Well, it is the global launch of bicycle bread. So-called because it looks a bit like the tires on my bicycle after a long winter. Don’t let that put you off.

Bicycle Bread
This is a brilliant, delicious, beautiful and tasty bread (I am so impressed with myself I may explode sometime soon, clearly – or else maybe one of you will shoot me) and it will be on sale from tomorrow at The Real Cheese Shop in Barnes along with Emmeline’s cracker bread.
Ingredients
- 270 g Refreshed 1857 That is a wheat sourdough
- 700 g Warm water
- 100 g Whole wheat flour
- 1000 g White wheat flour
- 20 g light rye flour
- 20 g Honey
- 25 g Salt If you want to speed it up, 6 g yeast.
Instructions
- Day 1: Refresh your wheat sourdough
- Day 2: Knead all the ingredients together without the salt for 10 minutes. Add the salt and knead for another 5 minutes.
Shaping yeast free:
- Let rest for one hour.
- Pull out of the bowl and stretch and fold and then replace in the bowl and let rest for one hour.
- Pull out of the bowl and divide into four equal portions and stretch and fold, forming into a loose ball.
- Let rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold and shape into loose balls.
- Let rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold and shape into firm sausages.
- Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Slit from top to tail, leaving a good couple of inches (5 cm) at the top and the tail and turn inside out. Shape into circles and place on a baking tray that you have covered with polenta. Cover and let rest 45 minutes to one hour.
- Sprinkle lavishly with flour.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 230 degrees for 30 minutes.Admire.
Shaping with yeast:
- Knead and let rest in the bowl for 60 minutes.
- Remove and divide into four pieces.
- Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Shape into the firm sausages and let sit for 5 mintues.
- Slit and shape into circles and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Bake as above.
This bread *is* beautiful and being a bicycle fanatic I love that it’s form takes inspiration from your bike tyres!
very easy to make! give it a try and sent photo!
Worked a treat! Lovely thick crunchy crust yet soft inside.
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Brilliant! I am so pleased!