Sometimes, it's comforting to return to a simpler way of doing something. Bread is the perfect example. It's so convenient and easy to purchase a loaf of bread, but it's rare that we actually step back and think about the process of making such an ordinary food. To me, there is truly nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread, served with a warming winter soup. It's really not as hard as you might think and actually, I believe the key is not to over think the art of making bread. In my experience, that's were things go wrong. So go on, roll up your sleeves and give it a go.
To make 1 loaf, you will need:
500g strong white bread flour
2 tsp of salt (I like to use pink Himalayan salt)
7g sachet of fast action yeast
3 tbsp of an oil of your choice (I used olive oil)
300ml of warm water from the tap
Method:
1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and then create a well in the middle of the mixture.
2. Add the oil and water to the well. Mix well and add an extra teaspoon of water if the dough is too stiff.
3. Place the mixture on a lightly floured service and gently knead for 5-10 minutes. This is the part where you need not to overthink, knead until the mixture is smooth and has come together well.
4. Place dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and place somewhere warm. Leave to rise for 1.5-2 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C and place a dutch oven in to heat up.
6. When heated to temperature, remove the dutch oven - don't forget your oven gloves! Then place a sheet of baking paper on the inside of the dutch oven and then add in your dough. Cover and return to the oven for approximately 45 minutes. Do keep an eye on the bread as it nears the end of it's time in the oven, all ovens cook differently. Remove the lid from the dutch oven and continue to bake for an extra 5 minutes. Do not leave the oven, you need to watch your bread closely and take it out when it's the perfect golden colour.
7. Remove from oven and remove from dutch oven, then wrap in a clean tea towel for 20 minutes.
8. Slice and serve with a slather of butter and jam!
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