Bread Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1kg bread flour
  • 800 ml (80% of mass of flour) distilled water
    • Note: Use 750 ml (75% mass of flour) when getting used to the recipe
    • I used to use tap water. In Cape Town this works. But in Pretoria the tap water doesn’t work so well with the recipe. Store bought distilled water works really well.
  • 2 grams [2% mass of flour] of sea salt
  • 1 pack of dried instant yeast
  • 1 Tupperware bowl with a cup of water to wash your hands

Recipe

Do this when it’s cold:

Add 100 ml water, the packet of yeast and 1 tablespoon of the flour to a mixing jug. Let it sit for 10 minutes for the yeast to activate before beginning the recipe. If you did this step, you can add this mixture to replace the yeast in Step 2.

When it isn’t cold:

  1. Mix all the flour and salt together.

  2. Empty the packet of yeast to the flour mixture. This is important as the salt has a habit of killing the yeast. So the salt first needs to first be diluted into the dry flour before putting the yeast into the mixture.

  3. Then add all the water into the dry mixture. Now its time to get your hands dirty (Your hands will get dirty unless you have a dough hook and a food processor).

  4. Get your hands dirty by mixing all the dry ingredients with the water to form the dough.

  5. Continue kneading the dough until is has a smooth outer layer.

  6. Thereafter, cover the dough in a large bread mixing bowl. I use a large 5L Tupperware bowl.

  7. Let it rest for 1 hour in a warm and non-windy space. This is called autolysis (where the flour gets hydrated by the water and forms gluten).

    1. Gluten is a protein formed by the growth and stretching of wheat based dough. The dough grows and stretches as it rests. The crumb and texture of the bread is formed through the development and baking of the gluten structure inside the bread.

    2. I usually close the large Tupperware container, wrap it in a large blanket, and place the dough inside a large cupboard.

  8. After 1 hour has passed, the dough should have doubled in size and become slightly bubbly.

  9. Open the Tupperware bowl and begin kneading the dough to remove some of the air out of the dough. Be careful of not to pop all the bubbles inside the dough. The crumb and texture of the dough is a result of these bubbles that grow in the dough.

  10. Knead the dough until it forms a shiny outer layer.

  11. Thereafter, cover the dough in a large Tupperware bowl and let it rest for an hour in a non-drafty and warm space. After an hour the dough should have doubled in size.

  12. Smear a layer of layer on a large cooking surface. Open the Tupperware bowl and flip the container over to remove the dough from the Tupperware. Be careful of not to pop all the bubbles inside the dough.

  13. Wet a large chef’s knife to cut the dough into two equal parts. Cut the dough and shape each part into a loaf shape. Again, place in in a non-drafty and warm space.

  14. Pre-heat the oven to 240° with the fan off. After 15 minutes of the oven pre-heating, insert 3 ice blocks into the bottom of the oven.

    1. It makes sense that the fan should actually stay off. Our goal for the first couple of minutes baking the bread is to steam the bread allowing it to grow as possible before the outer layer sets properly. Our aim is to get the oven as hot as possible while remaining wet as possible. The moisture in the oven will allow it to steam well.

  15. After the oven has pre-heated for 25 minutes, place the bread into the oven

  16. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown

  17. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing

  18. Enjoy your freshly baked bread!