If you find it difficult to knead the bread in one go, simply divide the recipe in half and bake in two batches. This bread can be frozen once cooked, otherwise it should be eaten on the same day as it has been made as it goes stale very quickly. Once thawed, placing it in the oven for 10 minutes will reinvigorate it.
Ingredients
- 900g wholemeal flour
- 900g plain flour
- 4 tsp salt
- 4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 200g vegan hard margarine at room temperature and cut into small pieces
- 1200ml soya yogurt
- A little soya milk if necessary
- Extra vegan hard margarine for serving
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
- Mix the flours, salt and bicarbonate of soda together in a large bowl. Rub in the vegan hard margarine with your fingertips.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, add the yogurt and mix thoroughly. The dough should be dry, but if too dry add 1-2 tbsp of soya milk.
- Turn the dough out onto the worktop and knead for 2 minutes. You will be surprised how all the loose flour is incorporated into the dough! It should be dryish and crumbly but hold together. (Add a little more soya milk, if necessary.)
- Divide into four loaves, form into rounded shapes and place each on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a floured knife, make five deep cuts into the dough to form the sections (creating a star in the centre of the bread).
- Place in the oven, making sure you leave enough space above it for the bread to rise. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 190°C/gas mark 5 and continue baking for a further 25 minutes. The bread should rise quite a lot and the cuts open out.
- When cooked, remove from the oven and cool on wire trays.
- To serve, slice each section then cut each piece in the middle so that each loaf will serve 10 people.
