Good food makes people happy and, once you get some of the basics right, it really isn’t so difficult to cook successfully and creatively at home.

Your friends will love you for it and your family will grow up appreciating the wonderful smells and conviviality of gathering around a kitchen table, breaking bread with each other and eating food that has been prepared with love.

For me, acquiring good cooking skills involves mastering five essential kinds of dishes: good bread, stock, sauce, pasta and pastry.

Over the next few weeks, I will cover each of these kitchen basics and, once you have accomplished these dishes, you will be well on the way to becoming the kind of cook you want to be.

In the weeks following, I will illustrate how each of these basics can be worked up to create a stunning, seasonal autumn menu.

Bread is the first thing you eat at the table and so it sets the scene for the whole meal.

My first recipe is for a basic white bread mix which, once mastered, can be adapted to achieve a variety of results by introducing your favourite herbs, seeds and fruits.

However, remember that if you add fruit that contains juice, you will need to factor this into overall liquid content required in the recipe.

This recipe can be made into rolls as I have done here, or cooked as a loaf.

Basic white bread rolls

500g strong white flour

15g fresh yeast

175ml warm water

1 egg

15g salt

5g sugar

Method

1. To make the bread, add 25ml of the warm water to the yeast. Mix well and add the egg.

2. Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl at a low speed for a few seconds, then add the yeast mix and slowly add 130ml of the water.

It depends on the heat of the room as to the exact amount of water you need, so it is best not to add it all at once.

3. Mix well and, if necessary, add the rest of the water.

4. The dough should now be coming away from the sides of the bowl without leaving any residue.

5. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it for five minutes. This is important as it allows the molecules to expand. If you have problems kneading it, it is too dry. If it sticks to the table it is too wet. To ensure your dough is the right consistency, test it by rubbing the dough against the palm of your hand. Press hard and it should come away cleanly without breaking. If necessary, put it back into the bowl and add more liquid as required.

6. After kneading, place the dough on a marble chopping board, cover it with the mixing bowl and let it rest for one hour.

7. Knead it again, cover it and place it in the fridge. I often leave it overnight, as this allows the yeast to work better.

To prepare the bread for cooking:

1. Cut into 40g pieces – this will give you 18 rolls and a bit left over.

2. Place the dough pieces on the table and, with the palm of your hand, roll the bread with an anticlockwise movement. You should feel the pressure of the dough on your hands. Roll until it is smooth, then roll in flour, place on the tray and cut a cross to allow it to open. Sprinkle with flour.

3. Prove for six hours on the kitchen table or until the rolls have doubled in volume. There are ways of speeding up the process, but it is important to know the full process before you start taking short-cuts.

4. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

5. Place a pot of water in the oven for steam, then place the bread in the oven. After five minutes, turn the temperature down to 175 degrees Celsius and bake for a further 20 minutes, removing the water after ten minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and serve warm with unsalted butter.

Tomato and basil bread rolls

500g strong white flour

15g fresh yeast

90ml water

75g butter

Milk

15g fresh yeast

5g sugar

1 whole free-range egg

30g flour for the finish

50g semi-sundried tomato (roughly chopped)

10 basil leaves, shredded

2ml of olive oil

Method

1. To make the bread, mix 15ml of the warm water with the yeast, mix well and add the egg.

2. Mix the flour, salt, sugar, tomato and basil in a bowl at a low speed for a few seconds, add the yeast mix and slowly add 60ml of water.

3. Mix well and, if necessary, add the rest of the water. Add the oil and mix again.

In the restaurant, we make different flavoured oils, such as basil oil. It is an easy process – just add 15g of your preferred herb to 1 litre of good quality olive oil and infuse for 24 hours at 47 degrees Celsius.

4. Follow same steps from number four for basic white bread mix through to end of recipe.

Kevin Thornton is a Michelin-starred chef and the owner of Thornton’s Restaurant in the Fitzwilliam Hotel, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01-4787008; www.thorntonsrestaurant.com