There is nothing quite like the smell of fresh bread filling the kitchen. Baking your own may seem complicated, but a basic loaf needs only four ingredients and a little time.
The basic recipe
- 500 g strong white flour
- 350 ml lukewarm water
- 7 g dried yeast
- 10 g salt
Method
Mix everything into a rough dough, then knead for ten minutes until smooth and stretchy. Leave it covered in a warm place until doubled in size, usually about an hour.
Shape the dough into a round, let it rise again for 45 minutes, slash the top with a sharp knife and bake in a very hot oven for about 30 minutes, until it sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
Let it cool before slicing, if you can resist. Once you’ve mastered the basic loaf, experiment with seeds, wholemeal flour and different shapes.
