There’s nothing more comforting than the smell of freshly baked bread making its way through the home. Bread is a firm favourite among comfort foods, it’s versatile and can be eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner and what’s more is that it’s easy to experiment with - so once you know the basic rules you’re able to find your very own perfect recipe!
Whether you’re a keen baker already or you’re a beginner and want to learn the basics, the below recipe is nice and easy. We tried it out by using our Nexus 110 proving drawer and our bread was delicious – a crisp crust and a soft centre.
Ingredients
- 500g white flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 7g sachet yeast, fast action
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 300ml water
Method
- Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a bowl and make a well in the centre, add the oil and water and mix together.
- Put the dough on a lightly oiled work surface and knead until smooth, then place in a lightly oiled bowl.
- Leave the dough to rise for one hour or until it has doubled in size – it can also be left over night in the fridge.
- After one hour, shape the dough into a ball and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Then leave to prove for a further hour until doubled in size again.
- While the bread finishes rising, pre-heat the oven to 220⁰C/fan or 200⁰C/gas mark 7.
- Dust the loaf with a light sprinkling of flour and create a line on the top of the bread with a sharp knife.
- Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden, if it sounds hollow when tapped, it is ready.
- Before cutting the bread, leave to cool down fully.
Some Top Tips:
Even the best bread bakers could do with some tips sometimes…
- Measure the ingredients correctly. When using a measuring cup for flour, use a spoon to add the flour into the cup instead of scooping it in, this way you’ll avoid adding too much flour in.
- Use room temperature ingredients when making the bread dough.
- When kneading the dough, use oil instead of flour to prevent it sticking to the surface. Any extra flour could affect how the bread cooks.
- Share your bread baking skills and tips with us on Facebook, we’d love to see what you bake!
