Nothing can beat the smell of fresh dough proving, and then bread being baked to perfection.
Bread
I much prefer to make my own bread, and this recipe is really easy. But if I cannot bake my own then I will buy a baguette or ciabatta. Freshly baked sour dough anything from Schoon is our new favourite. We go there on a Friday morning for coffee and buy a freshly baked ciabatta. This is then kept in the car all day so by the time I get into the car to drive home there is this wonderful smell. It is a scent that cannot be replicated. And from what I have been told, one that can sell houses. If you are planning on having a show day then bake yourself a loaf that you can enjoy later.
Bread
Ingredients
- 625 mls tepid water
- 21 g dry instant yeast
- 30 g Honey
- 500 g bread flour
- 500 g flour
- 30 g Salt
- flour for dusting
Method
- place the yeast and honey into half the tepid water and leave to ferment
- place the flour into a food processor with a dough hook
- with the blade running slowly add the yeast / honey water
- add the rest of the water slowly until the dough has formed - you might not need all the water
- remove from the bowl and knead for 5 minutes
- flour your hands and the top of the bread and shape into a round ball
- place on a baking tray, make a couple of slashes with a knife in the top and cover with a dish towel
- leave in a warm place to prove for 40 minutes, or doubled in size
- knock back the dough and form into the shape bread you want (add flavourings at this stage if you want)
- place back onto the baking tray, and leave for a further 40 minutes, or until doubled in size
- preheat the oven to 225° Celsius and bake for 20 to 25 minutes - you will know when the bread is cooked when you tap on the bottom and you hear a hollow sound
- leave for at least 15 minutes before cutting
Notes
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
EDIT:
In 2020 the world experienced a pandemic that had not been seen for decades. Covid-19 saw people isolated in their homes. And bread baking became the norm, rather than the exception. Flour and yeast were hard to source in many countries. And these two items became like gold. No matter what, baking bread at home is so satisfying. So if you find yourself here and have the ingredients, please give this recipe a try.
Something I love making, but am too often too lazy to do.
Nice that you can keep it in the fridge.
I was most chuffed it worked after being in the fridge for a week 🙂
“500g bread flour
500g flour”
typo?
no, not a typo, you need 500g bread flour and 500g normal flour for the recipe.
Wow….your bread looks lovely. I have always wanted to make bread but all my attempts result in a laughing stock. But your recipe sounds really great. And the pic is very encouraging…Will try is definitely.
Hello, and thank you for the visit. I usually only do ‘easy’ and this one really is. The hardest bit is deciding what shape to make the bread. Hope it works for you. Tandy