A simple bread to practice making beautiful loaves without a lot of expensive ingredients.
Prepare: 20 minutesmins
Bake: 40 minutesmins
Rest Time: 4 hourshrs
Total Time: 5 hourshrs
Servings: 12
Ingredients
3 ⅓cups(500g) flour
1 ⅓cups(320mL) water
2 tsp(7g) yeast
1tsp(5g) salt
Instructions
Stir together water and yeast.
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients. Stir until a rough ball forms.
Cover with a cloth, clingfilm or loose fitting lid and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. After twenty minutes, wet hands and pull the dough toward you stretching until it just starts to feel as if it will tear. Fold, turn bowl 1/4 of a turn and do this for a total of four times. Cover. Do this process every 20-30 minutes for the next 2 hours.
Cover and allow to rest for 1 -2 hours or until when you press into the dough, the indention no longer bounces back, but it also doesn't collapse the entire dough.
Pull dough out onto a lightly floured surface or work on a dry surface. This is up to you. Fold the dough into a rough rectangle and place in an oiled and floured tin, seam side down.
Preheat oven 450F (230C.)
If desired, slice the top with a sharp knife. This helps the bread keep its shape.
Bake 40 - 45 minutes. Center of bread should read 212F (100C.)
Let cool before serving.
Notes
An important note on dry yeast: Instant dry and active dry yeasts are not the same. If using active dry yeast, you must activate the yeast according to the manufacturer's instructions in order for the dough to rise properly. You typically need to activate or "bloom" the yeast by adding it to warmed liquid for several minutes. Instant dry yeast can be added to the dry ingredients and typically does not need to be activated prior to use. However, some brands of dry yeasts still require adding warm liquids, so be sure to read the label. Rapid, quick and fast acting dry yeasts will rise much faster than instant and active dry yeasts. For best results, always read and follow the instructions provided on the packet as the rising time varies widely between manufacturers.