soft white/wholemeal bread recipe

Basic soft white or wholemeal bread has taken me years to make. I use a bread maker about 6 times a week to make nearly all the bread we eat. It has taken me years to suss out soft bread and in the end was down to running out of bread flour. So I substituted for normal cheap plain white flour for just 100g of the total amount. Really it was because we needed bread that day not when I could get to a shop to buy more flour and I just had not got enough of the proper bread flour. Behold a soft bread to rival anything you can buy in  a bakers or a shop.

I have made this originally white extra strong wholemeal but since have now also made with white bread flour.

RECIPE FOR SOFT BREAD:
I use a bread machine to make the dough then bake in the oven so since my machine needs the liquids in the pan first this is how I arranged the recipe. If your machine does it dry ingredients first you will need to adjust. Likewise you can also make by hand:

1 table spoon sunflour/olive oil
300ml water
375g strong bread flour ( white or wholemeal)
100g plain flour
2 and a half tea spoons dried yeast ( I use the normal cheap stuff not the bread maker stuff cos it works fine and is about 1/3 of the price)
1 tea spoon of sugar
1 and a half tea spoons of salt.

I put the liquids in the pan first, then cover with the flour. Make a shallow well in the centre and add the yeast. Then put sugar and salt into different corners making sure they do not touch the yeast since the salt actually stops the reaction and sugar makes it go - if I understand correctly so they need to mix at the right time.

Turn bread machine onto dough setting and leave till finished.
Turn oven onto 220degC.
Take the dough out of the pan.  Form into either a loaf or into rolls. You can also make half of the dough into rolls and the other half can have dried fruit sprinkled on and kneaded into it to make currant buns. A careful sprinkle of mixed spices can also be added but do be careful and just sprinkle on lightly.
Now leave to rise for about half an hour.

At this point I sometimes now make vegan cup cakes in which case put the oven down to 190degC. By the time the cakes are ready to come out of the oven the bread has risen and it doesnt take very long for the oven temperature to get to 220degC ready for the bread to go in. Makes it much cheaper using your oven if you make lots of food at once.

Vegan cupcakes recipe:
2 cups flour - self raising or plain into a bowl
add 1/2 cup sugar or vanilla sugar
1 cup soya milk
1 cup sunflower oil
1 tea spoon bicarbonate of soda
dried mixed fruit. (optional)
Mix well and spoon into paper cases.
Bake for about 10 minutes. Cakes will be light gold on top when ready and if you are unsure stick a skewer into them and if it comes out clean the cakes are ready. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
put the oven up to 220degC.
when at correct temperature put risen bread in and leave about 10 minutes.
When ready the bottom of the rolls or bread will sound hollow if you tap it. Once ready put on a wire rack to cool.

If you are hungry put a potato in and have a jacket potato lunch after all your hard work baking!