Crumpets: King Arthur version
A yeasted milk-and-water batter cooked in greased rings, then turned to finish. This modern formula also includes baking powder.
Cottage loaf (Sonya Hundal's slow-rise version)
Cottage loaf · English cottage loaf
A large English cottage loaf with a smaller round joined atop a larger one. This slow-rise version uses white wheat flour with small portions of wholemeal wheat and rye, and bakes on a hot stone or tray.
A large slow-rise loaf
This formula by English baker Sonya Hundal makes one very large loaf. It combines white bread flour with smaller quantities of wholemeal wheat and dark rye. The dough is firm, and the stacked shape depends on shaping the two portions tightly and pressing a deep dimple through their join.
The recipe gives a cool first rise, followed by several rests and a two-stage bake. It does not specify a total dough weight, a scale-up formula or a validated internal temperature. The article's possible explanations for the loaf's name remain possibilities, not established history.
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Mix and build the dough
Work the yeast into the mixed flours before adding salt and most of the water. Knead until the stiff dough is cohesive, adding the remaining water only as needed. After the first two-hour rise at 15–18°C, fold the dough once and leave it covered for another 45–60 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball and rest it for an hour. Divide it into a large portion and a smaller piece of about 360–370 g. Press gas out of both pieces and shape them tightly into balls; leave them covered for 45–60 minutes.
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Stack and bake
Heat a stone or baking sheet in the oven at 220°C (200°C fan), allowing enough room above it for the loaf. Flatten the two balls slightly, place the smaller on the larger, then press a deep dimple through the centre of both. Cover for 10 minutes; slash the surface if desired.
Transfer the loaf on a floured peel. Bake for 10–15 minutes at the higher setting, then lower the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and bake for 20–30 minutes, until well browned. Cool on a rack before cutting.
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Handle flour and hot equipment safely
Raw flour can carry harmful bacteria. Do not taste the dough before baking and clean hands and tools after handling flour. Protect hands when moving dough onto or off the preheated stone or sheet.
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History
The consulted recipe presents a current cottage loaf by an English baker but gives no dated first attestation or reliable account of the loaf's origin. The history period remains unknown.
Ingredients
Yield 1 large loaf · Scaling: source batch only
625 g
Fresh yeast
10 g
The author advises 4 g when room temperature is above 20°C.Fine salt
9 g
WaterUse at about 18–20°C.
450 g
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Pathogens in raw flour
The dough contains uncooked wheat and rye flour; raw flour should not be tasted.
Hazard sourceBurns from oven and baking surface
The recipe transfers the loaf onto a preheated stone or baking sheet and bakes in a hot oven.
Hazard sourceDo not taste uncooked dough; wash hands and utensils after handling raw flour.
Control sourceUse a floured peel and heat-resistant protection when handling the hot stone or baking sheet.
Control sourceDo not taste raw dough.
Use care when moving dough to or from the preheated oven surface.
Contains wheat and rye gluten.
- Mix the white, wholemeal wheat and rye flours. Rub the fresh yeast into the flour, then add the salt and most of the water. Mix thoroughly and knead for about 10 minutes. The dough should be stiff; add the remaining water gradually if it is too stiff to knead or has dry patches.
- Cover the dough and leave it at a cool room temperature, about 15–18°C, for 2 hours. Fold it once, cover again and let it rise for another 45–60 minutes.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, keeping the smooth side down. Shape it into a ball, return it to the covered bowl and rest it for 1 hour.
- Divide the dough into two unequal pieces. Make the smaller piece about 360–370 g, flatten each piece to press out gas, then shape both tightly into balls. Cover and let them rise for 45–60 minutes. Meanwhile heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) with a baking stone or baking sheet inside; check that there is enough headroom for the loaf.
- Flatten each ball slightly and set the smaller one on top of the larger one. Push a deep dimple down through the centre of the top ball and well into the lower one to join the tiers. Cover and rest for 10 minutes. Optional vertical slashes can be cut just before baking.
- Transfer the loaf on a floured peel to the hot stone or baking sheet. Bake at 220°C (200°C fan) for 10–15 minutes, then lower the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and bake for another 20–30 minutes, until well browned. Cool on a rack before slicing.
Conditions
Yield1 large loaf
Fermentation4.67–5.17 h
Temperature15–220°C
Temperature controlMulti-stage
Places
England
Modern adaptation · Country evidenceThe cited recipe is presented as a cottage loaf by English baker Sonya Hundal in Lincolnshire; this supports an English association, not a precise origin.
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Sources
Real Bread Campaign / SustainInspiration · Method · Geography
Sonya Hundal's cottage loafThe formula uses 625 g white bread flour, 40 g wholemeal bread flour, 25 g wholemeal rye flour, 10 g fresh yeast (or 4 g above 20°C room temperature), 9 g salt and 450 g water at 18–20°C.
The dough rises for 2 hours at 15–18°C, is folded, rises for 45–60 minutes, rests another hour after shaping, then gets a 45–60 minute rise after division and shaping.
The smaller tier weighs about 360–370 g; a deep dimple joins the stacked rounds. The loaf bakes 10–15 minutes at 220°C/200°C fan and another 20–30 minutes at 180°C/160°C fan.
Sonya Hundal bakes in Lincolnshire; this supports English context without establishing a precise birthplace.
Cited in: A large slow-rise loaf; Mix and build the dough; Stack and bake; Handle flour and hot equipment safely
Great British Food AwardsHistory
Whatever happened to the cottage loaf?The article describes cottage loaf origins as uncertain; it offers possible explanations for the name and stacked form but does not establish either as proven.
Cited in: A large slow-rise loaf
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowRaw flour can carry harmful bacteria; do not taste uncooked dough and clean hands and utensils after handling flour.
Cited in: Handle flour and hot equipment safely