Easy White Bread Recipe

This easy white bread recipe has a soft texture & was great when used a day or two later to make sandwiches

An old friend of mine (aren't old friends always the best type of friends ?!) forwarded me the link to this easy bread recipe the other day, and I decided to try it over the weekend as we were having guests to stay.

It turned out really well and I will definitely be making it again.

The original link for this recipe can be found over here on the BBC Good Food website.

Easy White Bread Recipe

500 gm strong White flour, plus extra for dusting (I used white cake flour)

2 tsp Salt

7 g sachet of fast action Yeast

3 tbsp Olive Oil

300 ml Water

Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, then add the oil and water, and mix well. If the dough seems a little stiff, add 1-2 tbsp water, mix well then tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead. Once the dough is satin-smooth, place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Leave to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size or place in the fridge overnight.

Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Knock back the dough, then gently mould the dough into a ball. Place it on the baking parchment to prove for a further hour until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Dust the loaf with flour and cut a cross about 6cm long into the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

My Garden .... After The Rain

We've been having so much rain on the farm at the moment - and suddenly everything is turning a lush green again. The Jacaranda trees (above) are in full bloom, too ..........

Our garden is like an oasis for the surrounding bird and insect life, I usually have to make sure that our bird bath (above) is topped up once a day - but not when it rains every day as it has been lately.

We have an amazing array of insects in the garden, too - lots of different multi coloured ones like these below, too .....

And a lilac sea of agapanthus ................ (commonly called 'Lily of the Nile' despite the fact that it is not a lily, and is native to South Africa.)


We have hibiscus in the garden in varying shades of pink. Hibiscus make a refreshing Summer drink, and you can see my recipe (published a little over 2 years ago !) for hibiscus syrup (cordial) over here.

A view of part of our house/veranda, below ............

The bougainvillea is in full bloom now, too - lining the entrance pathway to the front door .......

The two windows on the left in the photo below are my kitchen windows .....

The view from my kitchen, below ................... (beyond the garden hedge I can see wheat fields, too - although these are not visible in the photo).

For photo's of my Winter garden (& where I answer one of my most regularly asked questions !) click here.

Pork Sausage, Pea & Pepper Casserole

This Pork Sausage, Pea & Pepper Casserole is great served over mashed potato

This is really easy midweek supper which you can throw together using ingredients from your freezer and store cupboard. Sausage casseroles are usually a hit with the whole family – you can also try my Tangy Sausage Casserole over here or my vegetable packed Lazy Sausage Casserole over here.

I always have a few packets of pork sausages in the freezer as they are a handy standby. If you don’t feel like making a casserole with the sausages, I’ve published several recipes using pork sausages in different ways on the blog over the years - have a look at my Homemade Pork Sausage Rolls made with an old family pastry recipe over here and see my recipe for Pork Sausages Wrapped in Bacon (did anyone say ‘cholesterol’ ?!) & served in an Onion Gravy over here.


Pork Sausage, Pea & Pepper Casserole

1 pkt Pork Sausages (about 8)
1 pkts Tomato Soup (single serve instant ‘Cup of Soup’ type)
1 tin Peas (+- 400gm)
1 tin Tomatoes, peeled & chopped (+- 400gm)
1 Red Pepper, sliced
1 Onion, sliced
Salt & Pepper – to taste

Lightly brown the sausages in a little oil in a pan. Remove & place in a casserole dish. Make the tomato soup up according to package instructions, pour over the sausages. Scatter the peas, tomatoes, red pepper & onion over. Season to taste. Stir to mix. Place – uncovered – in the oven at 190'C/375'F/Gas Mark 5 and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Serve over mashed potato.