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–+ servings
British white cob loaf being sliced with a silver knife on a black piece of slate
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5 from 15 votes

Homemade Bread - White Cob Loaf

A simple easy to follow recipe, to make the best homemade bread - white cob loaf.
Traditional British farmhouse style bread, made from basic store cupboard ingredients, strong white flour, dried instant yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil.
Mix and knead by hand or using a stand mixer. This round crusty loaf of bread is cheap to make and can be baked in the oven, or for a quick proof and cook try using a pressure cooker.
Serve soft sliced white bread as part of an English breakfast, in doorstep slices for lunch, or as a side at dinner.
Ingredients are given in UK and US measures (it is best to use weighing scales).
Prep Time15 mins
Active Time30 mins
Proofing Time (at least)1 hr
Total Time1 hr 45 mins
Course: Breakfast, Lunch, Sharing, Sides
Cuisine: British
Keyword: basic ingredients, Cob loaf, English, farmhouse style, Homemade Bread, Pressure cooker Bread, round crusty bread, Simple recipe, traditional, white bread, white loaf
Yield: 6 people
Calories: 350kcal

Equipment

  • Optional:
  • stand mixer
  • pressure cooker
  • Oven

Materials

  • 500 grams strong white flour (4 cups)
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ tsp sugar
  • 7 grams instant yeast
  • 300 ml warm water (1 ¼ cup)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Homemade bread by hand

  • Add all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
    Pouring a tablespoon of olive oil into a silver mixing bowl with flour, yeast and water
  • Mix the ingredients together by hand, it will be messy and seem too wet to start, just continue until it all forms together. Do not add more flour!
    Kneading bread dough in a silver bowl by hands in a silver mixing bowl
  • Place on a floured board and start to knead the bread for 10 minutes until a smooth elastic texture.
    Move on to the Oven or Pressure cooker cooking method.
    Kneading the white bread dough by hands

Homemade bread using stand mixer

  • Add all the ingredients to the stand mixer bowl.
    Pouring strong white flour into water in a silver mixing bowl
  • Use a dough hook on your stand mixer start on a slow speed and use a silicone spatula to reincorporate anything stuck to the sides.
    Scraping access bread dough away from the sides of the silver bowl with a black rubber spatula
  • Once formed together increase to medium speed for about 2 minutes (this is the kneading stage)
    Kneading the bread dough with an electric mixer
  • Transfer to a floured worktop and form into a ball with your hands
    Move on to the Oven or Pressure cooker cooking method.
    Bread dough in hands

Oven bake method

  • Place in an oiled round cake tin, cover with cling film and leave for about 1-3 hours. It should have doubled in size, leave for longer if needed.
    Covering the bread dough with cling film
  • Preheat oven to 200°C Fan / 220°C , Gas 7, 425°F.
    Once doubled in size, place in the preheated oven on the middle shelf.
    white bread dough in a black cake tin
  • Oven cook for 30 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
    Homemade bread - white cob loaf cooked in a black cake tin in the oven
  • Sprinkle with flour once cooled.
    Round crusty loaf of bread on a an airing rack with sprinkled flour on top
  • Slice and serve!
    Homemade bread on black slate being cut into slices with a large silver knife

Pressure cooker method

  • Line the pressure cookpot with parchment paper, add the kneaded dough.
    White bread dough in pressure cooker pot lined with brown parchment paper
  • To proof:
    Put on lid with pressure valve closed and program on yoghurt setting for 40 mins.
    If you do not have a Yoghurt setting leave for 1-3 hr with a damp tea towel over top.
    Pressure cooker on a timer for 40 minutes on Yoghurt setting
  • Once the bread has been proofed.
    Program the pressure cooker on the cake setting and cook for 40 mins, with the pressure valve closed.
    Pressure cooker on a timer for 40 minutes on cake setting
  • Optional to brown off crust.
    Preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C /Gas 6 / 400°F.
    Transfer the bread onto a baking tray and place it in the oven for 10 minutes.
    White Cob Loaf served on a brown chopping board with sprigs of thyme on the side

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 586mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg