Nostalgia with Flour and Yeast
Today’s post is entitled Gold Hill and “Hovis” Granary Bread Loaf, and to those readers who aren’t British, the title may be a bit of a puzzle; what is Hovis bread, and where is Gold Hill and why is it mentioned? Well, Gold Hill is a very steep but beautiful cobbled street in the Dorset town of Shaftesbury, and, Hovis bread is a national institution in the UK, and is linked inextricably to the aforementioned Gold Hill, as that was the location of this bread companies most popular and famous advertisement. The 1973 TV advert which shows a young boy struggling up the hill with his delivery bike (with a basket full of Hovis bread loaves) is played out to the strains of a brass band, playing Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9…….and has been voted Britain’s favourite advertisement of all time, and I still love watching the advert all these years later, dated though it may be nowadays with all the slick adverts we have, it still retains an old-world, innocent charm.
Boy and Bike
The advert called “Boy with Bike” drips with old-fashioned nostalgia for a happier and more uncomplicated time, where no doubt every tea time table had a loaf of Hovis bread on it, ready to be spread with lashings of butter and accompanied by a steaming hot cup of sweet tea – and indeed the advert ends with a homely scene of tea being poured to accompany a slice of Hovis bread with the narrator saying…...”Hovis still has many times more wheatgerm then ordinary bread. It’s as good for you today as it’s always been”……(There’s also a very funny spook of the advert by The Two Ronnies, which is good for a laugh!) I was brought up on Hovis bread, if mum didn’t buy it, she would make a loaf or two, in fact she always had a “baking day” every week, where cakes, bread, biscuits and pies were all made for the week ahead. Basically, Hovis is a wholemeal loaf that is high in wheat-germ.
If you have been watching the Victorian Bakers in the BBC recently, you may recall that the “brand” of Hovis was introduced in 1886, when Richard “Stoney” and S. Fitton & Sons Ltd developed the brand, milling the flour and selling it along with Hovis branded baking tins to other bakers; the name Hovis was then the result of a nationwide competition in 1890, when London student Herbert Grime won the competition set by S. Fitton & Sons Ltd to find a trading name for their patent flour. Grime won £25 when he coined the word from the Latin phrase “hominis vis” – “the strength of man”, which was shortened to “HOVIS”. The name is still synonymous with a healthy and balanced diet, and the brand has gone from strength to strength, and now makes white bread too. Today’s recipe for “Hovis” Granary Bread Loaf uses their special granary bread flour and makes a wonderfully nutty, and yet open-textured bread, as you can see from the photos.
The recipe yields two x 1lb (450g) loaves of bread, or you can do as I have done, make one x 1lb (450g) and five little mini loaves of Hovis bread, using some mini bread tins I bought from Very English, a fabulous new on-line shop that specialises in all things English. Or, you could make ten x little Hovis loaves if you have two mini loaf tins….., which I will be doing on Monday the 25th January, for a Burns Night Supper I am hosting. The recipe can also be made in a bread maker – if you want to make the bread rolls, then just use the dough function to mix and prove it before shaping them and baking them in the mini loaf tins; or you can bake the whole loaf in the bread maker on a large setting, with a medium crust. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we’ve all done, it’s wonderful for toast too, and of course, it makes killer sandwiches! Karen
“Hovis” Granary Bread Loaf
Print recipe
| Serves | 2 x 1lb (450g) loaves or 10 x mini loaves or 1 x 1lb (450g) loaf and 5 x mini loaves |
| Prep time | 1 hour, 45 minutes |
| Cook time | 20 minutes |
| Total time | 2 hours, 5 minutes |
| Allergy | Wheat |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Bread, Side Dish, Snack |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Freezable, Serve Cold |
| Occasion | Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Halloween |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 350g Hovis granary flour (or any other granary flour)
- 100g strong white bread flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 1 x 7g fast action dried yeast
- 25g melted butter
- 300ml tepid water
Note
Make this recipe for "Hovis" Granary Bread Loaf and be transported back in time where bread tasted like proper bread! (Makes 1 x 1lb loaf & 5 mini loaves, 10 x mini loaves or 2 x 1lb loaves)
Directions
| Step 1 | Mix the flours together with the salt, sugar and the yeast, then make a well in the middle and add the melted butter and tepid water. Mix with your hands to bring it all together into a wet dough. |
| Step 2 | Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. |
| Step 3 | Put the dough into a lightly buttered or oiled mixing bowl and cover with a tea towel or a shower cap, as I use! Set to one side in a warm and draft free place until it has doubled in size. Lightly butter or grease the bread tins. |
| Step 4 | To shape the dough; tip the dough out onto a lightly floured board and cut in half - you can now make two 1lb (450g) bread loaves, or one 1lb loaf and five mini bread roll loaves as I did. The dough make ten small loaves if you wish too. Shape the dough into an oblong and smaller oblongs to fit the prepared tins, sit the tins onto a baking sheet and cover loosely with a tea towel - allow to rise until doubled in size in the tins. Pre-heat oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas mark 6. |
| Step 5 | When the loaves have doubled in size, place them in the pre-heated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until well risen and golden brown. The small loaves may be ready before the big loaf, so check after ten minutes. |
| Step 6 | Tip the bread out of the loaf tins, they should sound hollow when tapped underneath, and allow them to cool on a wire cooling rack. |
| Step 7 | Store the loaves after cooling in an airtight tin and slice to serve. Can be frozen for up to three months. |
Monique says
The breads look fantastic..but those tins? OHMY♥
Thanks for the recipe..I love nostalgia~
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Monique! I love a good heirloom recipe too! Karen
jeff hovis says
Sure would like to have one of them Hovis pans!!!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Aren’t they wonderful?!
Dom says
That really does look like glorious bread there Karen. Is there anything more satisfying on the world that freshly baked bread? I’ve been really enjoying the Victorian Bakers series. So interesting!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Dom – I am making a Cottage Loaf today, to go with our Scotch Broth Soup! Karen
Angela Usher says
Thank you so much for the nostalgia Karen : ) I now live in Australia and 1973 and Britain seem such a long way away. I do love those dinky Hovis bread tins but it’s way too hot to be thinking of doing any baking here for a couple of months yet : ( Roll on cooler days!
Karen Burns-Booth says
You are VERY welcome Angela, happy to indulge your British nostalgia memories with this bread recipe! Karen
Jan says
Wow! Karen your bread looks truly delicious.
Oh and I NEED those Hovis tins!! #want
Karen Burns-Booth says
Aren’t they fabulous Jan? I love them and have ordered another set of roll tins, so I can make 10 rolls instead of 5! Karen
Tracey says
Have been watching Victorian Bakers recently and was interesting to find out how they came up with the name Hovis! The bread looks delish, love the mini loaves and the Hovis bread pans. If I had more time, I´d love to bake more bread!
Karen Burns-Booth says
I find that once you make the time to bake bread, it sort of just slots into everyday life Tracey! Maybe make a batch over the weekend? 🙂 Karen
denise@magnoliaverandah says
I remember this ad so well and loved it. Can’t buy Hovis downunder, well at least I havent seen it. So glad you put the recipe here. Loving those tins too.
Karen Burns-Booth says
I am so pleased you enjoyed this post and recipe Denise – and a Happy New Year to you too! Karen
Janie says
Oh I love this Karen! I visited Gold Hill last year a couple of times, both in torrential weather but it was so full of charm and history. A beautiful place indeed.
Janie x
PS I adore those mini loaves, they are too cute!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Janie – funnily enough, even though my sister lives nearby in Blandford, I’ve never been there, time to remedy that methinks! Karen
Glamorous Glutton says
I love Hovis, like you I was brought up on it. When I was at school we were allowed as much white bread as we liked but only half a slice of brown?!! The Hovis became a bargaining chip or slice. I’ll give you my bacon if you give me your brown etc. Love the little tins, they make such a perfect loaf. GG
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks GG! I am a sucker for old recipes and vintage kitchenalia as you know! I LOVE the story of your school days and the brown bread stand-off, very funny, although I would never trade bacon for anything! Karen
Janice says
A real trip down memory lane, lovely bread, Karen.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Janice!
Monique says
Hi Karen..I made some this morning..lovely loaf..thank you.
heather harrison says
The hovis I remember was a smooth grain not sure i can digest that kind of is it granery! or the little pieces of grain what other brown flour can be used thank you
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hovis was originally smooth wholemeal, but they also do granary now too, which is popular; just substitute the granary flour for wholemeal flour!
Bill Whitehead says
Is it possible to make one large loaf as opposed to the two 1 lb loaves and what would the recommended cooking time be?
Bill
Karen Burns-Booth says
It is possible to bake 1 larger loaf – the time will increase by approximately 5 to 10 minutes.
Barry Shandley says
Is this recipe suitable for Bread making machines.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Barry – I’ve not made it in a bread machine but I’m sure it will work on the correct setting.
Ann-Marie says
My mom used to buy hovis bread for us. It was in small loaves. I would like to make some but I can not find granary flour. What can I use instead of this.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hello
You can use a multi grain flour or a seeded flour.
Karen
Rachael says
Should I be kneading the dough a second time? The recipe says once but the timing indicates twice… x
Karen Burns-Booth says
I’ll check Racheal, as this is an old recipe, so will check. I don’t think it matters if you knead it once or twice to be honest, as long as the yeast is working and you have used bread flour with a high gluten content.
John Timmins says
Hi Karen
Just made this loaf but baked it in a 2lb loaf tin absolutely lovely gorgeous taste will definitely be making this again
Thank you very much for a great recipe
John
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi there John
Many thanks for letting me know and I am so pleased you loved this recipe!
Karen
Stephanie Lighter says
Can I use a kitchen aid mixer with dough hook instead of kneading by hand?
Karen Burns-Booth says
Yes, that is fine!