I love pepper. Day to day I do use a lot of black pepper and you could substitute the peppercorns in this recipe for crushed black pepper kernels as this works equally well. I have used green and pink peppercorns in this recipe though because they have a bit of a tangy taste which I think works well in bread.
I made this recipe for Episode 3 of The Great British Bake Off. Paul commented he couldn’t taste the peppercorns so I have adjusted it slightly below to account for this feedback. I have also increased the salt slightly in line with his feedback but bear in mind that the peppercorns are in brine which adds to the salty flavour. I serve this with some cream cheese as a starter or you could cut into squares with a dollop of cream cheese and serve as canapés 🙂
If you’re a fan of ‘real bread’ take a look at The Real Bread Campaign website for courses and information on anything bread related.
You’ll need
- 500g strong bread flour
- 8g salt
- 50g pink peppercorns in brine – lightly crushed
- 50g green peppercorns in brine – lightly crushed
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 8g instant yeast
- 350g warm water
- Olive oil for brushing
Equipment
- A KitchenAid or mixer with a dough hook.
To make it
- Measure out the flour and remove 2 cups worth into a small bowl.
- Put the flour, salt, yeast in the KitchenAid and mix on speed 2 for 2 minutes.
- Slowly add the water (with dough hook still turning) and mix for 1-2 minutes.
- Slowly add the remaining flour and then mix for a further few minutes.
- Take the dough out of the KitchenAid and knead by hand until dough springs back on touch. I use Richard Bertinet’s method because it’s what I find works for me despite being and feeling rather strange. There is s glimpse of it on Episode 3. It doesn’t really matter what method you use as long as you stretch the dough to work the gluten.
- Put the dough in a large bowl , cover with a dry teatowel and put in a warm place for an hour.
- Take the dough out onto a floured surface , add the crushed green peppercorns as evenly as you can and shape into a loaf.
- Put onto a lined baking tray, cover with a dry teatowel and leave to rest in a warm place for an hour.
- Brush the loaf with olive oil and then sprinkle with more peppercorns.
- Make 5 diagonal slashes in the top to help with rising evenly.
- Grab an eggcup of water. Place the loaf into the middle of the oven and just before you close the door, throw the eggcup of water into the bottom of the oven to generate some steam and quickly close the door.
- Bake at 220C for about 30-45 minutes until golden brown and makes hollow sound when tapped on the base.