James Martin Bread Mix review

Last week I brought you James Martin’s Chocolate Cake Mix. Today I am back with another product from James’s range and we are delving into the bread mixes this time with the James Martin Bread Mix.

Interestingly, this range includes five different types of bread. However, today we are focusing on the Mixed Seed Bread Mix. 

Mixed Seed Bread Mix.

One of the great things about this range is that the mixes start at just £1 each and are super simple to make.

Of course, one fact you need to know before we go any further is: you have the option of making this mix with or without a bread maker. So no need for any specialist equipment.

Now I have to admit that I’ve never made bread before, so I got my Mum in to help with this as she often makes bread for my Dad.

Making The Bread.

For some reason, I was presently surprised by the number of seeds included in the mix. Yes I know it is called a mixed seed loaf, however, with many packet mixes, they often downplay additions such as seeds.

All you need to kick off making your bread is to add 290ml of tepid water. 

Personally we don’t have a break maker so we did the whole process by hand.

So after adding the water, we began mixing using a wooden spoon, before moving on to kneading by hand.

Which is split into a couple of parts:

Step 1. Knead by hand for 1 minute.

Step 2. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Step 3. Kneading and stretch for 5 minutes.

Step 4. Shape the mixture and place it in a tin.

After the kneading I promise you the hard work is over! Wow is kneading hard! I had no idea, it’s a great arm work out for sure!

At this point, once your bread is all nicely shaped in the tin you are going to want to leave it for 40 minutes to rise.

Pop it in the oven.

Next up is cooking time.

The package says to put it on at gas mark 8 for around 30 minutes.

However, we found that it took a little longer than stated to cook all the way through so just make sure you keep an eye on it and give it a bit extra if needed. Everyone’s oven is different.

As such we ended up turning over the bread, to make sure it was browned both top and bottom and cooked perfectly.

I admit I had a slice just after this picture was taken. Straight from the oven, fresh and still warm – oh my!

It was absolutely delicious, especially with the butter just melting into the bread.

My Dad even liked it so much he wanted a batch making on both Monday and Thursday to keep his tummy filled.

The bread itself came out soft with a crisp but not too hard crust. The nuts were spread out well throughout the bread giving it a lovely nutty taste.

Between us all we tried it alone, toasted, with butter, a little bit of Marmite, even cheese and some chicken (though not together) and all went so well.

It is most definitely a very versatile bread. Perfect for sandwiches, toast, or as a side with other meals.

This bread mix is simple to make and delicious to eat.

You can grab yourself one of these tasty packet mixes from both Asda and Tesco.