My eldest son loves trying new foods and flavours and asked me to get a jar of crispy chilli and he has been using it in different ways.
Crispy Chilli is an oil-based Chinese condiment made of pepper flakes, fried garlic, and fermented soybeans. There are several popular brands, including the original Lao Gan Ma.
I decided to use some in bread as my Son loves my homemade bread. I have to say the smell when it was kneading was amazing. It has soy sauce in it so it’s not red hot spicy chilli like I was expecting it to be.
Bread takes time and patience. If you rush bread you will not get very good results. You will need to set aside the time to get great results and it’s well worth the time and effort.
I make my bread in a stand mixer due to my health issues I don’t have the strength to knead bread and to be honest I have been really happy with the results using the dough hook in my mixer.
Firstly weigh out the flour then add salt to one side of the bowl and yeast to the other side. If the salt touches the yeast it can kill it.
Then make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the crispy chilli.
The water is best if it is slightly warm as it will start the yeast reaction quicker. Cold water is fine but the reaction of the yeast will take longer.
Add 3/4 of the warm water and start mixing. The dough needs to be slightly sticky so keep adding the water until you reach this consistency. You are better to have a slightly wetter dough than a dry one.
Once the dough is combined knead the dough for 12 minutes on a slow setting (my kitchenaid I use setting 2).
While this is kneading get a large bowl and grease with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with cling film (I brush with oil so it doesn’t stick to the dough when it rises).
Leave to prove in a warm place. I have a small lounge that is always nice and toasty so that is my proving place! Do not rush this stage - the dough needs to double in size and can take from 1-2 hours. If you rush this stage you may end up with quite a dense loaf. Bread needs time and on a cold day can take a long time!
Once the dough has doubled in size it needs to be knocked back. This means to knock all the air bubbles out of the bread. Tip the dough out onto a lightly oiled bench and fold it in on itself with the palm of your hands to knock the air out of it.
Now the dough needs to be shaped to fit in the 2lb loaf tin. Fold the top to the middle, bottom to the middle then finally fold in the sides.
You should have an oblong shape to place in the tin. Make sure the tin is well oiled to avoid it sticking. It may seem a bit lost in the tin but it will soon rise again with the second prove.
Once it is shaped and in the oiled tin cover loosely with the oiled cling film that you used on the bowl earlier. Cover and leave in a warm place for at least 1 hour. The loaf needs to rise up just above the top of the tin. Again do not rush this stage. Once it has reached the top of the tin it is ready to bake.
Score the top of the loaf with a sharp knife or a bread slashing tool. Glaze with milk or egg wash and sprinkle with chilli flakes.
Finally bake for 35 minutes. Tip the loaf out of the tin and tap the base. If it sounds hollow then it is ready - if not bake for another 5 minutes and test again.
Crispy Chilli Bread
Sarah's servings: 1 x 2lb Loaf
Sarah's skill: Medium
Baking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
500g Strong white bread flour
1 Sachet of dried yeast
1 tsp table salt
40g Crispy chilli
320ml water
Method
Put the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer, add salt to one side of the bowl and yeast to the other side.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the crispy chilli.
Put the bowl on the stand mixer with the dough hook and add 3/4 of the water and mix on low speed until it forms a soft and slightly sticky dough. Keep adding the remaining water until it is slightly sticky. You may not need all the water.
Then continue to mix for 12 minutes.
While this is mixing, oil a large bowl. After 12 minutes transfer the dough from the stand mixer to the prepared bowl and cover with oiled clingfilm.
Place the bowl somewhere warm and leave to prove and double in size for 1-2 hours.
Once it has doubled in size knock back the dough to get rid of any air bubbles.
Shape the dough and place in an oiled 2lb loaf tin and cover. Leave in warm place to prove again until the loaf reaches the top of the tin.
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade (200 Fan)
Score the top of the loaf with a sharp knife or a bread slashing tool. Glaze with milk or egg wash and sprinkle with chilli flakes.
Bake for 35 minutes.
Tip the loaf out of the tin and tap the base. If it sounds hollow then it is ready - if not bake for another 5 minutes and test again.
Sarah’s extra slice.......
The biggest bit of advice I can give when making bread is time and patience! Don’t try and make bread if you don’t have plenty of time to set aside. Rushing bread will only result in a dense loaf.
I use a bread slasher as it is much sharper than a knife. If the knife is not sharp it can deflate your bread.
To get your kneaded dough out of the bowl when it is a bit sticky use a flexible dough scraper.