Yet another technical challenge – Paul Hollywood’s Crusty White Cob! This recipe has been on my bucket list for years! Not because it’s anything special but because it is such a classic. This loaf was set by Paul as a Technical Challenge all the way back in season 1 of The Great British Bake Off, and as I am trying to complete every GBBO technical, this bake ticks another one of the list!
Because my flatmate is vegan, I decided to change the original recipe and use some dairy-free/vegan butter so that she could eat it, too! Feel free though to use any kind of butter you like depending on your dietary requirements. Similar to Paul’s Cottage Loaf, another Technical Challenge, this bread is not one of my favourites as I prefer making bread with some wholemeal flour to give it a bit more sustenance! However, if you are into airy white loaves then this is the recipe for you!
What you need to know to make Paul’s Crusty White Cob – How to Bake Bread
Many people shy away from making their own bread because they think it’s too difficult! But actually, baking homemade bread is actually a lot easier than you may think – the key factor is patience!
In terms of technique, the main one you need to master is kneading! Kneading builds up the gluten in the bread, which creates a support network for the bread and traps the carbon dioxide when the bread proves to help it rise. Make sure to check out this video here for a few tips on how to knead dough.
If your kitchen is quite cold, you can use the nifty trick explained in this video here to speed up the process! Finally, don’t forget to pour some cold water into a hot roasting tray at the bottom of the oven before baking to create a burst of steam and give the bread a hearty crust!
German Bauernbrot – Check out this video for some bread baking tips!
More Bake Off Technical Challenges
As I said, I am slowly but surely working my way through the Bake Off Technical Challenges. Paul’s Crusty White Cob was one of the first-ever GBBO technical and one of the easiest ones seen in bread week. So it is the perfect one to start with if you are getting into bread baking! To see how I am getting on with the other Technicals and check out the recipes, make sure to read the posts linked below:
- Mary Berry’s Religieuses
- Mary Berry’s Fraisier Cake
- Paul Hollywood’s Hand-raised Chicken, Bacon and Apricot Pies
- Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart with feathered Icing
- Paul’s Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
- Mary Berry’s Frosted Walnut Layer Cake
- Paul Hollywood’s Cottage Loaf
- Mary Berry’s Homemade Jaffa Cakes
- Paul Hollywood’s Wagon Wheel Biscuits
- Mary Berry’s Victoria Sponge Cake
- Paul Hollywood’s Mini Pork Pies
- Mary Berry’s Viennese Whirls
- Prue’s Vegan Chocolate and Raspberry Tarts (S2UC Special)
- Pizza Star Bread (Junior Bake Off)
- Mary Berry’s Coffee and Walnut Battenberg Cake
- Paul’s Crusty White Cob
- Paul Hollywood’s Rainbow Bagels
- Prue Leith’s Malt Loaf
- Paul’s Jammy Biscuits
- Paul Hollywood’s Olive Ciabatta Bread Sticks with Homemade Tzatziki
- Prue Leith’s Sticky Toffee Puddings with Sesame Tuiles
- Prue Leith’s Prinzregententorte
- Paul Hollywood’s Baklava (22cm)
- Paul’s Caramel Biscuit Bars (Twix)
- Prue Leith’s Vegan Sausage Rolls
- Prue’s Sablé Breton Cake
- Paul Hollywood’s Sticky Belgian Buns
- Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
- Prue’s Garibaldi Biscuits with Feathered Chocolate Icing
- Paul Hollywood’s Pain au Raisins
- Paul’s Spicy Beef Tacos
- Paul Hollywood’s S’mores
- Prue Leith’s Pistachio Praline Ice Cream Cones
- Vegetable Spring Rolls
- Prue’s Vertical Chocolate, Hazelnut, and Raspberry Tarts
- Paul Hollywood’s Devonshire Splits
More Bread Recipes
Bread is my absolute favourite thing to make and I have loads of different bread recipes on my blog for you to try! As previously mentioned, this Crusty White Cob is too “white” for me (if that makes sense) and I prefer using a mix of white and wholemeal flours to make my bread! I have listed some of my favourites below so make sure to give them a go!
- Crusty Sourdough Loaf
- Wholemeal Sourdough Baton
- Seeded Sourdough Bread
- Rye Sourdough Loaf
- German “Laugenbrezeln” (Pretzels) | German Baking Classic
- “Muntermacher” | Mixed Seed and Carrot Bread
- 3-day Crusty French Baguettes (totally worth it!)
- Italian Rosemary Focaccia Bread
- Pesto Star Bread
- German “Bauernbrot” | German Baking Classic
- Cheddar Cheese and Chive Soda Bread
- Twist Bread – 3 Ways (plain/seeded, black olive, rosemary & sundried tomato)
- Pumpkin Seed Sourdough
- Olive Ciabatta Bread Sticks (with homemade Tzatziki) | Bake Off Technical Challenge
Paul Hollywood’s Crusty White Cob (Dairy-free/Vegan)
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 500g strong white bread flour, plus a little extra for dusting
- 14g (2 sachets) dried fast-action yeast
- 10g salt
- 40g butter, very soft
- ~ 300ml lukewarm water
- A little olive oil, for kneading and greasing
Method:
- Start by weighing the flour into a large mixing bowl, then add the salt to one side and the yeast to the other side of the bowl and mix into their respective sides. Add in the soft butter and pour in most of the water. Start mixing with your hand to bring all the ingredients into a rough dough, adding a little more water if you need it.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled surface and knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until stretchy and smooth (check out this video here to learn how to knead dough).
- Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and leave to prove for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Prepare a baking tray by lining it with greaseproof paper.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, tip it onto a clean work surface and press it down using your fingertips or knuckles to push out some of the air (this is known as knocking back).
- Next, you want to shape the dough into a round ball. To do so, take the dough by one of the edges, then pull and tuck into the middle of the dough. Continue to do this tucking all of the edges into the middle, then turn 180° so that the seam is on the worksurface. Cup your hands around the dough and turn it to help close the seam and perfect the shape.
- Place the loaf onto the prepared baking tray and leave to prove for a further 30 minutes.
- Near the end of the proofing time, preheat the oven to 220°C and place an old roasting tin at the bottom of the oven.
- Once the oven is hot, lightly dust the surface of the loaf with some flour and use a sharp knife, bread lame or any other type of sharp blade to score the bread. Make 4-5 slashes across the bread, about 1cm deep.
- Immediately transfer the loaf to the hot oven and pour some water into the roasting tin below to create a burst of steam. Close the oven door and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped from below.
- Transfer to a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely before slicing.
