10 make-ahead breads that are the ideal companion to soup night

4 top tips to remember when baking bread:

• Always mix the yeast, sugar and water in a separate bowl and allow to bubble for 15 minutes. This means that the breads has a greater potential to rise.
• ‘Knock it down’ or ‘knock back dough’ means to fold the dough repeatedly back onto itself until it is smooth and most of the air is released. The reason for doing this is to promotes a good texture in the bread.
• Score the top of the bread with a knife. This gives the bread better control while expanding during baking.
  If you can’t tell from the outside whether the bread is ready or not, tap the loaf tin. If it makes a hollow sound, your bread is ready. Alternatively, use a skewer to check if the loaf is done. Poke the skewer through the bread: if it comes out clean, your bread is ready.

BUTTERMILK, HONEY AND SMOKED SALT BREAD

Buttermilk, honey and smoked salt bread; with flavours like that, how can you say no? Bake until golden brown and, as the bread is cooling, sprinkle a little more salt and drizzle extra honey over the top before serving.

Get the buttermilk, honey and smokey salt bread recipe here.

Serve it with: herby lemon-and-barley chicken soup.

SLOW-RISE OLIVE BREAD

Definitely plan ahead for this one, it needs a day for the dough to rise. Slow-rise bread is more substantial in texture, size and weight, which gives a little more satisfaction in every slice.

Get the slow-rise olive bread recipe here.

Serve it with: black bean and coriander soup with zesty guacamole.

SEA-SALT BREAD STICKS

This 6-ingredient bread recipe takes just an hour to create from start to finish.

Get the sea-salt bread sticks recipe here.

Serve it with: leek-and-chicken broth, find the recipe here.

SOUP BREAD

When it comes to homemade loaves, this is as easy as it gets. It only uses six ingredients and – bonus – takes only an hour to make!

Get the soup bread recipe here.

Serve it with: balsamic, chilli, tomato and red pepper soup

SWEET-OR-SAVOURY HUMBLE BREAD

A quick no-knead bread, that does well with either baked with a generous helping of your favourite cheese or with with a heap of cinnamon sugar! If you plan to bake the savoury cheesy version, try it with this tomato soup, find the recipe here.

Get the humble bread recipe here.

FIVE MORE HOMEMADE BREAD RECIPES

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Discover more brilliant bread recipes here.