Liam Finnegan, head chef at Castle Bow Restaurant and BRAZZ, Taunton, gives his recipe for a Castle Granary Bloomer.

At the Castle our first and last jobs are our breads.

Last thing at night - getting our ferments on and weigh ups done for the next day.

At 5am the dough is being worked for daily service. We have five different bread doughs but today I’m going to give a few pointers and give the recipe for the basic Castle Granary Bloomer which is used for all of our sandwiches. You can buy whole bloomers in the hotel, museum and library.

Basic granary bloomer recipe - makes three loaves @ 500g each

•500g granary flour

•500g strong white flour (sieved)

•30g fresh yeast or use dried yeast but check

•20g of sugar and salt

•70g butter

•300ml full fat milk

•300ml water

METHOD

Mix all the dry ingredients together. In a pan bring your milk and water together up to 35c, take off heat and allow to cool a little then mix in yeast. Add your liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until at a dough like consistency – you may need more or less liquid (use your gut feeling).

Personally I like a wet dough as it forms a better crust and gives a better rise. Once your dough is formed place it on the table and kneed it for 20 minutes – the more you knead the dough the more elasticated it becomes – this is what you need for a good prove, smooth, soft and elastic.

Leave in bowl to prove up, covering with a damp towel.

Once the dough is proved, using floured hands remove from the bowl and knead again for two minutes to knock out excess air.

Cut into 500g or desired weights and shapes. Then place on tray for the final prove, cover once again with a damp towel and leave somewhere warm (an airing cupboard or close to a stove).

Always lift the towel gently while rising, to avoid sticking. Once proved flour/dust and cut your shapes then put in oven at 190c for 35 minutes (leave a little pan of water in the bottom of the oven to allow moisture to circulate).

If you have any problems pop in or give me a call.