This is a very simple bread recipe to follow to make a white bloomer – don’t do what i do and play with measurements until you get used to things otherwise it might go wrong.
Serves
6
Cooking time
3+ hours
Ingredients
500g strong white flour
10g salt
7g of fast action dried yeast
40 ml olive oil
320ml cool wate
First put the flour in a bowl, add the dried yeast to one side and the salt to the other, they need to be kept apart at this stage. Next add the olive oil and about two thirds of the water.
Using one hand mix the ingredients together to combine all the flour, gradually add the rest of the water until the flour all comes together into a fairly sticky dough.
Put a little flour or oil onto a clean work top and tip the dough out of the bowl. The dough will stick to your hands and the worktop but persevere and you will win, knead it for at least ten minutes and it will becoming less sticky.
When you are ready put the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave it until it doubles in size, it will take at least an hour. Don’t worry about it being in a warm place, that’s a myth.
When the dough is ready place it back on the worktop and knock the air out of it. Roll the dough into the shape of a rectangle and then fold the short sides into the middle so the ends touch. Basically then start at one side and roll it gentle into a long roll and then gently roll and shape it. Place the dough on a baking tray with the seam on the bottom and leave to rise again for at least another hour.
Heat the oven to 220c and when the dough is ready dust with flour and make diagonal slashes on the top. Bake the bread for 25 mins with a tray of water on the bottom of the oven, this will help form a crust. After 25 mins lower the heat to 200c and bak for another 10 mins.
Leave to cool on a wire tray, home made bread rocks!