, filled with slaw or falafels, or baked until crisp and served with dips, soups or stews.

Quick flatbreads

flour

100 milliliters/3½fl oz warm water

tbsp oil (olive, sunflower

Spotted dick can take a while to make what with the steaming, but by adding the delicious flavours to soda bread you save time in the kitchen. With all that extra time, this is also a great time to make your own butter too!


Spotted dick bread 

plain flour

tbsp sugar

tsp bicarbonate of soda

grams/1¾oz vegetarian suet

100 grams/3½oz candied peel

grams/3½oz currants

orange, zest only

lemon, zest only

400 milliliters/14fl oz buttermilk

600 milliliters/20fl oz double cream

tbsp sea salt

So impressive and perfect for sharing. Tear and share bread always goes down well as part of a spread. It’s best made and served on the same day, though it can be frozen once cooked and defrosted and refreshed in a moderate oven to serve. 

For this recipe you will need a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook.


Tear and share cheese and herb rolls

bread

dried fast-action yeast

olive oil

350 milliliters/12fl oz warm water

cheddar,

tbsp herbs

egg,

Sometimes I can get so fixated on a recipe that I find it hard to step away when, even after repeated testing and retesting, what I’m looking for continues to elude me. I’m glad that I persisted here, where more reasonable people would long since have given up, as I have finally created the dark, treacly bread I had hitherto only imagined and obsessed over.

I love this bread with smoked salmon, smoked trout, any smoked fish. And this is indeed how I suggest you serve it as a first course, if one is wanted.

No-knead black bread 

500 milliliters/18fl oz Irish stout,

large free-range egg, at room temperature, separated

dark muscovado sugar

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

tbsp black treacle

300 grams/10½oz dark rye flour

300 grams/10½oz strong white bread flour

cocoa

tsp activated charcoal (optional)

tsp nigella seeds, plus 1 tsp for sprinkling

tsp caraway seeds

fennel seeds

yeast

1¼ tsp fine sea salt

vegetable oil, for greasing

salmon

dill fronds

Try this cheesy loaf as an alternative to crackers with a cheese board, or, just as nice, smeared with butter.

Roquefort and walnut loaf

grams/1lb bread

rye flour

grams/⅓oz salt

fast-action dried yeast

200 grams/7 ounces walnuts, chopped

Roquefort,

free-range egg, beaten for egg wash

The rye bread recipe that we did for Norway was ace, but in terms of flavour this is on another level. It’s slow maturing bread, quite heavy but works a treat. It has a sweet and sour taste but with the caraway, yoghurt and beer it has a really complex flavour.  Oh well cutting through all that chat, it’s a very good loaf.

Really good rye bread

600 milliliters/20fl oz strong beer

tbsp yoghurt

tbsp caraway seeds

bread flour

polenta,

You'll be amazed how easy it is to make tiger bread. With it's crackly top, crunchy crust and light interior, you won't just be saving it for special occasions. Perfect with a big bowl of soup. 

Tiger bread

sachet fast-action dried yeast (or 1½ tsp)

oil oil

grams/1¾oz rice flour

1½ tsp caster sugar

½ tsp fast-action dried yeast

tsp vegetable oil, or 1 tsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp sesame oil

This is one of my cheeky recipes that I have slipped into the book under the guise of being fast(er) to prepare compared to using regular yeast. There is also very little work to do: a bit of slow stirring and kneading and then that is basically it. Now this little bread has caused quite some controversy recently for various reasons over whether it looks like a giraffe or a tiger after which it is usually named, but for me, I prefer the US name 'Dutch crunch' or my own made up name 'crackle top bread'.

Crackle top bread

This cheesy, garlicky tear-and-share bread is great for picnics and other get-togethers. Top with dried oregano, poppy seeds or sesame seeds, depending on your preference.

Top 10 better breads recipes from across the web

The most viewed better breads recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Roti

Batbout flatbread

Quick flatbreads

Spotted dick bread

Tear and share cheese and herb roll...

No-knead black bread

Roquefort and walnut loaf

Really good rye bread

Tiger bread

Cheese and roast garlic tear-and-sh...

Top 10 better breads recipes from across the web

The most viewed better breads recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Roti

Batbout flatbread

Quick flatbreads

Spotted dick bread

Tear and share cheese and herb roll...

No-knead black bread

Roquefort and walnut loaf

Really good rye bread

Tiger bread

Cheese and roast garlic tear-and-sh...

The most viewed better breads recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine