The Essential Bread Recipe
Serves: 1 0
Prep time: 20 min (Not including proving time!)
Cook time: 1 hour
This classic bread recipe is a great staple for your recipe book, all you need is a few key ingredients and a bit of love! You can follow this method to make a classic loaf that's soft on the inside and crusty on the outside. And why not try adding extra ingredients such as seeds or fruit for a fancy loaf? Go on, get creative!
What you’ll need
Equipment
- A mixing bowl: MasterClass Smart Space Mixing Bowl Set
Ingredients
- 500g Strong bread flour
- 7g Dried yeast
- 10g Salt
- 350ml Water
Method
Add all the dried ingredients into a bowl and blend together.
Make a well in the middle and pour the water in.
Use one hand in a claw shape and roll it around the bowl until you form a soft ball of dough clean from the bowl.
Transfer the dough onto a clean work surface without any flour and knead for 10 minutes until it changes to a smooth and stretchy dough.
Return the dough to the mixing bowl, cover and leave to prove for 1-2 hours or until it doubles in size.
Turn the proofed dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knock all the air out.
Place a drizzle of olive oil into a clean mixing bowl and place the shaped bread dough into the bowl.
Leave for its second and final prove for 30-40 minutes.
Place a non-stick ovenproof pan and lid in the oven at 200c for 20 minutes.
Remove the preheated pan from the oven and carefully sliced the bread dough into the pan.
Score a cross into the top of the bread with a sharp knife.
Put the lid on and return it to the oven for 1 hour or until golden and crisp.