Because we can’t spend lockdown just baking cookies & brownies right?!

This is a tried & tested, fool proof recipe that you can’t go wrong with. Theres something really special about freshly cooked bread with steam pipping out of it.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 500g Strong White Bread Flour
  • 300ml Water
  • 2 Tsp. Sea Salt Flakes
  • 1 Tsp. Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary – finely chopped
  • 25 grams Fresh Yeast – I use half a cube of Kronjast Yeast

Method;

In a freestanding mixer with a dough attachment add together Flour, Sea Salt, Sugar and Rosemary and mix on a low speed until all incorporated. Next crumble in the fresh yeast and gradually pour in the water while mixing on a low speed. Increase the speed to medium until it is all combined about 2-3 minutes.

You should have a shaggy and relatively sticky dough – don’t worry this is how it should be! Take a large bowl and lightly drizzle it with Olive Oil around the edge, then scoop out the dough and place it in this bowl and cover with cling film and a tea towel on top. Leave the dough to rise for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a round loaf – I find the easiest way to do this is fold the edges of the dough in on itself until it roughly resembles how I’d like the finished loaf to look once baked!

Place the shaped dough onto a non-stick baking tray on top of a few sprigs of Fresh Rosemary, with the folded ends underneath and the nice smooth round surface on top.

Cover with cling film and a tea towel on top and leave to rise for a final 30-40 minutes.

While the dough is doing it’s final rise pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius and once at the right temperature place an oven proof bowl in the bottom shelf of the oven filled with cold water – this will create steam, which will help give the bread that famous crusty top!

Once the bread has risen again you can remove the Tea Towel & Cling Film, slice either a cross on the top in the middle or a few deep lines in it and then place in the middle of the oven to bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, place on a wire tray and allow to cool completely before serving!

I like to serve with a few sprigs of fresh Rosemary and a sprinkle of Sea Salt Flakes.

Tips;

  • Fresh Yeast – I always prefer to use Fresh Yeast as I find it much more reliable than having to activate dried Yeast.
  • You can really add so many different herbs & spices to this dough mix – whatever your favourites are!