I love making bread. Baking is so therapeutic and it lets you really take out all your anger and hurt on the dough, the bread still turns out delicious. This morning Alex left for his Swedish lessons and I was home on my own, I rarely get to as I work most days, and I felt like baking something. Sure, there were dishes to be washed and I could have vaccumed the floors or folded clothes or possible even changed the bedsheets, but I wanted to bake and to bake something ‘real’ and nothing like sissy cookies. I was reading cookbooks at work (I do this a lot when there’s a break) and read what Jamie Oliver had to say about learning how to bake good bread. Apparently you’re supposed to treat your dough the same way you make love to your woman, a gentle but firm touch, caressing the dough with smooth moves. I obviously wouldn’t make a very good lover, in my house there’s punching the dough, stretching it hard, folding it three and four times, turning it over and squeezing it hard.. yeah, I guess I wouldn’t be such a great lover.

Here’s a pretty simple bread with herbs and sun-dried tomato. It makes perfect bread for soup or for eating with a slice of cheeze. The herb and tomato flavour is mild and not overpowering, it’s just perfect in every way.

Simple sun-dried tomato and herbs bread:

• 1 sachet/2 tsp dried yeast
• 8 dl (3 1/3 cups) whole wheat flour
• 7 dl (3 cups - 1 tbsp) flour
• 1½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar (for the yeast to feast on!)
• 2 tbsp mixed herbs (I used an Italian blend)
• 8 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3 tbsps olive oil
• 5 dl (2 cups + 1 tbsp) warm water

Mix everything except for water and oil in a big bowl. Make sure to mix it well. Add the warm water and oil and stir it together. Flour a surface and put the dough on the table. Now is the time to really work your dough. Knead it, stretch it, turn it, fold it and punch it. Work it for about ten minutes, until the surface is smooth like baby skin. You may have to add more flour as you work the dough but be careful not to add too much. Pour a bit of oil into the bowl you were using and put the dough in. Toss it about a bit to coat the entire dough and cover with cling film. Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place. After it’s about doubled in size, punch the dough once to deflate it and put it on a floured surface again and knead it lightly. Divide the dough in two and roll each part into a log shape. Cut each part in 5 pieces and roll each part into a bun (or just put it directly on a baking tray with parchment paper with a cut side up, it doesn’t look as nice but the taste is just as good). Cover the breads with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise for another 20 - 30 minutes. Bake in the oven for 8 - 10 minutes in 225 C (440 F). Let them cool on a cooling rack covered with a kitchen towel.