I’ve made a lot of bread in my time. Always experimenting, trying different ideas, ingredients etc. Recently, I decided to make a really simple loaf. Just four ingredients – flour, water, yeast and salt.
The result was an amazingly soft and delicious loaf of bread that stayed fresh for four days. I’ve made it a few times since and it’s a ripper. It needs a lot of time to prove, so make sure you have a few hours spare. You don’t need to be available all the time, only at those crucial periods where you will be shaping or baking your loaf.
This is a really soft dough with a high hydration so it needs gentle handling. Don’t be tempted to add more flour when shaping. Oil your hands a little if it’s sticking while you’re shaping.
If you really can’t handle such soft dough, use 10 to 15g less water.
- 340g water
- 2 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp sugar (optional)
- 500g baker's flour
- Place water, yeast and sugar, if using, into Thermomix bowl.
- Warm 3 min/37/sp 2.
- Add remaining ingredients and set to 5 min/dough.
- Remove to ThermoMat or greased bowl. Wrap in mat or cover bowl and allow to rise for at least an hour and a half. Dough needs to have doubled in size.
- Unwrap or remove from bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
- Press dough gently out to a circle. Elongate the circle on either side, by gently stretching the dough.
- Bring one side in and press down to the base. Repeat on the other side so you have a long triangle. Press gently down all over dough with tips of fingers. Make sure the length of the base of the triangle is the just under the width of the tin. (see notes on tin size).
- Roll the very tip of the triangle down a little and press with fingers to seal. Roll down again and press to seal. Continue until you have a cylinder.
- Place the cough cylinder into the tin and cover with a cloth. Allow to rise at least another hour and a half - up to two or three hours if the room is cold. I let it rise until it's nearly to the top of the tin, so almost tripled.
- When nearly risen, place a tray with sides in the base of your oven and pre heat oven to 180c.
- When ready to bake, boil the kettle. Sprinkle top of dough lightly with flour and slash diagonally, a few times with a lame knife.
- Place in oven and carefully pour boiling water into the tray at the base to create steam.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown and crusty.
Sometimes I add 2 tsp of bread improver. If you choose to do this, add 20g olive oil as well as bread improver needs a fat to work.
