The Old Bakery
Situated in the village of Branscombe in a wooded valley, the Old Bakery is a stone built and partially rendered thatched building. Inside the bakery you'll find a tea-room that serves a variety of beverages including cream teas as well as home cooked lunches and snacks.
Under the thatched eaves of this former traditional bakery, you'll discover the old bread oven and proving trough. A colllection of tins, dishes and measuring scales used by the last bakers are displayed in the rooms. Scrapbooks and old photographs tell the story of the Collier Brothers, the bakers, and the simple process of of how bread was made here.
It's now a cosy tea-room with a garden alongside the mill stream and a beautiful orchard nearby. The tea-room has been awarded the Gold Taste of the West award for its delicacies, and now offers takeaway options and ice-cream too.
If the weather is fair the pretty cottage garden is the perfect place to while away an hour or two in a picturesque setting overlooking the orchard. If the skies are dull and overcast you can head inside and find a seat in the cosy interior.
Branscombe bread recipe
This is a traditional loaf* baked by Stuart and Andrew Collier when they were running Branscombe Bakery as the last traditional wood fired bakery in Devon.
*Stuart and Andrew would have used Branscombe flour from the mill, but as our flour isn’t fit for human consumption anymore, we suggest using flour from another local producer.
Ingredients
25g Fresh yeast
½ tsp brown sugar
600ml warm water
800g wholemeal flour
1 tbsp sea salt (yes that’s a lot)
1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 tbsp runny honey
Method
Mix together the yeast and sugar and 75ml of the water, and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes, until frothy.
Mix the flour and the salt and make a well in the middle.
Pour in the oil, yeast mixture, and honey and enough of the remaining water to give a soft dough.
Tip onto an oiled surface and knead enthusiastically for ten minutes.
Shape into a ball, place in an oiled bowl and cover and leave to rise for 2 hours.
Knead again to knock the air out, cut into two and shape into two oval (bloomer) shapes.
Cover and leave for a second rise for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to about 220 degrees C.
Once risen slash each bloomer diagonally three times with a sharp knife and then bake for 30 minutes or until brown on top and hollow sounding when tapped.
Turn onto a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before enjoying with butter.
