Simple white loaf
Weirdly, despite my interest in all things food and eating, I haven't made much of my own bread. I think I have always dismissed the idea as too time-consuming. However, yesterday I decided to experiment and make a couple of loaves. Well, there's no going back; the taste, texture and smell are so totally different from most bread you can buy off the shelf and even artisan bread. I think it is partly due to the loaf being so fresh; it's right there in your kitchen rather than having to make any kind of journey.
There is something hugely satisfying about watching the dough rise and then kneading it afterwards. I love to see it bake in the oven; turning from a pale squashy mass into ‘proper’ bread. It feels like I’m being very clever. In fact, I’m not, as it’s quite a simple process really and seems to work pretty much each time. Come back to me when I’ve toiled for a week over a sour dough though…
This is just about the most straightforward loaf you can make. I doubled the quantities and made 2 medium sized loaves. I also added ¼ strong wholemeal flour to improve the flavour and to trick the kids into eating fibre. I have also done 50:50 white and wholemeal which is also great. This dough only requires 3 kneads for 10 seconds each; you can't get much more low effort than that.
My sister in law, who is a fabulous baker, first put me on to Dan Lepard. She is a prolific bread-maker and really rates Lepard's recipes. I have been searching up his recipes online so far, but I must invest in some of his books. I like the look of 'The Handmade Loaf' and for my love of baked sugary things 'Short & Sweet'.
Ingredients
400g strong white flour, plus more for dusting and shaping
1 tsp dry instant yeast (from the packet)
1 tsp fine salt
300ml warm water oil for kneading
Method
Mix flour, yeast, salt and warm water together in a bowl and mix until it ends up as a craggy mess. Cover with a cloth and let it be for ten minutes. Either use a mixer with the dough hook attachment or oil a work surface and knead the bread for 10 seconds. Return it to the bowl. Repeat this process twice more, waiting ten minutes each time.
Shape the dough into an oval, dust it with flour and place it seam-side down on a baking sheet or make it rectangular and bake in a 2lb cake tin (as seen in the photo). Cover again with a cloth and leave for around 45 minutes until the dough has increased in volume by around 50%. Flour the top of the loaf, slash it down the middle to create a tear and bake at 220°C for 35-40 mins until golden brown.
Tip
Lepard recommends placing a roasting tray in the bottom of your oven and pouring boiling water into it when you put the loaf in the oven to create steam, which will help your crust and the tear.
First published in The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard 2004, reworked in The Guardian 2007, to see more of Dan's work visit danlepard.com)
