Making bread
How bake bread from scratch
Equipment
- weighing scale
- Oven
- mixing bowl
- Bread baking tray or flat baking tray (I also use a silicone baking mat on top as well but it is not necessary if you don't have one.
Ingredients
- 7 grams fast-acting yeast 1 teaspoon
- 1 kilo strong bread flour plus some extra so take 950 grams to make the bread leave the rest to flour the surfaces and baking tin
- 500-600 mls tepid luke warm water
Instructions
Kneed and make the bread mixture
- Mix 500mls of water with the yeast. Mix till it's dissolved and you see some bubbles. Then slowly add the flour mix it with a fork till you can't mix it anymore. Then start to use your hands to kneed the bread on a floured surface. Kneed for 20 - 30 minutes till you feel the bread mixture stretches easily when pulled.
Proof the bread so that it rises
- This stage is important otherwise the bread will be very dense. Cover the bread with a cling film or clean and clear plastic bag. Leave in somewhere warm. If there is proving setting on your oven use it. Otherwise, use your oven lowest temperature setting 50 degrees but not too long constantly check. It will take an hour or more. It has to rise to nearly double the size.
Shape and reproof
- Take the bread dough out and knock the air out. Shape the bread to whatever shape you like or put in in a bread tin. Proof it for half an hour.
Baking the bread
- Bake the bread in oven 180 deg Celcius for 35 minutes. The bread is baked when it's knocked and sounds hollow. The bread will also rise further while baking.