Elizabeth uses her loaf to help Wilmslow Wells

People help Wilmslow Wells to raise money in many and varied ways; with Mrs Elizabeth Maddock it's her home-made bread. Over the last three years, Elizabeth's bread has become famous on the charity's Souperdays, when local residents donate money while enjoying a simple meal of soup and bread. Recently, she decided also to host a coffee morning at her home, where many varieties of her bread were on sale, plus delicious cakes and scones. The event raised more than £100. Joanna Southgate, Chairman of Wilmslow Wells for Africa, said: "Elizabeth proves that personal involvement can make a big difference to the lives of less fortunate people. We are so grateful for her continuing support - and her bread is fantastic!" Elizabeth explained: "I have always been interested in cooking, so when my youngest daughter developed the need for a very restricted diet - mainly bread - I decided to ensure it was as good as possible.

Excited: clean water means the children have energy enough to play, even when the road home is long. click on the photo to enlarge

"I had made several reasonably successful attempts at bread-making before this, but now I began making it in earnest. My skill developed and I experimented with flour, methods and flavours - and in the end I got quite hooked on bread and the making of it." As her children grew up and she had more time, Elizabeth began selling her bread at fund-raising events. "I had always thought that Wilmslow Wells was doing terrific work and when I had the time I offered to help with the Souperdays," she said. Elizabeth makes all her bread by hand, and includes varied flavours. And as a special treat for supporters of Wilmslow Wells, she has allowed us to publish her own recipe below. THE BASICS OF BREAD-MAKING 1½ kg of bread flour (white, wholemeal or granary) 1oz fresh yeast or 3 rounded teaspoons dried yeast 3oz fat (butter, lard or margarine) or 3 tablespoons oil 6 teaspoons salt Approx 1½ pints of water (usually a bit more) Before doing anything else, mix the yeast, 2 or 3 teaspoons flour and sufficient warm (never hot) water to make a smooth paste. Keep stirring until it goes smooth. This is a starter and ensures that you have active yeast. The starter can be made 5 minutes ahead or several hours, but bear in mind it will expand a lot after an hour or so, so a spacious container is essential. Put the flour in a roomy bowl, mix in the salt and rub in the fat. Stir in the yeast and a good portion of warm water, keep stirring and keep adding the water, until all the flour is stuck together in a mass. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and start kneading, using sufficient flour so that the dough is soft, holds together easily but is not sticky - this is where the experience comes in; it is very easy to get into a horribly sticky mess. Once you have kneaded enough, the dough will be smooth, elastic and glossy. Put it back in the bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave for half an hour, then give it a quick knead (this will really smooth it) and put it back in the bowl and leave until doubled and soft and airy. Divide the dough into equal sized pieces (best done by weighing), shape and put onto greased trays or in tins - for this amount of dough 4 to 6 pieces is ideal. Leave to prove about half an hour, then bake in a hot oven Gas 8 or 230 degrees C, for about 20 to 25 minutes; the smaller the piece of dough the less time it needs. The bread should be well risen and brown and firm. If you wish to flavour your bread, add the filling after you have rubbed in the fat. For this amount of flour use a 100gram packet of sun-dried tomato and a good handful of basil, then brush the dough with plenty of well-beaten egg. or 100grams of chopped walnuts and brush again with egg. or 3 or 4 handfuls of mixed herbs. or 50 or 60 roughly chopped olives and brush with egg - and for this bread use olive oil not fat. The possibilities are as many as your imagination. Good Luck! Elizabeth Maddock back to top