Rise time: 2 hours, divided
Bake time: 30 min
Ingredients
- 400g strong white bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 8g salt
- 7g active dry yeast
- 25 unsalted butter, softened
- 250ml cool water (about 15-20° celsius -- basically room temp)
- Olive oil for kneading and oiling the tin
Instructions
- Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Don't put the salt directly onto the yeast, as you may kill the yeast or at the very least slow it down.
- Add the butter and three-quarters of the water, and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add the remaining water, a little at a time, until you've picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all the water, or you may need to add a little more -- you want dough that is soft, but not soggy. Use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl and keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough.
- Coat the work surface with a little oil; using olive oil rather than flour on the work surface to prevent sticking keeps the dough soft. Then tip the dough onto the surface and begin to knead. Keep kneading for 5-10 minutes. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to form a soft, smooth skin.
- When your dough feels smooth and silky, put it into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until at least doubled in size -- this means at least 1 hour, but it's fine to leave it for 2 or even 3 hours. [1] Resting the dough strengthens it and helps develop a robust crumb structure.
- Prepare a 1kg loaf tin or two 500g loaf tins [2] by rubbing olive oil over the inside.
- Tip your dough onto a lightly floured surface. If you are making 2 smaller loaves, divide the dough in half.
- First shape into a ball by folding the dough inwards repeatedly until all the air is knocked out and the dough is smooth. Then form into an oblong by flattening the dough out slightly and folding the sides into the middle. Roll the whole lot up -- the top should be smooth with a join running along the length of the base. Put your dough into the prepared tin, making sure the join is underneath.
- Put the tin(s) inside clean plastic bag(s) and leave it to prove [3] for about 1 hour, until the dough is at least doubled in size and springs back quickly if you prod it lightly with your finger. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 220°C and put a roasting tray [4! important!] in the bottom to heat up.
- Dust the risen, springy dough with flour and slash the top with a knife -- a sharp serrated blade is ideal. Fill the roasting tray in the oven with hot water to create steam and put the bread into the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the bread is cooked through. Check by tipping the loaf out of the tin and tapping the base -- it should sound hollow. Cool the loaf. out of the tin, on a wire rack.
---
Posted by Piera
Original recipe: How to Bake by Paul Hollywood of the Great British Bake Off. I copied the recipe without any modifications, for the British charm. Click the "Read More" link for photos of the original.
[1] The oven (but turned off!) is a good place for this.
[2] I'm still not super clear about how these sizes correlate to the typical American bread pan. I have one larger pan and one that seems "normal"-sized, so I follow the instructions for the 1kg tin and it seems to work out.
[3] This is British for "cover and let rise." The Brits, I am told, have plastic bags specifically designed for covering bread dough, and "prove" is the Queen's English for "rise" (because the yeast has to prove its worth). Anyway, I cover it with the same tea towel from step #4 and have had no problems. Only more-American bread.
