This is a small recipe for homemade bread using natural yeast or a starter. The small loaf is perfect for 2 - 4 people and lasts for days. It freezes well and can be fermented overnight for a more sour flavor if desired. This is a great small loaf to get started learning how to make your own yeast and bread without wasting a lot of money on flour.
Prepare: 15 minutesmins
Bake: 35 minutesmins
Rest Time: 3 hourshrs
Total Time: 3 hourshrs50 minutesmins
Servings: 9slices
Ingredients
1 ½ cups(225g) flour
½ - ¾cup(120 - 160mL) water*
¼cup(50g) starter
½tsp(2.5g) salt
Instructions
In a bowl, mix flour and salt together. Make a well in the center, add starter.
Pour in 1/2 cup of the water. Stir until a shaggy dough forms. If dry, add more water, one tbs at a time until you have a slightly sticky dough.
Turn out onto a clean work surface and knead until smooth and no longer tearing easily. About 5 - 10 minutes.
Form into a round ball and place on a well greased or parchment lined baking paper. Cover with a floured towel or sprayed cling film. Allow to rise until roughly double in size. This can take 2 - 8 hours depending on the flour used and how well you kneaded the dough. White flour takes much less time.
Once risen, preheat oven to 400F (200C) and bake 30 - 35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Center of bread should read 212F (100C.)
Cool completely before slicing if using more than one day. Can be frozen up to three months.
Notes
This recipe was created using weighted measurements with 82% hydration rate (225g all-purpose flour, 50g starter and 180mL of water.) However, some find it easier to work with less water when starting. Start out with 1/2 cup water and add 1 tbs of water as needed. You may need more than 3/4 cup of water. All bread recipes are ideally weighed out instead of using measuring cups. The type of flour can affect the amount of water required. Whole grains and bread flour will need much more water than all-purpose (plain) white flour due to how they absorb water.