We had the fabulous Lucy from Heritage in Schools visit our school last Friday. 

We got to learn the history of milling and breadmaking. 

We even made our own bread. Scroll to the bottom of the post to see our cool recipe!

Simple Brown Bread Recipe

Ingredients:
250g wholemeal stoneground flour
200g plain flour
1 teaspoon salt (5g)
1 heaped teaspoon sodium bicarbonate (7g)
400ml Buttermilk
Sprinkle of rolled oats or seeds (optional)
Butter to grease bread pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 220°C.* Grease bread tin. Measure wholemeal flour in large bowl. Sift in plain flour, sodium bicarbonate, and salt. Mix dry ingredients thoroughly.
Make small well in centre of dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk. Mix until just combined. There should be no dry flour left. If batter is too dry (tough and hard to mix), add a splash or two of buttermilk until it just comes together.
Pour batter into a greased bread tin. Sprinkle oats or seeds on top. Bake for 40 minutes and check bread, if top is too dark, cover with tinfoil. Bake for 10 more minutes. Bread is done when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, or a tap on the bottom of the bread sounds hollow. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and enjoying. Wrap bread after completely cooled in clingfilm or place in bread bag.

Brown Bread with Egg and Honey
Follow instructions for Simple Brown Bread with these substitutions:
After mixing dry ingredients thoroughly, mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Wisk 1 egg, a large tablespoon or two of honey, and 350ml of buttermilk. Then pour mixture into the well in the centre of your dry ingredients. Add a splash or two more buttermilk if needed until dry ingredients are just combined.

*N.B. Ovens vary widely. If your oven runs hot, you can turn the temperature down after about 20 minutes to 180°C to finish the baking. It is important to put the bread into a hot oven for maximum “oven spring,” but know your oven and adjust accordingly.