While turning on the oven might be the furthest thing from your mind right now, summer is the perfect time to bake – and break – bread. The (hopefully) warm weather means that yeast is more active, says Matthew Jones, owner of Bread Ahead, so “you’ve got the wind in your sails”.
A good starting point is focaccia, says Daniel Frazer, of Mabel the Bakery in Norfol: “The dough loves a humid, warm environment, and the sky really is the limit when it comes to toppings.” Frazer would be inclined to harness summer herbs and/or vegetables here, such as tomatoes and courgettes. “Just be creative and have fun.”
Now would also be a good time to master bread rolls. Of course, as bread-making is more science than art, you’ll need to equip yourself with a recipe, but, as Jones points out, you just need “basic ingredients, namely strong white flour, fresh yeast [although dried works, too], butter, room-temperature water, salt and sugar”. To summer things up, try baking those rolls on a barbecue, ready to house burgers or sausages, say. “Yes, it’s a bit showboaty,” says Henry Herbert of Hobbs House Bakery in Bristol, “but if you’re lighting the barbecue anyway, you might as well use the heat!” They’ll take just 15 minutes to cook, but your barbecue setup needs to be right: “You want one with a lid to create that convection of heat and circulation, so the tops cook as much as the bottoms,” Herbert says. “And you always want to arrange the coals so you have a hot zone and a cool zone.” (Then again, you should already be doing that, anyway.)
When time is in short supply, meanwhile, it’s got to be flatbreads. “They’re great for beginners, and a good way to use up any natural yoghurt you have in the fridge,” Frazer says. They’re versatile to boot: mix things up with different herbs, seeds or spices (za’atar, cumin or nigella seeds all work well), then “serve with salads, use as an alternative to wraps, or tear and pair with dips and oils”. Another speedy solution is, of course, soda bread: “That can be in the oven within 20 minutes of starting,” Jones says. He ups the flavour ante with soft herbs (chives, basil, marjoram and/or parsley, say), though you could also make use of grated courgettes or carrots, cheese (such as cheddar) and nuts such as walnuts.
Also, don’t underestimate the brilliance of a savoury scone. No, it’s not technically a bread, but it’s in the same ballpark (no arguments, please). Jones folds chunks of cheddar, soft herbs, spring onions, perhaps paprika through the dough, or plays around with spices such as green peppercorns.
Equally worthy of consideration are those bakes that tread the line between bread and a vegetable loaf. Dorie Greenspan’s courgette and goat’s cheese loaf is the perfect example. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder and pepper in a bowl, and beat eggs, milk and olive oil in another. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry, then stir in minced tarragon and/or chives, some sliced courgettes and crumbled goat’s cheese. Tip into a greased and lined loaf tin, dust with grated parmesan and bake until puffed up and golden. “It looks rough and rustic, but it’s also somehow elegant,” Greenspan says – plus it’s perfect for eating in great big slices.
